"The irony, if not the humour, Kevin Bieksa can appreciate.

Maligned by fans and media, his name cropping up in trade rumours since subprime mortgages seemed like a good idea, Bieksa has gone from sure-fire salary-dump to being paired on the No. 1 defensive unit with Dan Hamhuis to start the season.

"I think my plan of not listening to the media all summer worked," Bieksa said. "So I guess I'll continue with that plan."

His hit-by-lightning-twice injuries - two deep skate slashes to the backs of his legs - have been well-documented and he hasn't been the same player since missing 27 games last season and 48 games in 2007-08.

As his play fell off, so did his minutes.

"He's been up and down, and it's always the same with anybody, because it depends on how he's playing," Alain Vigneault said of Bieksa's past three seasons. "I think he's had a real good camp, he's come here focused, well prepared, and he's playing within his limits.

"When he does that he's a real effective defenceman."

Bieksa promises to return this year to being the pugnacious defender he was when he earned a three-year contract extension in the summer of '07 that paid him $3.75 million a year (he's set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season).

And that bit Vigneault mentioned, about playing within his limits?

When he slips into old habits like ill-advised pinches, he's got the sound and responsible Hamhuis covering for him.

They looked good together in their one preseason game as a pair, against San Jose, and are using this week to discover each others tendencies, with and without the puck - you'd be surprised how much there is to learn about your partner when split seconds mean the difference between making a good pass or getting creamed by a forechecker.

"[Bieksa] is pretty vocal out there, he's pretty assertive and confident in his game and that just makes it easier for me to read off him," Hamhuis said."