Shake-Up in Vancouver

After a disappointing start to the season that has seen the Vancouver Canucks go 10-15-1 GM Travis Fleming has finally had enough.

It was announced early Friday morning that star forward Max Pacioretty and defenceman Ron Hainsey had been dealt to the Colorado Avalanche for Kris Letang, Justin Williams and prospect Morgan Geekie.

The news came as a shock to many Canucks fans. Pacioretty has been a key piece of the Canucks’ roster for the last two years, and was part of arguably the best line in the EHE last season while playing alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Alex Ovechkin.

Something needed to change though. After Fleming announced his team would be making one last run at the Stanley Cup the Canucks have simply never got going. They’re currently well out of the playoff picture and will have to turn things around fast just to squeeze in.

Although the loss of Pacioretty is hard to swallow, Kris Letang may just be exactly the type of player the Canucks need. Vancouver’s defence has looked shaky all season. Letang should help with that, along with providing some much needed offence from the back end.

“Something just hasn’t been clicking with our roster all season,” said Fleming after news broke about the trade. “I know all of our guys have been giving it their all the entire season, but something’s not working. We had to make some sort of change. Max has been an amazing player for us and we wish him all the best in Colorado. We’re also very excited to welcome Kris and Justin to the team.”

This may be just the type of shake-up the Canucks need. The problem is, it might be too late.