VANCOUVER - Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault feels confident his team can overcome the injury to key centre Ryan Kesler and remain a force to be reckoned with when the puck drops on an shortened NHL season.
Kesler is recovering from off-season surgeries to his left wrist and left shoulder and his return is still unknown.
His absence leaves a gaping void in the second line, but Vigneault isn鈥檛 fazed. He points to his team鈥檚 record in recent years when it has endured a spate of injuries to big names.
鈥淲e鈥檝e dealt with injuries in the past,鈥� Vigneault said Friday. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been one of the teams in the last three or four years that鈥檚 had the most injuries in the league 鈥� We鈥檝e dealt with this before, we鈥檝e dealt with it in a good way and our record indicates that.
鈥淲ith Ryan鈥檚 case, obviously he鈥檚 a huge part of our team but while he鈥檚 not there, we鈥檙e going to do what we鈥檝e always done in the past and make the right decisions for the team.鈥�
Vigneault shot down suggestions of shifting wing Chris Higgins into the middle and moving other players out of their comfort zone.
鈥淎s we move forward here, we鈥檙e probably going to go with things that we know have worked in the past and put players in the positions that they鈥檝e been successful in,鈥� he said, echoing comments made by Canucks GM Mike Gillis earlier in the week.
鈥淚鈥檓 not saying that that won鈥檛 be a possibility down the road, but I don鈥檛 think that we鈥檒l start with Chris Higgins in the middle.鈥�
With little room for error in a shortened season, Vigneault admitted it would be tough for youngsters such as centre Andrew Ebbett and wing Jordan Schroeder to make an impression early on, so it appears right wing Alexandre Burrows will remain on the top line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
鈥淭heir window to show what they can do is so much different than in the past,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith the limited amount of time that we have, it鈥檚 probably a safe bet to say that we are going to start with combinations 鈥� whether it be defensive pairings or forwards 鈥� that have worked in the past and then if it doesn鈥檛 as we move forward, we鈥檒l make the adjustments that we need to make.
鈥淧eople have to trust us that we鈥檒l make the right decisions. We鈥檒l know (who the second line centre will be) in the next couple of days.鈥�
Aside from the injury to Kesler, the Canucks still boast plenty of experienced players up front and on the blue-line, and Vigneault can sense his team鈥檚 hunger for success after last season's shocking first-round loss at the hands of eventual Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings.
鈥淚 think we鈥檝e got a real veteran group that not only says that it wants to win, but also takes the steps to prove that it wants to win,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd starting Sunday we鈥檒l be able to show everybody that we鈥檙e willing to take those steps to move forward and become a championship team.鈥�
Vancouver is set for a challenging time in the Western Conference鈥檚 Northwest Division this season as a result of Minnesota splashing the cash to land forward Zach Parise and defenceman Ryan Suter in the off-season, while Edmonton boasts a talented young core group led by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and last year's top overall draft pick Nail Yakupov.
But it鈥檚 the entire conference that is giving Vigneault some concerns.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so many good teams in our conference,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you remember last year I said that and I was totally right, any team getting into the playoffs in our conference had a chance of winning the Stanley Cup and we all know what happened.鈥�
Vigneault, who is entering the seventh year as Canucks head coach, says he's itching to get back to work after a lockout spent working out in the mornings, shovelling snow and watching classic battles between Montreal and Quebec City on TV at nights.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been waiting for this for a long time,鈥� said Vigneault. 鈥淪ome guys say this is not like riding a bike. But for me, I鈥檓 ready, I鈥檓 sharp, don鈥檛 worry about that.鈥�
