You may know Kurtis from his most recent video: "Strange Brew" What you may not know about Kurtis is that he's a huge hockey fan. While Vancouver is full of Canucks fans (I plan on talking to some in this column), there are a lot fewer hockey fans. He's the only guy I know I'll see for sure at stuff like the World Jr's or Giants games....other than a bunch of white people....
After watching the Canucks lose to Montreal, I thought I'd tap into the critical but impartial mind of Kurtis Philippone.
Kurtis.... when in Rome....
How do you think the Canucks will do going into the playoffs?
Currently the Vancouver Canucks do not have the depth to make a serious playoff run and will need to acquire a scoring forward to move ahead. Luckily for their GM there's generous ownership here and they're willing to spend as much necessary to assemble a winning team as long as that follows suit with the salary cap. Vancouver's been on a pretty impressive run going 8 and 2 in their last ten games due to having a fully healthy club. With that current success in mind and the trade deadline fast approaching, I can't see their manager making a splash with any big blockbuster deals. Mike Gillis is very particular in who he brings into the Canucks organization and probably won't want to disrupt their recent flow. They're pretty outclassed when it comes to 'pure shooters.' The race for the west is very tight, only a few points separating a lot of teams so it'll be interesting to see if anybody will be packing their bags soon. Hopefully for their sake they can find somebody else to play up front as their goalie is among the best in the league.
Do you think they should make any trades? Who's out there?
I'm not sure about their exact money numbers but they have some younger guys in development they probably won't want to move. Burrows and Kesler are finally coming into their own, Sundin is here to stay, and I'm not even sure what forwards are available right now. Eric Cole apparently hasn't lived up to expectations in Edmonton and he has Stanley Cup experience which might help Vancouver. Chris Kunitz could also be available from Anaheim but I'm not sure they can fit his salary into the picture. I really think they need a forward for their first line, there's no comparison talent-wise to the power houses of the west.
Do you like the new jerseys?
The new jerseys are replica's from the North Van minor hockey association, the club I used to play for as a kid. Bring back the skate from the 90's! No I don't like them and I would never wear one.
Who is your favourite Canuck this year and why?
I'm not a Canucks fan but I like the way Roberto stands tall and brings his competitive spirit to every game. I'd probably say he's been my favorite Canuck if I had to pick one. Mason Raymond is an amazing skater and he can really fly in full flight.
Who would you want to match up against in the playoffs and why?
I'd love to see a battle against the Prairies because those games are classic and always pretty rough. But the Wings are the team to watch and I'd love for them to knock-off Vancouver in four straight. They move the puck way too fast and to have Dastyuk, Lidstrom, Zetterberg and Hossa on the same power play is pretty much unfair. The Capitals are amazing, watch out for them and Boston on the other side.
