"The Canucks weren't slumping, they were just waiting for Byron Bitz to arrive.

The comeback player with the bruising game and compelling back story has suddenly become a playmaking difference-maker.

Call it a stimulus package. And the Canucks have been waiting for one.

Strikingly bulky whenever he's standing in Vancouver's locker room, just dressing Bitz was going to improve the Canucks' heft and presence."