How does a team get over the heartache of losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in its own building?
It plans and trains for the next season. There is no other way.
The hurt may not have totally worn off yet, but maybe that's the motivator the Canucks need heading into the 2011-12 season, which by all accounts should be another memorable one for this now 41-year-old franchise.
The big guns are all back in blue and white, and odds are they're hungrier than ever because they now know what it's like to play and lose with the Stanley Cup in the building. Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Roberto Luongo, Ryan Kesler and Co. have vivid memories of another team celebrating on their own ice, so they can probably imagine what it's like to play and win with the Cup in the building.
The Canucks know it won't be easy. Their path is already littered with obstacles.
Kesler is likely going to miss the start of the season after having hip surgery in late July. His optimistic recovery time is 10 weeks, but that would put him right at the start of the season. Unless he heals and rehabs quicker than the medical experts predict, he will not take part in training camp, which could set him back until November.
Mason Raymond is not expected to join the Canucks' lineup until November at the earliest, but that's an optimistic estimate. Raymond suffered a vertebrae compression fracture when Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk drove him backside into the corner boards in Game 6 of the Cup Final. The club announced then that he could be out anywhere between four to six months.
The news appears to be better for defenseman Dan Hamhuis and winger Mikael Samuelsson, both of whom missed the end of the playoffs last season with injuries. Hamhuis and Samuelsson will likely be ready to start training camp.
However, provided Kesler and Raymond are able to make seamless returns to the lineup, the Canucks appear to have the same amount of talent and depth that led them to 117 regular-season points and Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season. Now they can add experience to the overall team resume.
