Jim Benning shook up the teams supporting cast this summer and like a lot of Vancouver Canucks fans, I spent a fair amount of the off-season jotting down possible line combinations for October. On paper, the Canucks looked like a much-improved team, but I was hesitant to fully believe they would come out of October looking like playoff contenders.
After a hard fought pre-season the roster was thick with scoring wingers and it was quite clear some tough roster moves had to be made. Jaws dropped and eyes popped across Vancouver and the rest of the hockey world when Sven Baertschi and Nikolay Goldobin were sent down to Utica in favor of last years scraps, Tim Schaller and Loui Eriksson.