Loui Eriksson didnt try to gloss over how much the?Vancouver Canucks, the team he chose by his own free will to join, have struggled over the past couple of seasons. Bouchon Hydro Flask Pas Cher .I think theyve been through a tough stretch, Eriksson said. Last year, they had some injuries. It was tough to get something going.And yet, he still signed in Vancouver. Of course, a six-year, $36 million deal helped the cause -- but the appeal of playing with with the Sedins during the final stages of their outstanding NHL career was a factor too.He spoke with Daniel Sedin before signing and left those conversations with a good feeling about the Canucks and Vancouver itself.Its a great city to play, he said. It was an easy decision to come to.The Canucks are in a slow transition. They never quite gutted the teams that vied for Stanley Cups, so they never bottomed out. That decision cost them a crack at some of the premium talent their Pacific Division rivals grabbed at the top of the draft.Vancouver does have nice, young players like Jake Virtanen, Bo Horvat and Thatcher Demko, but not enough that you feel confident about the pending transfer of the baton from Daniel and his brother?Henrik Sedin?to the next generation.Vancouver, for now, seems like a team stuck in transition.Best new facesThe Canucks may not have been in the position to dive aggressively into free agency, but Loui Eriksson is a wonderful fit with the Sedins, as he showed in the World Championships and the World Cup.One Swedish teammate called him a third Sedin brother at one point. If Eriksson ends up playing with the Sedins, that will be one of the best lines in hockey.All three like to play the game the same way and while speed is the hot trend in hockey, this trio will effectively slow the game down so they can play it at their own pace.All three can make effective short passes in tight spaces and Eriksson is so good without the puck that it will make life even easier on the Sedins.Its the rest of the lineup that is a concern, but the addition of Eriksson makes for a natural fit.We play the game the same way, Eriksson said.Biggest unknownsIf were confident that the fit with Eriksson and the Sedins is a good one, the biggest unknown becomes the rest of the lineup. Virtanen had 13 points in 55 games during his rookie season as a 19-year-old. The Canucks are going to need him to be a successful part of a second line if they want to make progress this season.Looking at the rest of the forwards, its hard to figure out where the additional scoring is going to come from. Last season, the Canucks averaged 2.27 goals per game -- a total that was better only than the New Jersey Devils. The lowest Western Conference playoff team last season, the?Minnesota Wild,?averaged 2.60 goals per game, which barely got them into?the playoffs.If the Canucks need to get to that point, where is the improvement going to come from?Sure thingsThe Sedins. If the Canucks arent going to be particularly good the next couple years, its a shame that this is how they will be exiting the NHL. They deserve better.You realize that when you get older, youre down to your last few years, said Daniel Sedin. Who knows how many more games youre going to play?At age 35, Daniel Sedin scored 28 goals last season, a total that was his highest since 2012. Henrik Sedin averaged 0.74 points per game, a number that should rise following the Eriksson addition. The numbers may be declining as the Sedins start to age, but its a sure thing that there will be many nights when they are the best players on the ice.Its just too bad that its going to happen on a team that likely isnt headed anywhere of note.PredictionThe Canucks were lumped in with the Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers last season and all three of those teams improved while Vancouver is treading water. If the Oilers make the strides that everyone expects, it will be Vancouver that replaces Edmonton in the Pacific cellar. Bouchon Hydro Flask France . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Bouteille Hydro Flask France . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. http://www.hydroflaskbouteille.fr/ . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard called it a breakthrough.Coming off a one-point loss to the Clippers the night before, the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 114-95 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.Lillard had 17 points and nine assists before sitting in the fourth quarter. Mason Plumlee added 18 points for the Blazers, who led by 26 points in Portlands first game back after a 1-4 road trip.Russell Westbrook was off his league-leading average of 31.1 points a game with 20 for the Thunder, who have lost two of their last three after a six-game winning streak. Westbrook also sat for the final quarter.Portland was coming off a 121-120 loss at Los Angeles on Monday night to extend the seasons longest losing streak.We had a chance to win that game, but we came up short, Lillard said about the game against the Clippers. I think all of those things we went through, and then staying with it, and the build up, tonight felt like kind of a breakthrough from all those experiences.The Thunder were without Victor Oladipo because of a right wrist sprain, forcing Oklahoma Citys first starting lineup change of the season. Jerami Grant, acquired by the Thunder in a trade with Philadelphia at the start of the season, got his first start for Oklahoma City and finished with 11 points.I didnt think that we shot the ball particularly well today, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. I thought that we had fairly decent looks, but we didnt shoot the ball well, and I thought some of that bled into our defense a little bit.The Blazers didnt have Al-Farouq Aminu, who has a sore back, instead starting Noah Vonleh. But Vonleh got into foul trouble, collecting three in the first quarter.Westbrooks 3-pointer put the Thunder up 25-16 early, but Portland came back to take a 32-31 lead on Allen Crabbes layup before the end of the first quarter. Bouteille dEau Hydro Flask. CJ McCollum made a three-quarter court shot, but he didnt beat the buzzer.Portland stretched the lead to 50-36 after Evan Turners floater and free throw. The two sides exchanged words midway through the second quarter when Lillard reached down to pick up the ball at a timeout and Westbrook kicked it.Lillard closed out the half with a left-handed layup to make it 68-52. Plumlees basket stretched Portlands lead to 90-65 late in the third quarter.Plumlee said he didnt feel Portland went through any lulls.Every time they made a 3 or they had two baskets in a row, we would get right back on defense, we would get a good shot on offense so we didnt let anything get out of control, he said. We didnt let anything snowball.TIP-INSThunder: Westbrook drew the ire of fans when he forcefully threw the ball and it went into the seats. He was heartily booed when he touched the ball for the rest of the game. ... The Thunder were coming off a 99-96 victory at home over Boston on Sunday.Trail Blazers: C.C. Sabathia and Derek Jeter had courtside seats. ... Maurice Harkless had five steals, his most as a Blazer. ... Six Portland players finished in double figures.ALL ABOUT THE SHOES: In addition to being Star Wars Night at the Moda Center, the Blazers were celebrating the release of Lillards new signature shoe, the Dame 3. Lillard wore an all-red version of the Adidas shoe, which will be released Wednesday, and the fans at the game were all treated to T-shirts emblazoned with Lillards logo.NOT TALKING: Westbrook was asked to explain what happened with Lillard and the kicked ball: I dont know, he replied.UP NEXTThunder: Visit Utah on Wednesday night.Trail Blazers: Head back out on the road to face Denver on Thursday night. Wholeslae Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys ' ' '