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VANCOUVER ?It has already been dubbed the American Express line, and the Vancouver Canucks most definitely did not leave home without it on Monday.This is, after all, the second line the Canucks are banking on in a big way to give them a lethal one-two offensive punch.David Booth(notes), who was acquired on the weekend from the Florida Panthers, is viewed as the top-six forward the team was mi football statistics ssing and a player who will complement centre Ryan Kesler(notes) and winger Chris Higgins(notes).Booth practised with his new team for the first time on Monday at Rogers Arena and will make his Canucks debut Tuesday in Edmonton against the Oilers (6:30 p.m., Sportsnet, Team 1040). He pledged Monday to return to the 30-goal form he displayed three seasons ago.-I feel like I can get back there and g football statistics et even higher,- Booth said. -I #39;m playing with some good players now.- Good players and familiar faces.Booth knows Kesler and fellow American Higgins very well. He was a teammate of Higgins #39; for part of last season with the Panthers and grew up playing minor hockey in the Detroit area with Kesler.-All I know is every time I watch Kesler and playing with Higgie, those guys can just fly football statistics out there,- Booth said. -Kesler is always getting speed, Higgie is a fast player and I think that is part of my game, too, getting speed. I think it is going to be one of our assets.-This trade was all about finding a player the Canucks feel can flourish alongside Kesler. In fact, the Canucks sought Kesler #39;s approval before consummating the deal on Saturday.-Ryan is one of the best two-way ce football statistics ntres in the NHL and we talked to Ryan before we made the trade and he spoke very highly of the person and the hockey player,- said Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault. -We wanted to make sure anybody coming into our environment is a good person and a good player and that #39;s what we feel we have.-Kesler and Booth go way back. They played a couple of years of minor hockey together in their early tee football statistics ns and then were teammates on the U.S. developmental squad and played on the same world junior team.-I #39;ve been on so many championships with him,- Booth said. -I #39;m really looking forward to it because he #39;s a champion and a great leader.--He has scored 30 in this league before so obviously he #39;s a pretty good player,- added Kesler. -He just brings that speed and grit and it #39;s ano football statistics ther deadly shot on our line.-The Canucks feel that if this new line can click, it will present a real dilemma for opposing teams.-It makes it very challenging for the opposition,- Vigneault said. -What do they do, go strength against strength, and who do they do that against? Do they put their best D-pair against the twins or Kes? Look at Nashville (last week), they started Weber-Suter against Ke football statistics s and that left Hank and Danny a little bit more open, but that didn #39;t last long.-Then they put Weber-Suter against Hank and Danny. When you #39;ve got two lines that can produce and two others wearing down the opposition and spending time in their end, it makes it a lot more challenging for the opposition. That #39;s what we #39;re hoping to get.-Booth was a second-round pick (53rd overall) o football statistics f the Panthers in 2004. Florida is the only NHL team he has played for and he acknowledged Monday the trade caught him by surprise. He also did not deny there were some tears shed shortly after Florida coach Kevin Dineen told him he had been dealt to the Canucks.-It was an emotional time for me,- said Booth, who will wear jersey No. 7 with the Canucks. -I live with my brother down in Florida and i football statistics t #39;s hard to leave him. He #39;s one year younger than me and I grew up my whole life with him.-It was tough to say goodbye and it is going to be tough for a while.-I am very close to my family. My dad was down there, too, for the weekend and I #39;m glad he was. It was good to see him. I have another brother and I am very close with him. My little sister is 16 and a hockey player and she wears football statistics No. 7. That #39;s why I chose to be No. 7.-But Booth said once he had time to digest the news, he began to fully grasp the opportunity he is being presented with to play on a top team.-I didn #39;t really sleep at all because of all the thoughts and emotions going through my head, but that is definitely one of them, being on a championship team here,- he said. -I know these guys know how to win. football statistics It #39;s awesome to be here and I want to be a part of that and get to the next level.-Booth, who turns 27 next month, scored 31 goals in 2008-09, but suffered two concussions the following season and was limited to just 28 games. Last season he scored 23 goals and had 40 points and was a minus-31. Booth had one assist and was a team-worst minus-6 in the six games he played before Saturday #39;s t football statistics rade.-I know I have to be better,- Booth said. -I just hold myself to my highest expectations and that #39;s higher than anyone else expects.-Booth said his plus-minus rating last year is in part of a reflection of a bad Florida team and some lousy luck.-I have been out there for so many empty-net goals because in Florida you are down a lot,- he said. -We were in so many one-goal games and we were football statistics always putting six guys out with an empty net. It seemed every time I was out there they #39;d score on an empty net.-Higgins was Booth #39;s teammate in Florida last season before he was dealt to the Canucks at the NHL trade deadline. He thinks Booth #39;s speed may be his biggest asset to the line.-He #39;s super fast,- Higgins said. -He #39;s going to leave me behind, that #39;s for sure. He # football statistics 39;s that fast. He #39;s a powerful skater, he #39;s low to the ice and generates a lot of speed very quickly, so it #39;s tough for a defence to handle that kind of speed.-Higgins, whose career seemed to be resuscitated when he joined the Canucks, thinks Booth will also benefit from playing with better players than he did in Florida.-That #39;s the fun part of playing with this team,- Higgins sai football statistics d. -You realize when you come here after playing a couple of games, it #39;s like, wow, you have the puck a lot and you enjoy having the puck and you can make some plays and he is certainly capable of doing that. So we are excited.-bziemer@vancouversun.comOn Twitter: Twitter.com/bradziemer Play Fantasy Hockey, now with Pro Leagues! Updated 11 hours, 39 minutes ago football statistics
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