The farewell to the Dragon-Slayer (Alex Burrows traded to Ottawa)

  April 26, 2011. The Canucks face the dementing Chicago Blackhawks, the former stanley cup champions. Game 7, heading to Overtime. 1 goal will make the other team miserable, 1 goal will change the face of that team. The Blackhawks need that goal to continue their attempt at being repeat champions, the Canucks need it or else their best players and their fans will rot away, waiting yet another season for a cup that seems to never come. The goal can kill the dragon, or kill the warrior attempting it.
   And the beast falls.
    Only minutes into overtime, Burrows snipes a slapshot top shelf to send the Canucks to the 2nd round of the playoffs, with hopes high for the future. That goal remains, arguably, by all fans, as the most famous goal in Canucks history. Since that play, since he just burst into the show stage, Burrows became a favorite of the crowd. Everyone loved him, and the goal capped it off.
   But they couldn't.
    The Canucks lost in Game 7 of the Cup Final, to the Bruins. Riots insued, and like the fans expected, they'd rot another year waiting for the cup. And the players did rot, as Burrows would not return to his former self. Recent seasons how it, as he struggles to put up points, only getting less than 30. His oversized contract worried Canucks fans, but with it expiring soon, they hoped Burrows would retire a Canuck and have a special farewell.
    It never happened.
    On February 27, 4 years and 10 months after the goal, Burrows was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Swedish prospect Jonathan Dahlen. With his enormous contract size and his struggles, it is unlikely he would resign, possibly retiring in 2 seasons.
    While sad for Canucks fans, this trade has an enormous impact. Dahlen is a respectable player. While not the most highest on the Sens prospect depth chart, he is a good solid guy, a PPG producer in the 2nd tier of the Swedish Hockey System. While it isn't as good as 1st tier, keep in mind that like the football system in Europe, using promotion and relegation, he can't be called up, unless he is traded to a SHL team. And as the SHL is weaker than the NHL, and about same level as the AHL, then the 2nd tier is basically low AHL high ECHL level. As Dahlen is young, turning 20 this year, it is likely he will develop well.
    Needless to say, the Canucks lose one of their fan favorites. The Canucks will certainly give him a heartfelt commemoration video when he returns to Rogers Arena. And here's to hoping Dahlen will answer the Call that the Canucks, fans and the team, need him to.

Man, it would suck to be Jake Virtanen right now.

    As the title (and stats) suggest, Jake Virtanen is having a slump of a career.
The young power forward from Abby, BC, was drafted 6th overall by the Canucks in 2014. He took pride of being such a high draft pick, and the Canucks took pride in Virtanen being a future member of their core in the future. But then things would go downhill, as Virtanen failed to adapt to the big league level last season. And while he performed mediocre up to the Christmas break, his big slump came after being sent down prior to the World Junior Tournament. And so came the downfall of his young career, as Virtanen would become a scapegoat in team Canada's extremely early exit at that year's tournament, despite having taken it home in the previous one. But the Nucks organization, who do well in taking care and defending their players (As Corey Hirsch's story, which recently came out, reveals), defended Virtanen, trusting in his talents. He immediately came back stronger, scoring a game tying goal in his first NHL game back from the tournament. And while his season still remained mediocre, the Canucks still would put their trust in them, while shipping away younger players who could've been members of their future, like Nicklas Jensen and Jared McCann.
    Virtanen finished the season with 13 points. Not bad...
     The following season, the current one, Virtanen played in a few games with the Canucks, and his slump was noticed by the fans. He would go around the system back and forth between the NHL and the AHL, due to injury woes, but in the end, Virtanen remained down in the minors, where he currently is.

The recent Islanders (Downfall) in a timeline

The Islanders are at, possibly, a decade-time low. But you know, it's only the half way point, but the hell going on is a little intense. To make things clearer, let's take a look at the timeline of things.
-In 2009, after a terrible season, the Islanders land John Tavares, 1st overall, in the draft.
-Skipping a few years later, Tavares has advanced into a skilled young player who is an invaluable player and captain for the Isles, who have become a good team, making the playoffs several seasons this decade. However, in 2015, the Islanders moved out of their original home, the Nassau Veterans Coliseum, where they won their four Stanley Cups.
-Barclays Center was a weird arena for the Islanders. For one thing, the jumbo-tron was not centered with the ice well, and the seating was obstructed. It was later confirmed that the piping of the arena was of poor quality, resulting in poor ice conditions below league accepted quality. The Islanders ranked low in attendance in 2015-16, their first season in Brooklyn, despite being a playoff team that made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs.
-This season, the Islanders season is simply forgetable. A .500 record in the prestigious Metropolitan Division has made the season hell for the Islanders, who could've fared better in a weaker stage. And with confirmation that Barclays wants out after 2017-18, the Islanders will be left without a home. Possible options are to share a venue with the Rangers in MSG, but it's unlikely, as it's been home to the Rangers for 5 decades, and it's unlikely to change. They're a prestigious organization with money, and they're not afraid to state it. In 2014-15, a few years ago, they were the most valued, expensive team in the NHL, at over 1 Billion dollars.
-So, the Islanders could possibly see relocation. The Videotron Centre was designed for a reason, to host a NHL team! Québec is a hockey city, it wants a team, Las Vegas is not really considered a venue for hockey, maybe basketball or such sports, but not hockey.
-Despite the failure of this season, John Tavares is loyal to the team that drafted him and states he doesn't want to be traded. He is a good example of what a captain should be.