Music: {allcanada} Sedins happy Pahlsson on their side

Monday, February 27, 2012

{allcanada} Sedins happy Pahlsson on their side

Sedins happy Pahlsson on their side

If nothing else, the Vancouver Canucks' addition of Samuel Pahlsson means Daniel and Henrik Sedin won't have to face their good friend, former teammate and long-time antagonist in the playoffs.

While playing for Anaheim's Stanley Cup-winning team in 2007, Pahlsson had four points and was a plus-3 while shutting down and outplaying the Sedin twins in the second round of the playoffs. The Sedins admitted in the past to having difficulty going up against Pahlsson, who lives in their hometown of Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, and played three seasons with them for Modo in the Swedish Elite League.

Whether Pahlsson -- once described by his former general manager, Brian Burke, as a Swede who plays like he's from Red Deer, Alta. -- still can do that to others, however, remains to be seen.

"I don't see any reason why I can't do it again," Pahlsson told TSN.

Pahlsson was a key part of a great Ducks checking line with Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer that played a huge role in Anaheim's Cup win, and figures to play a similar role with the Canucks, who have gone largely without a shut-down forward unit this season.

Not that they haven't tried to find one. Coach Alain Vigneault talked openly in recent weeks about the search for more of a shut-down combination on his third unit, a look he has relied on in the past, but the emergence of rookie center Cody Hodgson, combined with the struggles of Manny Malhotra, have left Vancouver using more of an offensive third line, with checkers on the fourth.

The addition of Pahlsson, who has 81 games of playoff experience with Anaheim and Chicago (in 2009), should change that. It just remains to be seen how, and how effectively -- and what it means to Hodgson.