For those unaware, Mason Raymond’s arbitration ruling is set to be handed down later today. This is important for a number of reasons: first, there is a lot of anxiety over exactly how much Raymond will end up with in his arbitration award. Atlanta Thrashers forward Clarke MacArthur ended up with a $2.4M award last week, a rather substantial contract for someone who only notched 16 goals and 35 points last season. The Thrashers chose to walk away from the ruling, something which Mike Gillis could do if he were so inclined. So, whether or not Raymond stays with the club and how much he’d cost were he to stay will be known today.

I personally expect that Gillis will accept whatever the arbitrator hands out, barring a completely insane ruling (which I don’t think will happen.)

The other reason as to why today is so important is that Mason’s ruling will let Gillis know exactly how much money he has left to spend. The Canucks have been in a sort of a holding pattern ever since July 1st when they picked up Dan Hamhuis and Manny Malhotra. It’s been expected that Kevin Bieksa will be moved before training camp, Sami Salo’s recent injury notwithstanding. Raymond’s arbitration award will likely be the domino that sets into place the rest of whatever moves Mike Gillis will be making this offseason.

Will the Canucks see more free agent signing(s) to round out the bottom six? Will Bieksa simply bring back picks and/or prospects in any prospective deals or will there be something more substantial on the table? Very unclear until Raymond’s arbitration award is handed out.

As for the decision itself. I know some folks are concerned over how much exactly Raymond is going to get. There were comments made by Raymond’s agent, JP Barry, on the Team 1040 last week that supposedly has Raymond looking in the neighborhood of $3.5-$4.0M. Taking the MacArthur decision into consideration and it’s understandable how the Canucks could be footing the bill to a rather heavy caphit.

But I don’t think that’s going to be the case, for a couple of reasons. The first is that Rick Dudley, the GM of the Atlanta Thrashers, apparently didn’t make much of a case at MacArthur’s arbitration hearing. Depending on what rumors you listen to, Dudley wasn’t even present at the actual hearing itself. So, it’s hard to render a fair decision when one side doesn’t take the time to lay out a decent argument against giving a ton of money to a player. Gillis has made it very clear that he thinks very highly of Mason Raymond (see his post-Ballard trade comments at the draft if you don’t believe me) and will be coming out swinging for his hearing.

The second reason is that the criteria for what is and isn’t allowed as ‘evidence’ for arbitration hearings is very particular and limited. Since the Thrashers walked away from the arbitration award, JP Barry can’t point to his contract and say ‘Raymond deserves a similar award.’ All the anxiety over MacArthur’s contract being a factor can go away, in other words.

And, okay, fine. Let’s assume that MacArthur’s ruling shows that the arbitrators this offseason are going to be siding with the players rather than the GMs. Hold on, let me put on my tinfoil hat. Okay, that’s better. Even assuming that, this brings me to my third point: Clarke MacArthur made $1.4M last season. While the cap hit of $2.4M doesn’t seem to match up too well with MacArthur’s own performance, MacArthur was only seeing a $1.0M raise over his last contract, or a 70% increase.

Looking at Mason Raymond, he made $800,000 last season. In order to get the $3.5-$4.0M contract JP Barry is hoping for, we’d have to see Raymond get a 400-500% increase in salary which, even in the world of professional sports, seems a little too optimistic in my mind.

Take a look at Kyle Wellwood, the only other player who went to arbitration who is comparable to Raymond. Wellwood had several seasons of being a 40 point player and had his best season as a goal scorer in 08/09 with the Canucks. He went to arbitration and only saw a $200,000 raise. Again, I’d argue that Mike Gillis will have been prepared and made a solid case for what he thinks Raymond should get.

Which brings me to my last point. There is a solid case that can be made against Raymond getting that dreaded $3.5-$4.0M contract. He’s young and unproven at being a consistent NHL contributor. Yes, he did put together an impressive season this year: 25 goals and 53 points and yes, he has improved every year he has been with the Canucks.

But consider this: of those 25 goals, only 8 were scored in the last 41 games of the season, and he only went on to score 3 goals in 12 playoff games. Consistency is the one major issue with Raymond. If you look at his point totals from 07/08, his rookie year, to 08/09, there is an increase in games played from 49 to 72, but only a 2 goal difference in points totals.

Keep in mind: I’m not bagging on Raymond here, I’m simply pointing out that he isn’t quite yet deserving of that big money contract. I imagine that he’ll end up with an award between $2.75-$3.0M. A rather substantial pay raise, but it’s one I think he’s deserving of given the gains he has made and the potential he shows.

We’ll see.

Against the Blackhawks?

The same Blackhawks that resulted in the Massacre at the Madhouse last playoffs, where Chelsea Dagger played the Canucks right out of the playoffs?

Where Dustin Byfuglien was this out of control rampaging monster that the Canucks couldn’t hope to contain him?

And the Canucks won 5-1?

Wow.

I know that this isn’t ‘fan faithful’ of me to say, but I was bracing for a loss last night. It was the first game of a series that has a lot of history between both sides and it was on home ice for Chicago. I was ready for it.

Apparently the Canucks didn’t get that memo. I mean, you get a goal from every single line, plus an additional goal from your blueliners. Hard to complain about that when everyone’s producing. And hey, I predicted that Raymond was going to show up in this series over at the Canucks Corner pre-series blog and he’s off to a good start: his efforts at keeping the puck in led to the first goal from Ehrhoff and he ended up banging in a goal of his own to boot. Not a bad first game from a guy who was very quiet for the series against the Kings.

Also? I think it’s safe to say that Roberto Luongo is ‘back’ or he’s ‘in form’ or whatever term you’d like to use to describe his play. I had speculated before the playoffs started that the only thing effecting Luongo’s play may have been mental issues to do with the Olympics. Now that the games matter he’s been solid or better. Tonight’s game was probably his best game of the playoffs as he was beat on a 5 on 3 powerplay goal. I’d argue that there was a late whistle to factor in there as well, but I’ll trust that the referee had better sight of the puck than I did.

It’s really strange. For a series that was hyped as being full of emotion and unfinished business and rivalry and yadda yadda yadda you really couldn’t detect it. I Was surprised with how much room the Blackhawks were giving to the Canucks offense…the Sedins especially. Contrast with the Kings game where you’d find LA players all over players as they gained the zone. Any room Henrik, Daniel or anyone else wanted in the offensive zone they had to fight for. Contrast that with last night’s game where Kyle Wellwood was having no problems passing and shooting the puck and you have to wonder what the hell is going on with Chicago. I know folks are saying that Eager and Burish will be in for Game 2, but I can’t see them bringing enough of a physical edge that the Canucks will wilt.

And before I start getting carried away, there is still a ton of hockey to play in this series. While winning Game 1 was a surprise, it’d be even more surprising if the Blackhawks were to simply roll over and die. They’re going to be back with a vengeance Monday night and I’d expect a much tougher game from them. So yeah, I’m not planning the parade or anything just yet.

Beyond that, I’m loving the effort from our blueline. Don Cherry had an orgasm on air over Bieksa taking the hit from two Hawks players in order to make a play, but I have to say it’s insane how much Bieksa has stepped up his play in the playoffs. He’s pinching and joining odd man rushes but he is also making it back and is playing well in his own end. During the regular season Bieksa was a disaster out there, making bad decisions to pinch and the such. It’s great to see that he (along with SOB, but everyone’s been singing his praises, so I’ll shut up) has been playing really well.

And hey, let’s say something about Andrew Alberts real quick. He’s becoming a surprise out there on the ice. A very solid game from him. I speculated before that it may have just been adjusting to a new system and some bad luck and I’m glad to see that he’s continuing to play well (ie, his first game back after Baumgartner AND Rome both went down with injuries wasn’t a complete fluke.)

Beyond that, Joel Quenneville may be in over his head against Alain Vigneault and Antii Niemi isn’t looking particularly good at this juncture. It’s like he can’t handle anything that goes top shelf. Should he really start to struggle the Blackhawks may be in a lot of trouble: beyond the 20 minutes he logged last night in relief, Huet hasn’t played in a month. Not a good position to be in.

Game 2 is on Monday! Woop woop.

I gotta write about tonight’s game, though. First off, I’d just like to get something out of the way really quickly. Some of you may have noticed I participated in a roundtable over at Canucks Corner. In that roundtable, I made a couple of predictions. Regarding the Canucks, this is what I wrote on April 14th (scroll down to 8:47 or so):

“Canucks in 6. Luongo will have 1 bad game but look solid throughout the rest. Sedins and Samuelsson lead the way offensively.”

Let’s see.

Luongo had 1 bad game (and was pulled) and looked solid throughout the rest.

Samuelsson leads the Canucks offense and leads the NHL in goals scored and is looking like a (VERY EARLY) Conn Smythe candidate (then again, so is Sidney Crosby.)

Daniel is third in NHL points, fifth for assists and second for the Canucks.

Henrik is third in scoring for the Canucks and third in assists.

To be fair, I did predict Jonathan Bernier was going to step up, which didn’t happen. But Quick did falter.

I also wrote,

“I also think hockey poolies are going to be frustrated with Frolov.”

1g, his only point in the entire series. I know he’s young and it was his first time, but jeez, you had a worse outing than Ladislav Nagy had against the Canucks in the 06/07 playoffs (1g,1a) and that was a low scoring affair. Pretty weaksauce!

So, let this be a lesson to anyone who may happen to work for a West Coast hockey team and may just so happen to besmirching my good name. I CAN use my powers for good. Anywho…

I had been saying for a while I was willing to be patient with Luongo and his play. I pointed to the Olympics and also said that sometimes, goalies just happen to go through slumps. I wanted to see if he’d show up for the playoffs. I loved the big goalline save he made in Game 1 (helped in part by Michal Handzus being a dummy and celebrating early, mind) but did Luongo ever show up tonight. Several Mount Olympus sized saves and a compete level that would have Al Pacino’s character from Any Given Sunday drooling in envy.

A great game, for the most part. While it’s frustrating that Burrows and Raymond didn’t have a fantastic series, I’d like to think that it’s in part due to the relative size of the Kings in comparison to them. Both of them are in the 6′0-6′1″ and 185-188 lbs range while the Kings have numerous players over 6′3″ (Handzus and Modin are both 6′4″) and are on the heavier side of the scale. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Samuelsson, who is 6′2″ and 218, enjoyed more success on the Sedin line than Burrows did.

It’ll be interesting to see how Burrows and Raymond come out against likely second round opponents Chicago, who have forwards and play a game that are more suited to Burrows and Raymond.

I also spoke about Alberts. Injuries had him back in the lineup and I thought he played a lot better and actually had some big clears on the penalty kill, too. That said, his misplay with the puck resulted in Luongo’s The Save and it looks like Alain Vigneault was none too pleased with his antics, as he got only seconds of icetime in the third. I’ve said before it may have just been a matter of adjusting to systems play and getting rid of bad habits with Alberts and he seems to be getting better as time goes on. Very interested in seeing him next season.

Beyond that, I’m loving both Steve Bernier and Shane O’Brien’s play in the postseason. SOB has been asserting himself well for the most part. His ‘Are you not entertained?!’ bit on Friday was a little much in the eyes of some, but it’s the playoffs. You gotta completely throttle your opponent.

Bernier’s just been playing a simple game, capitalizing on his chances, and playing a sound defensive game. Glad he’s picked the right time to start contributing.

I’ll have more on the second round once their opponent is confirmed (probably Chicago!) Also, looks like the Canucks are going to be set to play on Thursday, so keep your schedule open!

Yeah, I’m skipping the Islanders game. Don’t worry, I have a blog post forthcoming on that game! Chronological order? What’s that?

So I’ll admit I was a little worried with tonight’s game against the Sharks. They’re a good team, have regularly beaten up on the Canucks the past couple of seasons and they were looking to avenge themselves after a rather horrific 8-2 thrashing by the Dallas Stars. Then again, you could say that the Canucks, and Roberto Luongo in particular, were looking to avenge themselves after getting beat by Jonathan Tavares (and the New York Islanders) on Tuesday at GM Place. Luongo, who has been pulled 4 times in his past 13 starts, ended up having a rather stellar game, posting some big saves against the Sharks in a 34 save performance. Did he get beat? Yes, but Luongo was consistently making big saves and kept the Canucks in the game, much like he did in the second and third periods against Calgary. No idea if that was the result of his being pulled in Tuesday’s game or the barrage of questions he faced regarding his getting the hook as of late, although I’d say it played a huge part.

It’s weird how blogging works. I wrote a long piece talking about how the Canucks bottom six has been dragging the team down and what happens? Ryan freaking Johnson scores a goal, Jannik Hansen has been potting game winners, Wellwood’s been starting to contribute regularly to the scoresheet and even Darcy Hordichuk hasn’t looked out of place in the lineup. Don’t get me wrong, I love it and hope that this play carries into the playoffs. I do have to ask, where the hell have all these guys been hiding all season, though.

All that said, Hansen did have a fairly off night. He was on the ice for both Sharks goals against and his inability to clear the puck out of his own zone directly resulted in the second Sharks goal. Again, referencing that older post I did, Hansen is young and needs experience if he’s to outgrow these mistakes and while I’m not concerned (he’s not costing the team games!) I figured it’d be noted, given the savage beatings players like Steve Bernier and Kyle Wellwood have taken all season long. Heck, even Mikael Samuelsson, who was on a long cold streak prior to his Olympic snub, was getting it from online Canuck fans. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, guys!

I doubt many Canucks fans would have ever expected to welcome Shane O’Brien with arms wide open like they did last night. Nor do I think many fans would’ve expected such a patient, composed game from him. Yet there he was, skating well and having one of his better games as a member of the Canucks. SOB has come a long way from his days where he was a defenseman who the Tampa Bay Lightning had given up on. Coming in, folks said he had a penchant for taking stupid penalties and that he could’t skate at all. His skating has improved and his ’stupid penalties’ have gone way down this season. It would appear that Rick Bowness can, in fact, coach defensemen. I say all this, because it gives me hope that Andrew Alberts, who has shown some promise and is signed with the Canucks through to next season, may just turn into a similar player despite the dubious start he’s had as a Canuck.

In the That’s Sort of Good News Dept: the more Mason Raymond continues to struggle, the lower his asking price will be once he becomes a restricted free agent this summer. I believe that Raymond’s got something like 5 goals in the last 30 or so games. On the other hand, with Mikael Samuelsson out and rookie Michael Grabner in, it’d be nice to see Raymond step up and start chipping in again.

Speaking of Grabner, it was nice seeing him back up with the Canucks. I’ve been a fan of him for a while now so it’s nice to see him being able to handle playing against one of the NHL’s top teams. No points, but he came close with a couple of great shots, including hitting the post and a wonderful chance off a Ryan Kesler feed.

Finally, what the hell is with the ice at GM Place? Watching Boyle out there in the third period made me wonder if I was having an out of body experience or something. Seriously, stumbling and scrambling around on the ice is what I do, not the guys I devote way too much time/energy watching.

The Canucks square off against the Detroit Red Wings Saturday for another Hockey Night In Canada matchup. I typically don’t like to SEE a Canucks loss, but if they have to, doing it against Detroit would be an acceptable scenario.

I know, I’m late. Furthermore, I’m like two weeks behind with the Week That Was. Unfortunately, paid work trumps unpaid work.

I’m going to do a 2 in 1, sort of, for this, considering I missed blogging the Sens game as well. (That sound you hear? Google Analytics dying of crib death…) I thought this was probably one of the best games, top to bottom, from the Canucks in a long time. Kevin Bieksa looked good coming back in his first game since his calf was sliced and diced, Luongo was in fine form and just about everyone was doing their job. Even guys like Ryan Johnson.

That solid play continued into Sunday’s game against the Flames. Who would’ve thought the Canucks could’ve earned 4 points in the standings off of only 20 minutes of work? The first period against Calgary should be preserved and used for future generations of how to play hockey. I couldn’t believe how flawless the Canucks were looking in the opening frame. I know, I sound horribly homertastic, but man, literally everything was going the Canucks way. I mentioned over on Twitter during the game that the bounces were working out for the Canucks, too. It wasn’t just that bounces were in favor, but they were seemingly going right onto the sticks of the boys wearing the Orca. Sort of ridiculous, but the end result was a 3-0 lead and Mikka Kiprusoff being chased to start the second period.

From there on, though, it was mostly the Flames who were in the driver’s seat as they started to take over and dictate the pace of the game. Understandable, as the Canucks had just come off a 6 game road trip (sorry, but the Olympic break counts here) and were playing the second game of a back to back. Had the Flames not came out so flat in the first frame, it could’ve been a completely different result on the scoresheet.

Well, the first period effort and Luongo. It looks like it’s the long awaited start of Luongo getting ‘in the zone’ as even Sportsnet West play by play man, Peter Loubardias, who generally is not very good at calling the action on the ice, recognized this. Luongo looked sharp, which was a nice change of pace from the Luongo we had on the road: he of the giving up the first goal and getting subsequently yanked. So yes, Luongo put together a fantastic two games, although he was really only challenged in the second and third periods of the Calgary game.

I was also pleasantly surprised with Ryan Johnson’s play as of late. I thought he looked good in Ottawa (although from about halfways through the second onwards I was distracted) and he continued his, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, solid play against Calgary. Jannik Hansen also looked really good over the weekend and played probably his best hockey in the past 2 seasons he’s been on the Canucks. I also liked that he was mixing it up with the opposition, too. Following the Moose, I know he likes to chirp and get under the skin of opponents so glad to see him continue that trend.

Glad the Sedins have woken back up, too. I know that they were still producing while they were on their goalless drought, but it’s nice to see them out there controlling the play and being up to their usual troublesome selves. Perfect timing, too: Ovechkin is potentially facing a suspension for his hit on Chicago’s Brian Campbell and Henrik is 3 points behind him in what’s shaping up to be the NHL version of Catch Me If You Can. Can Hank make like Tom Hanks and chase down Ovi?

Beyond that, I hope to God Salo continues to stay healthy as he’s been a rock for the Canucks lately. Loved his diving into the net and playing goalie against Calgary last night. Anyone who saw the play knows what I’m talking about. Alberts also continues to intrigue me: I love the fact that he’s strong and not afraid to toss opposing players around. I’m also surprised that for being a defensive defenseman, Alberts sure likes jumping up into the play and pinching whenever it suits him. Surprising because he’s such a big guy you don’t expect him to be able to get back and into position so quickly but that’s exactly what he’s doing. Give him a little more time on the roster and I think folks are going to be really happy with him.

No idea where Mason Raymond’s been as of late, but it’d be great if he can make his way onto the Canucks roster, as I haven’t seen him in a while. What do you mean, he’s been playing? Seriously? Ugh. The second half of this season has been brutal for you, MayRay.

Canucks are going to continue their homestand with a game against Tavares and the Islanders Tuesday. The best part about that game? I’ll be catching it LIVE at GM Place!

Bret Hart once said, who are you to doubt El Dandy?

I guess it’s my turn to say, who are you to doubt the Canucks?

You’d think I’d have learned, considering the Canucks have fought back and won an incredible 9 times this season after going down. Well, tonight’s game marked effort number 10 from the ‘Cardiac Canucks’ who I think can officially be crowned the Team That Doesn’t Die. While I’m not a fan of the Canucks surrendering early goal leads (and I don’t think I ever will) I AM a huge fan of the Canucks never giving up, not looking deflated after a crap goal, not having to rely on Luongo to bail them out night after night after night.

And yeah, as I’ve said in prior post-game writeups, Luongo hasn’t been looking good. Whether it’s been surrendering goals on the first shot like he was earlier in the season or these early first period meltdowns, this NHL regular season probably isn’t up there on Luongo’s all time best.

All that being said, though, I think Canucks fans should be reminded how nice it is to have a goalie who is still capable of keeping his team in the game and capable of making a comeback like they did tonight. Luongo did let in some bad goals and put the Canucks down early, but he also made some key saves, including a wonderful pad save as well as an amazing glove save on Matt Duchene in the third period. It’s a far cry from the Dan Cloutier meltdowns of old where there was literally no chance in hell of the Canucks being able to battle back and tie the game, let alone win the game. I think I can recall ONE game where the Canucks managed to do that during the ‘Cloutier era’ and I want to say that was against Washington and Johan Hedberg was in net…but I might be mixing my Canucks history up on me.

Bottom line, Luongo hasn’t been playing his best hockey as of late, but he’s still been capable of making key saves. He can be better and it’s simply a matter of time before he turns it all around.

And man, if there were ever any doubts that Mikael Samuelsson should have been on the Swedish Olympic team and Mattias Weinhandl should’ve been left to rot on an ice floe somewhere in the Arctic, they should be all but gone after tonight’s effort. Samuelsson wound up getting a hat trick and an assist on the night in his first full game with the Sedins in ages. Although some people were upset with Burrows being taken off of the Sedins line I wasn’t too bothered by it: Trois Kronors had been ineffectual for about 10 games and AV needed to mix things up a bit. Burrows wound up with his 30th goal of the season, although the Demitra/Kesler/Burrows line wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire. I’d give them a few more games as a line before throwing in the towel or panicking over them.

The one guy I’d like to know is still alive is Mason Raymond. The only time he really stood out last night was after a pretty brutal giveaway that resulted in the fourth goal scored against the Canucks. After that, he was benched for a while before being thrown out with the likes of Ryan Johnson and Rick Rypien. Ever since that hat trick against the Flames he’s been mostly snake bitten.

Canucks play the Phoenix Coyotes tomorrow on the final game of their road trip before coming home to GM Place. Andrew Raycroft is expected to start!

Well, the ‘unofficial’ trade deadline is fast approaching: the NHL Olympic roster freeze is set to take affect on the 12th, with the NHL Trade Deadline coming March 3rd. The League has already seen several high profile trades, with Dion Phaneuf becoming a Toronto Maple Leaf and Ilya Kovalchuk wearing a new jersey. Although GM Mike Gillis has said he isn’t a big fan of rentals and he has been frugal when it comes to trades, it doesn’t hurt to have some fun and speculation with what the Canucks could potentially do leading up to the trade deadlines. As such, I thought it’d be fun to get some of the Canucks bloggers to gather round and discuss some trade deadline topics.

Hey, it can’t be any worse than Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean arguing with each other on SportsNet, right? Thought so!

Joining me on the roundtable are Kent Basky of the We Are All Canuckleheads Podcast and Nucks Misconduct, Brian Wawryshyn of Canucks Corner, Cam Davie, Brigadier General of the Canucks Army and Clayton Corley, the Opiated Sherpa. All excellent bloggers and all have excellent sites, big thanks for them agreeing to do this. With that said, here’s what they had to say to the questions I posed!

1) This recent spate of games has shown that the Canucks have 2 rather glaring weaknesses: an unreliable bottom six group and mediocre defensive depth. What would you identify as being more important to address through a potential deadline deal?

Kent: I’m pretty sure anyone who thought Willie Mitchell wasn’t the most important member of the D for the Canucks realizes their mistake.  To their credit the Canucks have managed to keep the ship afloat with some bandaids from the Moose, but getting a puck moving defenseman that is solid on the back end is a must.  My dream is to bring Scotty Niedermeyer home for a playoff run, but the next couple days will likely see more teams decide who’s a buyer and who’s a seller. Bottom 6? Ray Whitney stands out to me as a guy who would fit well with Wellwood and Demitra. Or anyone and Demitra.  Whitney, Demitra and Fin? He has a better net presence than Bernier.

Brian: Defensive depth is the key to me. Bieksa may not be back and wasn’t playing great when he went down and Schneider was a bust, leaving us an inevitable Sami Salo injury away from slim pickings. Thanks goodness for the Erhoff fleecing, or who knows where we would be on the blueline.

Cam: The fact that the Canucks have a mediocre defensive group only becomes an issue when Luongo plays below his average. We saw that for a few games on this roadtrip. We saw against Boston that, when Luongo plays at the top of his game, the team has a great chance of winning. Besides, Mitchell and Bieksa will very likely return in less than 10 games. The defense has had on thus far. The bottom six forwards have played horribly for a good chunk of the season. Sure, they now have Demitra back, but their main need is at Centre.

Clayton: If anything, I think the defensive depth is more important, because that can at least give a hand to our bottom six forwards, when they get in trouble.  If the Canucks are going to be staying put with the bottom six, which I doubt they are, but its a certain possibility, shoring up the defense can plug a hole or two when the bottom six break down.  Personally, a defensive defenseman and another third or fourth line centre is what the Canucks should be after at the end of the day.

Trevor: I think our defensive depth could use some rounding out, moreso than our bottom six. Sami Salo isn’t the most durable of defensemen and there’s no telling what Kevin Bieksa we’ll be getting back. Call me crazy, but I think gaining Cody Hodgson (once his season is over in the OHL) and potentially bringing up someone like Matt Pettinger would do wonders with our bottom six. If I’m Gillis, I’d be shooting for a defenseman, preferably a defensive dman or a highly skilled 2 way guy.

2) Who do you see as being obvious trade bait or as someone who is clearly on their way out the door?

Brian: Obviously I think Cory Schneider’s name has to be included in a lot of any Canucks trade talks and Luongo isn’t going anywhere. I’d like to see Grabner get another shot before throwing him into a deal. That said, I think Hansen may be the most likely to be included in a any deal. I would be ok trading Bieksa, provided a defenseman came back, but with his injury it’s not likely to happen this year.

Cam: I am not a Kevin Bieksa fan. I think he is often sloppy and careless with the puck, especially when coming out of his own zone. I would LOVE it if the Canucks made a trade involving Bieksa and brought back a more dependable top 4 defenceman. Cory Schneider is an obvious trade trip, with Luongo locked up for 12 years. Bernier and Wellwood are terrible, so I’d like them to be traded, but I don’t see the Canucks getting much in return. I would prefer it if the Canucks held on to both Grabner and Hansen for at least one more year to see how their skills develop.

Clayton: I would have to believe that the list of players that are untouchable would have to be shorter than the trade bait list.  But really, now that we’re coming down to the Olympic Break and the Trade Deadline, I don’t know how much interest the Canucks are going to have from teams sending out their rentals for the Spring.  If the Canucks are going to dangle a player or a prospect, its only going to sweeten the deal that is on the table, so I would say that Schneider, Bernier and Grabner are the top three that are going to be dangled.

Trevor: I’d imagine Wellwood and Hansen are potential trade candidates, as Coach Alain Vigneault doesn’t seem to be all that enamored of them. They aren’t going to command much back in return, though I’m not sure what Gillis would throw in to sweeten the pot. I doubt Cory Schneider is moved.

Kent: I think Hansen could be a desirable project, he has a lot of upside.  I am not so sure that the Canucks wouldn’t part with Schneider for the right deal.  Bieksa might have been movable if not for his cutting fetish. If Mike Gillis can get anything for Bernier, I will kiss him full on the mouth.  No tongue though. I wouldn’t want it to be awkward. I bet though in the end, it’s Grabner that gets shipped out.

3) That said, if you could protect ONE potential trade chip who could be sent packing, who would it be and why?

Cam: Mason Raymond. There has been a lot of talk about about Raymond being possibly traded. The Canucks have invested a lot of time in Raymond, watching and helping him develop. Finally this year, their work paid off and Raymond is having a break out year. I would hate for the Canucks to finally trade away Raymond after all their patience with him. Especially if he’s an RFA at the end of season. If he is worth something, and the Canucks get an offer sheet on Raymond, he may be worth more then than he would be as trade bait now.

Clayton: As much as Cody Hodgson is getting hung in the media, I still want to see him in a Canucks uniform, giving it the ol’ college try.  The name-calling and the assumption that he isn’t going to work hard aside, the kid has the potential to be a top line centre, although he’d have a long time to wait behind the twins, so why not keep him around?  If he needs to be punished, then keep him in a system where he isn’t going to see great minutes and he can either pout or play.  There are no guarantees to what the Canucks can get for him in any deal, just as much as there isn’t any guarantee that he’ll reach his potential, but I’d rather wait on a top line forward than the garbage the team might get back.

Trevor: I’m a fan of both Grabner and Bernier, but picking one? Hmm. I’ll go with Bernier, as the Canucks don’t seem to have much in the way of big players and have a number of speedy, ’soft’ forwards. Sorry, Grabner, but I’d rather see you do well in the NHL than languish on the Moose!

Kent: I have the car warming up as I type this.  Tell Bernier to wait in front of his house.  So I say Grabner, just because that goal he scored against the Blackhawks was better than ANYTHING Bernier’s done as a Canuck.

Brian: I’ll go with Grabner. Simply because we just haven’t seen what he can do. He was starting to play well before he got hurt, and I want to see a little more. Bernier is a what you see is what you get player. We’ve seen him at this weight, we’ve seen him heavier, and on both cases it’s really nothing to get excited about.

4) Do you want Mike Gillis to tinker with the top six at all? Some may subscribe to the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ philosophy but there are 2 upcoming RFAs in Raymond and Kesler. Do you move either of them if the opportunity presents itself, and if so, for what?

Clayton: The beauty part of what this rental system can do is getting a player than can be either that first, second or third line player that can just fit anywhere. If one name was to come to mind, it would be Ray Whitney. A possible fit with any real pairing: the Twins, Kesler and MayRay, Welly and Samuelsson, that’s the kind of flexibility that has to be appealing. If the Canucks can swing something like that, I would be okay with it.

Brian: Of all our offensively gifted young talent, Mason Raymond should not be moved. Great speed, and is learning to go into the right areas to score. Kesler is the type of player we’ll need for the playoffs, and is also untouchable in my opinion, unless he’s indicating he’ll be swinging for a home run on a new deal. Both are still evolving as players, and I’d like to see both retained and made part of the core. If we’re going to make a deal, I’d prefer we used prospects and draft picks and make our run in the next two years.

Trevor: I actually wouldn’t be opposed to moving Mason Raymond should the right deal present itself. I think he’s probably our best bargaining chip right now (young, future RFA, has potential) but it depends on what is available. Buy low, sell high, as the old saying goes. Kesler should remain untouchable, though. I don’t think anyone wants to see Kyle Wellwood: Second Line Center for the rest of this season/playoffs.

Cam: No. The top 6 are working very well right now. I would much rather see an upgrade on the third line than either of the top 2 lines.

Kent: As much as I hate the thought of parting with a guy like Mason Raymond, I think he is flying under the radar in the media, but not other teams GMs. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out there have been some tire kicking with his name coming up. Kesler I think has way too much upside to give up on. He still isn’t playing his best hockey yet in my mind, and his leadership this season in the face of injuries has been stellar. I think a Schneider/Raymond/(fill in the blank) package would net us all the help we need.

5) If Mike Gillis could utterly fleece a GM and bring back a highly coveted player for very little in return who would you want it to be?

Trevor: I’d probably lean towards Niedermayer as he fits the blueline issue that I feel is the biggest concern with the Canucks to a T. His playoff experience would be invaluable and he may just be motivated playing for a Canadian team/for Vancouver after captaining Canada at the Olympics. As it is, I think he’d be too pricey to pick up otherwise.

Clayton: I would have to go with Niedermayer as well.  I suppose if we’re out to fleece, getting a playoff-proven defender like Nieds would be special for the Canucks.  Hell, I don’t even think they need to fleece Anaheim for him, but its definitely a nice thought.

Cam: Gillis would have the most luck fleecing the Oilers out of Souray, because I don’t think Tambellini is a very good GM. The Anaheim Ducks may also be doing a lot of selling at the trade deadline though. So Neidermayer to the Canucks might be a distinct possibility.

Kent: Growing up in Kamloops I was spoiled by getting to watch a lot of incredible junior hockey, so I have a soft spot for Niedermayer.  He is a true warrior in the playoffs, won literally everything there is to be won in hockey.  What a better way to end his career than close to home.  If Souray hadn’t broken his hand on Iginla’s face, he would be attractive, can you imagine a power play with him and Salo cranking shots from the point?  Kariya is interesting, he has shown signs at times this year, it’s just a question of is he past it all, or is it the team he is playing on.

Brian: Even if Gillis could pull of a fleecing, salary would prevent a deal from happening in all likelihood, but if I had to pick I would go with Niedermayer.  Experience, leadership and he’s probably got a few good playoff games in him. See above comments regarding needed depth on defense.

6) Name an unlikely player that could be coming the Canucks way this trade deadline.

Kent: I like this part, because it allows me to make up total BS and then if I am wrong, I say “Aww, I just jerkin’ yer chain” but if I am right, I get to scream out “I freakin’ rock!!” and for like 3 days people will hang on my every tweet.  Unlikely huh?  Here’s a scenario: Anaheim realizes just how bad Vesa Toskala is, so we ship Schneider, Bieksa and Raymond to the Ducks for Teemu Selanne and James Wisniewski.

Trevor: Brad Winchester. Unlikely only in the sense that I think most fan expectations will be a lot higher. Remember that Ossi Vaananen was like the only guy the Canucks picked up during the stretch run last season.

Brian: Paul Kariya. He may be traded, but I just can’t see it being here. I think he could be a good fit however, and it would be nice for him to play at home and help the Canucks go on a strong playoff run.

Cam: Sammy Pahlsson. I think the Blue Jackets will start selling off players soon, as they plummet down the standings. Pahlsson would be a welcome edition as a tough third-line center.

Clayton: A little bit of digging had to be done for this one and I think a great candidate for the unlikely, but possible, choice would be Lee Stempniak in Toronto.  Not a centre, but at least a good grinding winger that has 14 goals… I’d buy into him.

And that does it for the roundtable! Once again, a big thanks to everyone for participating. Hopefully we’ll be able to get this to be an ongoing feature down the road. Once again, the Olympic roster freeze takes hold February 12th and the Trade Deadline comes March 3rd. Now you know who to point and laugh at (me) when their predictions are all horribly wrong!

What a fascinating game, today’s matinee affair was.

Partially because I’ve been high on cold medication all day and it took me a while to gather my thoughts, but also because this was pretty much the reverse instance of what went down with the Montreal game. The Canucks had a rather poor start (which saw the first goal being scored by the opposing team and which saw yet another early penalty leading to said goal) but were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to an absolutely stellar effort from Roberto Luongo, who responded well after being sat Thursday in Ottawa.

I mentioned in the Ottawa Postscript that I liked the decision to sit Luongo, as it maximized the chance to win against Boston, a team that’s been struggling as of late. A focused, rested Luongo was exactly what was needed against a Bruins team that had upstart netminder Tuuka Rask in net for them. Luongo had what was probably his best game in a LONG time, particularly in the second period where he was single handedly keeping the Canucks within one. It’s nice to see him getting hot and I hope the trend continues as the Canucks head down to Florida.

While I opted to defend Alain Vigneault’s decision to bench a player last game, I have to find fault with his decision to scratch Steve Bernier. Yes, I’m aware that he hasn’t been contributing any offense as of late, but you have to look at the other things that he brings to the table. Specifically, the fact that he’s not Tanner Glass, Darcy Hordichuk or Rick Rypien.

Look, I’ve become a fan of Tanner Glass. As a prairie boy myself, we have to stick together, and he’s been a pleasant surprise since Gillis signed him in the off-season. But he has no business playing on the third line. Especially when our fourth line is such a disaster zone as it is, having all three of Hordichuk, Glass and Rypien in the lineup is playing with fire. Don’t believe me? The two players in the box that resulted in both Boston goals were Glass and Rypien.

I’m not convinced that Jannik Hansen would be the solution to the bottom six’s woes, but he would’ve been a far better option in lieu of Glass to slot in place of Bernier. Alas, he’s down in Manitoba, so we’d have no way of knowing. Again, I don’t agree that Bernier should’ve sat in today’s game and in my eyes, it could have cost the Canucks another 2 points.

That said, I was glad to see Alain Vigneault distributing minutes to players who were having good games. For the third straight game, the Sedins looked off. I don’t know if it’s the schedule, potential flu bug (I say only because I’m under the weather myself right now and not because I’ve read anything) or just one of those things that happens to professional athletes, but AV noticed and reduced their icetime as a result. The minutes then went to players like Kesler (25:55 of icetime), Raymond (21:50) and Samuelsson (19:26.) I know we’re like almost 5 years past Marc Crawford’s time as bench boss of the Canucks, but I greatly enjoy how Vigneault holds his players accountable no matter who they are (Luongo and the benching, the Sedins and their icetime) even if I don’t always agree with it (Bernier, for example.) Far better than with Crow, where you had no real chance at seeing an increased role even if you were playing lights out.

I also find it hilarious that Alain Vigneault was getting Burrows AWAY from the Sedins as he put him alongside Raymond and Kesler as the game went on, rather than, say, putting Kesler with the Sedins. Who are the star forwards again?

Although Wellwood didn’t get as much icetime, he was being seeing some action as the Canucks tried to tie things up late in the third. I thought his play has improved as of late (not necessarily just because of that lone marker he scored against the Senators) and I’m glad that Vigneault is trusting him. He also beat Rask in the shootout, but hit the post, so all in all a good game from him.

Demitra’s starting to round into form. Don’t mind him taking some time to get into gameshape, actually, as he has missed a significant chunk of time. The Olympics should do him some good, as he should be seeing some solid icetime.

Aaron Rome’s been quietly playing some decent-to-good hockey as of late. There are the odd miscues that will go on (the Montreal game, where he was on the ice with Lukowich and the fourth line) but he’s a +3 in his last 10 games and has been a minus player in only one game (the Montreal one.) He’s not going to win the Norris any time soon, but he’s been a damn sight better than Lukowich (who I like) and Baumgartner (who I don’t particularly care for.) I’m glad he’s sticking in the lineup right now.

That about does it for my thoughts on the game. The Canucks next game is Tuesday against the Bolts. On PPV. Woo?

Another horribly late postscript. I apologize. My move from Toronto to Calgary has drained the hell out of me so I’m just getting things sorted out. I basically passed out after the game last night and had to run around doing errands today, hence the superlate post. I’m hoping things will be totally sorted come Saturday. We’ll see…

So last night’s game marked the last time the Vancouver Canucks will be gracing GM Place for a long, long time. Over 40 days and 40 nights, as a matter of fact. As such, it was important for the Canucks to leave Vancouver on a high note and hopefully carry their play into the beginning of what I’ve termed as The Road Trip From Hell. Unfortunately, their opponents were the St. Louis Blues, a team that has regularly had their number (outside of the post-season, that is.) If there was a team that could end up playing the role of spoiler for the fans at GM Place Wednesday night, it would’ve been them.

I have to say, for two teams that have a sort of mini-rivalry going between them and for a team that has been as red hot as the Canucks have been as of late, it wasn’t exactly the most exciting game in Canucks history. Lots of back and forth passing with minimal shots on goal. The second period, especially, was horrific and I think talk over at the Canucks live blog turned to hockey jerseys and other mundane topics.

Still though, despite the Blues best attempts at trying to bore the opposition into submission, the Canucks managed to cruise by them and earn another 2 points. Again, there’s a ton of positives to be taking out of tonight’s game, so let’s start with that.
I guess it’s nice that folks can complain when the Sedins are having a bad night when they play a game like they did and don’t put up any points. I thought that Trois Kronors (I’m going to make that nickname for that line stick, dangit) had a great night even though they didn’t put up any points. While they were out on the ice, they were dictating the play and had the Blues forced back on their heels. Yes, they didn’t score and Alexander Ovechkin loomed dangerously close to the scoring lead as a result, but it wasn’t from lack of chances or from effort. The line was capable of swinging momentum back in the Canucks favor which allowed for the second line to put up some points.

And how about that second line? In years past, having our top line held off the score sheet would have spelled disaster for the Canucks. Mason Raymond ‘only’ had a pair (what, no hat trick?) while Ryan Kesler had a big night. I’ve noted that the lack of offense from him as of late shouldn’t be worrisome as he’s been making plays and has been working his butt off. Working hard has got to be the mission statement for that second line: I’ve lauded Mikael Samuelsson for his efforts, while Mason Raymond has come a long way this season, looking like a bonafide NHLer, rather than a youngster who keeps falling down. That’s not meant as a diss, either, all players take time to mature and I’m glad to see Raymond finally hitting his stride.

I also thought Alex Edler has continued his strong play as of late. He looked good in the Buffalo game, hitting post more often than not and that continued into tonight’s game, where he kept hitting the iron. Over on Twitter, I had hoped that Edler would answer the challenge and elevate his play due to Bieksa, Mitchell and Salo being out and so far it looks like he’s been doing well. There was that giveaway he had, mind, but I thought that Edler’s overall play as of late has been some of his best hockey this season. Great to see.

The same can’t be said for some of the Canucks other defensemen. Shane O’Brien is starting his Jekyll to Hyde metamorphosis from respectable blueliner to ‘oh dear God what were you thinking?!’ disasterpiece as last night wasn’t his most stellar game, starting off with his delay of game penalty in the first (the team’s second such call that night) and continued with some questionable decisions out on the ice. I think it’s apparent that more icetime is something that needs to be carefully handled with SOB, otherwise problems develop. That, or he needs to get another tattoo done up, pronto.

Baumgartner, a guy whom I’ve been critical of since he has been recalled, yet managed to shut me up with his play against the Hawks and Sabres, also had a rather dodgy night. It’s to be expected when you’re dealing with AHL callups and Baumgartner did do a great job of absolving himself of one really bad giveaway in the first period by neutralizing the Blues attacker, but there were more than a few mistakes creeping in there.

Rhetorical question, but do we always need 2 of Tanner Glass, Rick Rypien and Darcy Hordichuk in the lineup? Look, I understand that coach AV likes having some guys who can chuck ‘em in his lineup but with Shane O’Brien on the backend and guys like Ryan Kesler and Steve Bernier already in the lineup who can throw ‘em (although I understand AV might not necessarily WANT those guys fighting I’m just pointing out that they can) is it really necessarily to have 2 guys who can fight in the bottom six?

I only ask because there’s that Jannik Hansen fellow who has been sitting for many a game and hasn’t had the chance to get into the lineup and because the three guys I mentioned haven’t exactly been playing electrifying hockey as of late.

One other thing, I came across this picture on game night. Check out the kid on the lefthand side. I don’t know why, but I found it amusing:

Canucks play the Leafs Saturday as part of Hockey Day In Canada. Hopefully I’ll be a bit better with updates by then!

Yeah, consider me surprised. After a rather forgettable 50 minutes or so that saw the last place Edmonton Oilers, a team that had just 1 win in their last 15 games, carry the play and pretty much look like a team that wasn’t last in the Western Conference, the Canucks finally woke up and decided to win the game.

On the one hand, it’s kind of fun to watch the Canucks consciously flip the switch and decide that now is the time to win. That’s what good teams can do: take over the game at any moment. On the other hand, I hope that this isn’t a return to the inconsistent Canucks of a few months prior and was simply due to the Canucks having a few days off and being a little looser due to having the Super Skills competition as the last ‘event’ they did. It’s also possible that they’re looking ahead to Saturday’s matchup against the Hawks, something which the Canucks, to a man, will deny is the case. Or yes, maybe the Canucks merely got lucky due to a few garbage penalties that were called against the Oilers, including the tripping call on Mason Raymond in OT, which led to the eventual game winner.

From what I understand, the boards were getting lit up on Edmonton radio’s postgame shows due to the Canucks ‘diving ways’ winning the game for them. They pointed to Raymond’s penalty as being a blatant dive, as well as the penalty Samuelsson drew. Given that the Canucks basically won the game due to their powerplay, I could see how Edmonton fans could be getting upset over it.

That said, diving isn’t Mason Raymond’s game. Falling down easily because he’s a stringbean of a player, compared to other NHLers, I understand he could probably crush me between his thumb and index finger, that is. There’s a long history of it and I used to joke that Canucks fan could play the Mason Raymond Drinking Game: take a sip every time Raymond lands on his butt.

Now that I’m dying of liver failure, that didn’t seem like such a great idea, but I digress. Bottom line is that I don’t think Raymond was embellishing or doing anything untoward there in OT. Hell, the guy was clearly the best player out there on the ice last night by a far margin, even though he didn’t manage to put up any points. My take on it is that that the referee who made the call had a bad angle on it and things looked worse than they did.

Those things do happen from time to time and I highly doubt that any official would willingly open himself up to closer scrutiny in any Vancouver Canucks games right now. It was a mistake and I’m not sure what Oilers fans are getting upset about: the playoffs are about as far away as they can be and you should be thankful that the refs ‘helped’ you out with ‘only’ getting a single point tonight. I’m only half joking there.

Samuelsson’s call, the other one that Oilers fans were angrily pointing to, I could see. It did look bad and I’d be willing to believe that Samuelsson ‘helped’ the referee make up his mind there. That said, what Cogliano did does constitute a penalty, but there should’ve been an offsetting unsportsmanlike for Samuelsson and I wouldn’t have had a problem with it. Hey, the Canucks were killer 4 on 4, one of the few bright spots in tonight’s game.

Speaking of bright spots, how about that Trois Kronors line? Burrows now has more goals than Jarome Iginla and has as many goals as the Flames (8) have been able to muster in their last 12 games played. Henrik managed to build on his points lead, giving him a five point cushion which will probably be erased once the Pittsburgh/Washington game is done later tonight. Oh yeah, and Daniel with the nice OT goal, putting him right up there with Brendan Morrison for OT goals. Sorry, who said they weren’t clutch?

I already talked about Raymond and how I thought he was the best guy on the ice. Salo’s also been on fire as of late and I really hope I didn’t just jinx him by mentioning him and his play. It’s a damn shame that he wasn’t more durable.

I keep saying this, but it bears repeating: Roberto Luongo should not handle the puck. He should not play the puck, as playing the puck results in giveaways or suicide passes to the guys playing in front of him. Just stop the puck…and stop handling the puck, Luo. My liver is already a shrivelled, dying mess thanks to Raymond. I don’t need cardiac problems to boot.

Tomorrow’s game against Dallas will be interesting: another struggling team that has a bit of a goaltending conundrum on their hands. Also, it’s always fun to beat up on Marc Crawford coached teams.