With the return of Daniel Sedin and Jannik Hansen to the Canucks' lineup, the team is beginning to look like a contender. Granted, they skated like slugs in Saturday’s match against the Hurricanes, but who schedules a game at 10:30 a.m. PST anyways? For a team used to night games, it’s no wonder they were half asleep. Going forward, they are going to be just fine – reason being, they have depth at the forward position. We know the chemistry of the Sedin twins and Burrows, so here is a breakdown of the other three forward lines.

Third Line:

Why does Vancouver love Kyle Wellwood so much? Two weeks ago, in a game against Los Angeles, when a goal credited to Wellwood was reviewed and given to the true scorer, Tanner Glass, the GM Place crowd actually booed in protest. Granted it was Wellwood’s first goal of the season, but talk about picking favorites!

Perhaps it’s his angelic, innocent face, or the fact that we all see a little of ourselves in his formerly out of shape physique, or maybe it is because we know that when he’s on his game, he is one of the most skilled Canuck forwards out there. With Wellwood, it’s all about confidence, so what’s the key to keeping his up? For starters, don’t expect him to carry a line. Playing with Tanner Glass and Steve Bernier while the Canucks were reeling from injuries, Wellwood was the only creative individual of the trio, and even when he made good plays they would go nowhere. It was the addition of Jannik Hansen to his line that initially gave him the kick in the butt he needed. Now that head coach Alain Vigneault has moved Mikael Samuelsson to the line in place of Hansen, it will combine a good combination of grit and skill, as Samuelsson is a creative, puck possession player.

Second Line:

The Vancouver Sun seems to think the fact that Ryan Kesler hasn’t scored a goal in 14 games is an issue. It’s not. Kesler is the engine that drives the Canucks, and he continues to play hard and inspire teammates with the way he always put everything on the ice. Goal scoring slumps are often overstated, and that is certainly the case here, as he has 4 assists in the Canucks last 5 games, meaning he is still creating offense.

With Hansen moved to the second line to play with Mason Raymond and Kesler, this is now a line of like minded individuals: they’re all strong, tough, and good with the puck, and all three of them travel in one direction – straight to the net. This combination will continue to provide energy when the team needs it and provide goals at big moments.

Fourth Line:

Rick Rypien and Ryan Johnson are completely underrated offensively, yet they manage to do pretty well in that regard, given their mandate of “don’t make mistakes and keep the puck in the offensive end”. When they poke in the odd goal, it’s a nice present, though not really a surprise.

Yesterday morning, on his regular game day interview spot on the Team 1040, John Shorthouse was asked which Canuck will be this year’s Alex Burrows. Who will score all those clutch goals; make key plays when the team needs them most. His answer was that it had to be a collective effort, a team response. Don’t listen to him. The real answer to the question is Mikael Samuelson.

Brought in to fill the void left by Mats Sundin, Samuelson has had big shoes to fill. Yes, even Sundin detractors have to admit that he added an offensive dimension to the Canucks. On the powerplay Sundin was a force, he dominated the sideboards and rarely made an error, and his presence on the ice, even at even strength was formidable. Samuelson may not be as big as Sundin, or have the hands that seemed to settle down any puck in his vicinity, but he is apparently just as strong. Add to that the Swede’s skill – that was apparently underrated as he played on the third line on a very deep Detroit Red Wings team – and a tenaciousness that is second to none, and the Canucks have got themselves a gem.

Write this down: Mikael Samuelson will be an impact player for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2009-2010 season. Come playoffs, he will only get better, because he has been there with the NHL’s best organization many times and he has won. He knows what it takes, and he’s already shown that he’s prepared to bring it to each and every game.

While we’re talking about radio personalities, do note that Dave Tomlinson, Canucks analyst, predicted a 3-2 Vancouver win, directly before the game started.

With the Vancouver Canucks starting the season with 3 straight losses, it is all too easy to focus on the negatives and highlight what is wrong with the team. To buck the trend, I’m going to do the opposite – here are some positives that have developed, early in the season:

Mikael Samuelsson:

Although registering a minus-3 against Columbus, Sammy looks like he will be a solid addition to the Canucks, and probably an upgrade on the inconsistent efforts of departed Mats Sundin. In each of the team’s three games, Samuelsson has elevated his game with the Canucks down in the third period, adding energy when it has been needed.

Powerplay Pointmen:

Last season, every time Sami Salo went down, which was too often, there appeared to be a lack of true powerplay point patrollers. With the addition of Christian Ehrhoff, an older, more confident Alex Edler, a healthy Salo, and Mathieu Schneider on his way back, the Canucks seem to have no shortage of defensemen who can dictate play as well as threaten PK units with blistering shots.

Mason Raymond:

Raymond has been working his butt off everytime he’s been on the ice, and considering he’s been carrying a line with the flu-ridden Kyle Wellwood, it hasn’t been easy. Against Columbus, he was promoted to the second line after rookie Sergei Shirokov played himself off it, and Raymond looked very comfortable, helping create a few quality scoring chances. One beauty was a pass to Samuelson in the slot, who unfortunately whiffed on the puck. Raymond will probably receive more second line playing time, and he will capitalize on it.

Only One Way To Go:

The Canucks could potentially lose even more games, with the upcoming stretch featuring strong teams in Montreal, Dallas, and Calgary, but one player who can’t possibly get any worse is Luongo. Yes, he is a chronic slow starter, but once he rebounds, we know that Lui will be incredible.