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Shane Doan to Canucks, or Detroit, or Pittsburgh… winger creates NHL buzz

Posted on July 10, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Shane Doan could end up wearing a Canucks jersey.

The Canucks have more than a passing interest in pursuing free agent forward Shane Doan.

Unfortunately for them, they're not alone.

Eleven teams are said to be making a push for the 35-year-old, chasing his skill, edge and that laundry list of intangibles. But in making the media rounds Monday, Doan's agent, Terry Bross, told reporters only 2-3 teams would warrant serious interest. He said location, management, players and Cup chances will all be factors.,

The Canucks got in line early, putting in a personal call to Doan on July 1, to express their interest. The feeling was mutual Doan told them, which would logically put the Canucks among those 2-3 teams. The sides touched base again on Monday, Doan's personalized start to free agency when his agent, Bross, officially started taking calls.

And you can understand it from both sides. The Canucks need to go all-in now to try to win a Stanley Cup. Doan is the type of player...

Glass turns down Canucks’ offer, signs with Penguins

Posted on July 1, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

WINNIPEG, CANADA - MARCH 28: Tanner Glass #15 of the Winnipeg Jets follows the play up the ice during first period action against the New York Rangers at the MTS Centre on March 28, 2012 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Rangers defeated the Jets 4-2. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)

Toughness and grit were paying big-time on Sunday, as some NHL clubs topped up on sandpaper while others replaced players of that ilk who walked away in free agency.

Fourth-liner Brandon Prust, 28, made the biggest splash as the opening of the free agency window began at 9 a.m. PDT. The big, tough winger scored a four-year deal with Montreal that will pay him an average of $2.5 million – after finishing a deal with the New York Rangers where he earned $800,000.

The Canucks attempted to bring back former grit winger Tanner Glass in an effort of their own to upgrade their bottom six, but fell short when he signed a two-year deal with Pittsburgh worth an average of $1.1 million per season.

Glas had always talked about how much he loved playing in Vancouver in two seasons here before the Canucks let him go in free agency a year ago to Winnipeg.

He thought hard about taking the Vancouver offer,...

Canucks lose free-agent Sami Salo to Tampa Bay

Posted on July 1, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER, CANADA - APRIL 3: Sami Salo #6 of the Vancouver Canucks walks out to the ice during their NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena April 3, 2012 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 5-4. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

First it was Justin Schultz picking Edmonton, which was a blow.

Then the Canucks lost out on Tanner Glass, who chose the Pittsburgh Penguins. And of course, we can’t forget Aaron Rome who went to Dallas. We know Alain Vigneault won’t.

But the real loss was felt Sunday afternoon when core defenceman Sami Salo moved on from the Vancouver Canucks, who refused to show him the love a year after he agreed to play for the cut-rate salary of $2 million. They quickly replaced him with younger, bigger Florida defenceman Jason Garrison.

It’s hard to blame Salo. The Canucks were hoping to bring him back on a one-year deal while the Tampa Bay Lightning were willing to give him the Mattias Ohlund treatment. Ohlund got a mega deal from the Lightning in 2009. Salo got a two-year, $7.5-million deal of his own to go to the Lightning.

The Canucks weren’t willing to commit to Salo, whose play deteriorated in the second...

Canucks sign Jason Garrison to six-year contract

Posted on July 1, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Jason Garrison is now a Canuck after signing up and leaving the Panthers.

Jason Garrison had never looked so good. Or so needed.

The coveted free agent defenceman signed a six-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday that has an annual salary cap hit of $4.6 million US.

Garrison made $700,00 last year.

Amid the aftershocks of losing the Justin Schultz Derby to the Edmonton Oilers, who signed the free-agent blueliner on Saturday, and then watching Sami Salo bolt to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday for a two-year deal worth $3.75 million US annually, and Aaron Rome to the Dallas Stars for three years at $1.5 million per year, the Canucks had more than cracks in their defensive armour. They had holes.

But Canucks general manager Mike Gillis categorized it as winning with a veteran presence in Garrison rather than losing a budding blueliner in Schultz.

“It wasn’t after we lost out on Justin Schultz,” Gillis said of interest in the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Garrison. “He was a high priority on our list...

Canucks’ Cory Schneider good with numbers for NHLPA

Posted on June 28, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Cory Schneider has no problem with numbers for the NHLPA, being a business grad himself.

Cory Schneider has always been good with numbers.

Not only has he put up impressive digits to become the starting goaltender of choice for the Vancouver Canucks, he can rattle off batting and pitching numbers for his beloved Boston Red Sox as quickly as he makes complicated money matters easier for the layman to grasp.

That comes with a finance degree from Boston College.

It shouldn’t be surprising that Schneider, a restricted free agent with an obvious interest in a new NHL collective bargaining agreement, is part of a 31-player negotiating committee that includes teammate Manny Malhotra for formal talks commencing Friday in New York.

That group will be lowered to 10 for actual sessions throughout the summer, but Schneider will be more than an interested party.

He’s on the cusp of being rewarded for patience and productivity and is of such value that he could command offer-sheet attention from July 1-5 or then opt for arbitration if a suitable deal on his...

Canucks well positioned in Justin Schultz sweepstakes

Posted on June 27, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Justin Schultz is badly wanted in Vancouver, and the Canucks are doing everything they can to woo him.

With the Canucks positioned as shortlisters in the Justin Schultz sweepstakes, guaranteed playing time can't be too critical for the coveted free agent defenceman.

The Canucks brass, GM Mike Gillis and assistant GM Laurence Gilman, are in Toronto preparing to pitch the highly touted prospect and you can be sure part of their sell job is not promises he will play on the No. 1 power play unit; or even assurances he'll be in Vancouver's top-six to start the season.

If it was all about playing time, the Canucks wouldn't even get a call back.

With a reported 26 teams expressing interest, there's little doubt some general managers are willing to commit "time on ice" to Schultz before he even signs a contract.

And you can understand why that's tempting. Acquiring Schultz is a boon. He'd be a top-five draft pick, and he's ready now to step into an NHL lineup. He makes your team younger and your organization deeper and...

Canucks’ need depth at centre as draft approaches

Posted on June 20, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

The Canucks did well to net Ryan Kesler as the 23rd draft pick in 2003.

The riddle in the middle is a current concern and a potential long-term problem for the Vancouver Canucks.

It’s not just that Ryan Kesler won’t return until at least November from shoulder surgery, or that third-line centre Samme Pahlsson has bolted for Sweden’s Modo club. Or even the fact that Cody Hodgson was dealt away at the trade deadline, and the jury is out on whether the diminutive Jordan Schroeder can step into an NHL role after a 21-goal AHL campaign. Maybe Maxim Lapierre will have to be a third-line presence if Manny Malhotra can’t re-discover his overall game.

That’s a cloudy picture and it doesn’t clear up much in the distance. That’s why the Canucks should deviate from what most teams do when the draft starts Friday in Pittsburgh. They should select by position and not trot out the mantra of taking the best player available, because they need help at centre. And judging by whom you choose to...

Canucks alter climate around Roberto Luongo, Mason Raymond

Posted on June 19, 2012 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun columnist

VANCOUVER — The temperature changed a little last week for the Vancouver Canucks when they filed to arbitrate against winger Mason Raymond. The environment may be dramatically altered this week as general manager Mike Gillis tries to trade goalie Roberto Luongo.

Gillis confirmed before travelling for NHL meetings on Tuesday that he is talking to teams about his goalie.

“There are lots of teams interested,” Gillis said. “There’s a limited number of proven No. 1 goaltenders in the world. Roberto is, without a doubt, a proven No. 1 all-star goalie.”

The Canuck manager insisted there is no urgency to make a deal this weekend at the draft in Pittsburgh and Gillis said he remains comfortable with the possibility that both Luongo and Cory Schneider, who became the Canucks’ starter during April’s first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Kings, will be in Vancouver next season.

Neither goalie, however, would be comfortable with that scenario and it is in...

Canucks could look to WHL in 2012 draft

Posted on June 19, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Another Henrik in the lineup for Vancouver could be just the thing.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Vancouver Canucks used to draft, like other NHL teams, nearly exclusively from the Canadian junior system. As such, there was a good amount of Western-developed talent taken by the Canucks: Petr Nedved, Garth Butcher, Cam Neely and Trevor Linden.

This continued into the mid-1990s as well. While the Canucks didn’t have too much success with their picks, they still had a number of first and second round picks from the WHL: Chris McAllister, Josh Holden, Brad Ference, Ryan Bonni, and who could ever forget Zenith Komarniski.

Mike Gillis has shut that down: he’s taken just 2 WHLers, or about half as much as the average league rate for selecting Western talent. That’s Prabh Rai and Morgan Clark, from Seattle and Red Deer, both taken in 2008.

Gillis has gone 20 picks without choosing a WHLer, although the field hasn’t exactly been stacked.

First Round Picks, since 2008:

2008: Cody Hodgson

Next 5 WHLers taken:

Kyle Beach
Tyler Myers
Colton...

Canucks make offers to Schneider, Weise and Lack

Posted on June 18, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER, CANADA - APRIL 22: Cory Schneider #35 of the Vancouver Canucks takes a drink during their game against the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Arena on April 22, 2012 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Los Angeles won 2-1 in overtime to take the series 4-1. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Canucks have made qualifying offers to three restricted free agents, including goaltender Cory Schneider.

Canucks assistant GM Laurence Gilman confirmed on Monday that the NHL club has made the necessary qualifying offers to Schneider, fourth-line winger Dale Weise and minor league goaltender Eddie Lack – thus allowing the Canucks to retain the rights to the players.

Schneider is by far the highest profile of the three. He just finished a two-year deal that paid him $900,000 this past season, so the offer must include a minimum five per cent raise those numbers are strictly procedural and bear no resemblance to what Schneider will actually make next season.

Based on the way the recent playoffs played out, it's expected the club is prepared to move forward with Schneider as the No. 1 in goal and explore trade opportunities for Roberto Luongo.

While the offer to Schneider was completely expected, it moves him and the club closer to some key dates governing...

Canucks look for a third-line centre after Pahlsson goes to Modo

Posted on June 18, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Samuel Pahlsson is heading to Modo, and the Canucks need a third-line centre.

It's official: The Canucks are looking for a third-line centre.

Not that it should surprise anyone, but Samuel Pahlsson – the 34-year-old shutdown centre the Canucks acquired at the Feb. 27 NHL trade deadline from Columbus – has signed a three-year deal to play with Modo of the Swedish Elite League, a team he last played for in the 1999-2000 season.

Pahlsson would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and the Canucks are likely looking to fill that spot with a younger, more abrasive player.

Pahlsson's agent, Michael Deutsch, confirmed in an email that he had spoken with the Canucks regarding his client but that this was a “family based decision.” Modo is located in Ornskoldsvik, where Pahlsson lives in the off-season and also the home of Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Former Canucks captain Markus Naslund, also an Ornskoldsvik native, is the GM of Modo.

Pahlsson's signing was big news in the northern Swedish city and it was the...

Canucks’ Volpatti back for a year at $600,000

Posted on June 15, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Aaron Volpatti rests on the bench during NHL's Vancouver Canucks practice at UBC Arena (Father Bauer Rink) in Vancouver, B.C., October 3, 2011. Arlen Redekop photo/ PNG

The Canucks' fourth line began to get crowded on Friday with the signing of physical winger Aaron Volpatti to a one-year contract.

Volpatti, 27, took pay cut from his previous deal with Vancouver, when he was a college free agent with other teams interested. He'll make $600,000 US in the NHL and $105,000 in the minors, as opposed to his expiring deal that paid $625,000/$200,000.

In the second half of an NHL season and playoffs where size and physicality ruled, the Canucks opted to bring back the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Volpatti – whose first full NHL season was ended in early December by a decision to have surgery on a shoulder injury he'd suffered three weeks prior. After he'd attempted to play with the injury, an MRI showed Volpatti had a labrum tear so a procedure was done right away to repair it.

“He's a big, physical winger who's a nice blend of size and aggression and nicely complements our group of...

Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider and the seven evil trading partners

Posted on June 12, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Luongo and Schneider... who will go where?

Two goalies. One a restricted free agent, one under contract for ten more NHL seasons. One with an even strength save percentage of .931 and one at .929. One guy who is elite, one who will perhaps be elite in a starting job.

Unfortunately, both goalies can’t be starters in Vancouver. One of them has to go. Seven logical trading partners; teams with the space who need a goalie:

Chicago Blackhawks:

Sexy NHL assets – Andrew Shaw, Marcus Kruger, Viktor Stalberg

Sexy prospects – Mark McNeill, Brendan Saad

2013 draft picks, first two rounds: 18th, 48th

The skinny: Chicago won a Cup two seasons ago with a nobody important between the pipes, but after letting Antti Niemi go and giving the reins to Corey Crawford, the Hawks have failed to clear the first round in either of the next two seasons.

Now, the Canucks have a pretty good rivalry going with the ‘Hawks, so it would take a pretty enticing package from Chicago for the...

Gallagher: Reflecting on Vladimir Krutov

Posted on June 9, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

There was a lot of solid journalism following the death of former Vancouver Canuck and international star Vladimir Krutov this week in Moscow. He had been functioning quite well as an agent for KHL players until the sudden downturn in his health over the past year.

It was noted how good he was with Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov as a member of the famed KLM line, which terrorized the 1980s. But there was a lot more going on when it came to the failure of his stint as an NHL player in Vancouver.

A lot has to happen to go from 137 points in 112 games at the Canada Cup, Olympics and world championship level, to just 23 points in 61 NHL games.

It’s true that Russian players were seen as interlopers coming in and taking the jobs of North Americans, those feeling that way of course conveniently forgetting there were 10 times the number of Canadians playing in Europe...