Tag Archives: Vancouver Sun

No quick-fix solution to Canucks’ problems

Posted on May 17, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks have no salary-cap space available, a shortage of National Hockey League-ready prospects and lack portability among their key player contracts. Other than that, general manager Mike Gillis’ summer “reset” of the team shouldn’t be a problem.

The week after their second straight first-round playoff elimination, Gillis was still working through his coaching review and a planned summit meeting with ownership, while his top assistant, Laurence Gilman, continued to tour North America for potential minor-league locations.

The really heavy lifting — think Superman shifting the moon’s orbit — still lies ahead. And it doesn’t take a superhero to understand how difficult it will be for Gillis to make even a few impactful roster moves to catch up to the NHL curve towards big, brawny teams.

It took the Canucks years, literally, to configure their team the way it is: skilled, fast and too small up front. The evolution spanned managerial regimes; most of the core players were...

18 things Chris Tanev’s dad will say while negotiating his son’s next contract

Posted on May 16, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

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18 things Chris Tanevs dad will say while negotiating his sons next contract

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Chris Tanev had a solid season for the Canucks, showing that he’s ready to step into a larger role next season. He even spent some time in the top-four alongside Alex Edler. It seemed like he instantly developed chemistry with whoever he played with thanks to his calm, simple style of play.

Tanev is also a pending Restricted Free Agent this off-season, leading to an interesting question. How much is Tanev worth? He doesn’t do any one thing noticeably well. He doesn’t put up points and doesn’t hit. What he does do is make smart decisions with the puck and a good first pass out of the zone. He plays largely mistake-free defence, which is a nice switch for Canucks fans used to Kevin Bieksa and Alex Edler, who are far more high-risk.

It was revealed today that Tanev would be representing himself...

Ex-Canucks prospect Connauton embraces chance to start afresh as star in Texas

Posted on May 14, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — It seems Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis is not the only guy reaching for the reset button.

Former Canucks prospect Kevin Connauton has already pressed his.

Initially shocked by the trade early last month that sent him to the Dallas Stars as part of the deal that brought Derek Roy to Vancouver, Connauton now thinks it may have been the best thing that has happened to him in his pro hockey career.

“Coming here was really a positive thing, it was a fresh start,” Connauton, now playing in the American Hockey League playoffs for the Texas Stars, said Tuesday. “I was able to hit the reset button and it’s been nothing but positives since I got here.”

Connauton’s improved play with the Stars is not making that Roy trade look any better for the Canucks, who also sent a second-round pick to Dallas.

The 23-year-old defenceman finished the regular season with Texas, accumulating two goals and six points in nine...

Canucks still looking for an AHL home

Posted on May 13, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Canucks have been given 30 days by the American Hockey League to decide what they are going to do with their AHL franchise.

The Canucks received that extension at an AHL board of governors meeting Monday in Springfield, Mass. Canuck assistant general manager Laurence Gilman attended that meeting but refused interview requests.

The Canucks really have two choices to make regarding the Peoria Rivermen franchise they purchased earlier this year. After deciding against leaving the team in Peoria for the 2013-14 season, they must either find a new home for the team or they can pay the AHL a $150,000 fee and have the league declare the franchise dormant for one year.

That latter option is the least palatable one for the Canucks as it would mean the team would have to scatter its prospects around the AHL and have them playing under a variety of different systems and coaches, outside their sphere of influence.

That clearly is...

Canucks face killer cap crunch in reset mode

Posted on May 10, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — It’s not a rebuild or a reload for the Vancouver Canucks, it's a reset.

Whatever the term — and reset is kind of a catchy one, don't you think? — general manager Mike Gillis has some work to do in massaging the Canucks’ lineup. And it's going to be all about money.

The Canucks have been a spend-to-the-cap team under Gillis, but that cap is coming down significantly in the 2013-14 season due to the lockout that squandered millions in NHL revenues. Gillis will have to shed at least $6 million in salary to stay within the new $64.3-million limit.

The Canucks currently have 16 players under contract for 2013-14 at a total cost of $63,502,777. This includes out-going netminder Roberto Luongo (we think, finally) and out-of-favour defenceman Keith Ballard, which would remove more than $9.5 million of cap space.

The 16 players are broken down into two goalies, six defencemen and eight forwards, certainly not enough to ice a...

Iain MacIntyre: Canucks to ‘reset’ the organization after ‘terrible season,’ says GM Gillis

Posted on May 10, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — Mike Gillis took the witness stand Thursday and for 45 minutes was grilled about the playoff failure of the Vancouver Canucks, his culpability and when he might get around to firing coach Alain Vigneault.

It may have been the easiest day of his summer.

The Canucks general manager acknowledged at his year-end news conference that the team has fallen behind the National Hockey League curve toward bigger, grittier, defence-oriented teams.

"From my perspective ... it’s been a terrible season for us," Gillis said. "We’re going to have to reinvent ourselves and do things differently in order to be successful. The macro look at this team is that changes have to be made."

Amen.

The Canucks’ need for more size and grit, particularly among the top three forward lines, was evident when they lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Boston Bruins two years ago.

It was reinforced by first-round playoff exits this season and last to the San Jose Sharks and Los...

Canucks notebook: Mason Raymond will ‘sit back and wait’

Posted on May 9, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — If the Vancouver Canucks intend to become more robust up front next season, then slender left winger Mason Raymond likely won't be part of the new look.

General manager Mike Gillis admitted Thursday he wasn't certain – “I'm not sure,” he said – whether Raymond fits into his re-set plan. Raymond's contract is up and he stands to become an unrestricted free agent July 5. He collected 10 goals in 46 regular-season games and added another one in the playoffs.

Raymond, 6-0 and 182 pounds, conceded there have been no talks about an extension.

“No, as of right now, there haven't been any that I'm aware of,” Raymond said as the Canuck players did a final media session before heading to their off-season homes. “Things change and you never know what's going to happen. At the end of the day, you kind of sit back and wait.”

Raymond is a lifelong Canuck. He was drafted by the organization 51st overall...

Canucks’ Keith Ballard hopes to ‘make most of opportunity’

Posted on May 9, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — It's probably a safe bet that Keith Ballard has already figured out that two-thirds of $8.4 million is $5.59 million.

The Canuck defenceman has heard the suggestions that the team will buy out the remaining two years on his contract this summer.

"I don't know," Ballard said Thursday when asked if he expected to remain a Canuck. "I have got two years left on my deal. If I am, I am. if I'm not, I'm not. I'll make the most of an opportunity here or if I end up somewhere else."

With next year's NHL salary cap being cut by nearly 10 per cent, the Canucks face some significant payroll challenges and it is widely assumed that they will likely use both of their compliance buyouts this summer.

Ballard and winger David Booth seem the likely candidates.

Ballard has two years at $4.2 million a season left on his deal. Under terms of the new CBA, veteran players like Ballard can...

Roberto Luongo says goodbye again; hopes he’s not saying hello next fall

Posted on May 9, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — This time, Roberto Luongo really does hope it's goodbye. Of course, he said so long last year at this time and we all know what happened.

But on Thursday, when he joined the rest of the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena for a final team get-together, Luongo made it clear that he does think it's time to move on. Actually, way past time.

"I have made that statement before," Luongo said as he leaned against a wall outside the team dressing room. "I feel like I am in a stage of my life where I want to play. Whether that's here or somewhere else remains to be seen. But what has happened over the course of the last two years suggests that maybe it's not my place to be the starter here anymore. That being said, things change so, who knows."

If Luongo learned anything this past season, it's to expect the unexpected. He didn't think he'd start...

Canucks star Henrik Sedin sticks up for coach Alain Vigneault, expects changes

Posted on May 9, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

VANCOUVER — Canucks captain Henrik Sedin conceded Thursday he expects changes to the team after a second straight quick playoff ouster. But what kind of changes? A new coach? Some new core players?

Henrik proved he can stickhandle through an exit media scrum as well he stickhandles through an opponent's zone coverage.

“I think if things aren't going well for a few years or a few seasons, there are going to be changes,” said the captain, standing in a hallway at Rogers Arena. “I don't know what you mean by big changes but there are going to be some, I'm sure, whatever that is. I know our owners and our management aren't happy being an average team. It's not up to me to make those changes so I can't tell you what they want to do. We'll see what happens.”

The most likely change will be behind the bench where head coach Alain Vigneault is on extremely thin ice after the...

Fan-Attic: End-of-season Canucks player commentary

Posted on May 9, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

by Scott Taylor

As we begin yet another summer of our discontent, we present our annual player-by-player commentary, an invaluable reference as the post mortem begins:

Alex Edler (signed through 2019) – In scoring the go-ahead goal in game four’s short lived comeback, Edler finally delivered – but it’s not nearly enough to compensate for a brutal playoff showing and another mediocre regular season. For a team that must make changes, Edler should be a prime candidate to be moved in an off-season trade (before a no movement clause kicks in). Or if he stays, might benefit from the confidence of a different coaching staff.

Kevin Bieksa (signed through 2016) – Bieksa is really a microcosm of the entire team – undisciplined at times, oft injured, a fierce competitor when it matters most but physically under sized for the style of game that makes him most effective. Despite his ridiculous soap-box whining between games 3 and 4, arguably...

Canucks to ‘reset’ the organization after ‘terrible season’: GM Mike Gillis

Posted on May 9, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

Vancouver Hobbit House for sale...

One of Vancouver's two inimitable "Hobbit Houses" is on the market for an asking price of $2.86 million. The storybook bungalow with the unique cedar roof at 587 W. King Edward Ave. spans 2,416 sq. ft. and includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sundeck. Take a look at back at this adorable offering, as well as Vancouver's other Hobbit House, which was restored in recent years.

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Canucks’ Cup dreams left to rot in hockey graveyard

Posted on May 8, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

Erect a tombstone on the Vancouver Canucks’ season and the epitaph would read: What if?

Like, what if Richmond referee Kelly Sutherland hadn’t blown an overtime call from 100 feet away? Or what if coach Alain Vigneault hadn’t publicly blasted Sutherland after another terrible call cost the Canucks a regular-season game in Calgary?

What if Kevin Bieksa hadn’t accused the San Jose Sharks of diving, a charge that doubled as an allegation against the referees?

What if goalie Cory Schneider didn’t bobble pucks on the two goals that ended the Canucks’ season? Or what if Vigneault had made a safer choice — on numerous levels — to start Roberto Luongo in the last game that mattered?

What if Jannik Hansen hit the empty net near the end of Game 2 or Daniel Sedin had buried his open-net rebound chance in Game 4?

What if key secondary scorers Hansen and Chris Higgins had managed even one goal each in the series instead of combining...

Iain MacIntyre: Canucks’ Cup dreams left to rot in hockey graveyard

Posted on May 8, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

Erect a tombstone on the Vancouver Canucks’ season and the epitaph would read: What if?

What if Kevin Bieksa hadn’t accused the San Jose Sharks of diving, a charge that doubled as an allegation against the referees?

What if Jannik Hansen hit the empty net near the end of Game 2 or Daniel Sedin had buried his open-net rebound chance in Game 4?

What if key secondary scorers Hansen and Chris Higgins had managed even one goal each in the series instead of combining...