from Damien Cox of Sportsnet,

Few teams are in as complex a situation as the Vancouver Canucks are heading towards the NHL trade deadline just 20 days away.

Hour by hour, it seems, the Canucks hold on a Western Conference wild card berth seems to be slipping away. Calgary has now passed them. Red-hot Minnesota, which hammered the Canucks Monday night, is just two points back, albeit having played one more game than the Canucks.

Then there’s the reigning champion Los Angeles Kings, three points back with a sense they can’t be declared truly dead until somebody puts a stake in ‘em.

Battered on the back end and suddenly offensively challenged down the middle, the Canucks seem vulnerable indeed as they head into Chicago tonight for a key game at the United Centre against a Blackhawks team that will undoubtedly be revved up after losing on home ice to Arizona two nights ago.

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