Category Archives: Vancouver Canucks
Luongo to the Leafs still a possibility
Simple facts are these. Leafs have talked to VAN this week about Luongo. Leafs have some interest. Price has dropped. That’s all for now.
— Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) March 29, 2013
Vancouver needs to bulk up at centre — and Roberto Luongo is the only ace up general manager’s sleeve
This brings us back to Luongo. Years of suspect drafting and trading picks, by this regime and the one that preceded it, has left the Canucks without a bankroll of prospects from which to purchase help at the deadline.
They can’t afford to trade Nicklas Jensen or Brendan Gaunce or Frank Corrado or this year’s first-round pick. Who they can afford to lose is Luongo.
Rumblings: B’s, Habs, Canucks like Clowe
Here’s something important to keep in mind as the Ryane Clowe situation plays itself out before next Wednesday’s trade deadline.
Clowe has a full no-trade clause. The San Jose Sharks have to run this thing by him in order to get a deal done.
Which means if, for whatever reason, Clowe doesn’t believe a certain team is a good fit, he can nix it. Although, in the same vein, Sharks GM Doug Wilson did well by Douglas Murray in the move to Pittsburgh, and the sense is that Wilson and Clowe have a good line of communication on what’s transpiring.
Canucks must move Luongo and close the book on this never ending saga.
What the Canucks do have is one too many No. 1 goalies. They will spend the lead-up to April 3 trying to finally close on the long-anticipated Roberto Luongo trade.
It’s time to shut the book on a saga that has drifted on way too long. If they can’t pull the trigger on a Luongo-for-a-centre deal, consider it a failure for an organization that will have one of its best assets sitting on the bench for every playoff game.
Are the Canucks looking at Derek Roy?
Even though it involved two separate transactions, the Dallas Stars essentially swapped out Mike Ribiero for Derek Roy last summer, shipping Ribiero to the Washington Capitals and then bringing Roy in from the Buffalo Sabres to essentially fill his role as the team’s No. 2 centre. Ribiero has 29 points in 26 games for the Capitals and is seven points ahead of Alex Ovechkin at the top of the team’s scoring race, while Roy has 15 points in 21 games for the Stars. Both are unrestricted free agents this coming summer and the speculation is that Dallas, a team burned by Brad Richards’s departure two years ago, will likely move Roy at the deadline if negotiations on a contract extension reach an impasse. The theory that Roy will land with the Vancouver Canucks as a rental makes a lot of sense, considering Vancouver’s needs for help down the middle, in Ryan Kesler’s absence …
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/duhatschek-jarome-iginla-to-the-kings-not-so-fast/article9827643/?page=2
Canucks trade search
Sources around the league tell ESPN.com that Canucks GM Mike Gillis has been very active making phone calls over the past 7-10 days, checking in with nearly every team in the league to see if there’s any fit for a trade.
Canucks could do some shopping before trade deadline gets much closer
Canucks general manager Mike Gillis may want to kick the tires now on pending restricted free agent Shawn Matthias of Florida.
At 25, the 6-foot-4, 216-pound centre had seven goals through 26 games this season and his pro-rated $900,000 US contract is expiring. Panthers GM Dale Tallon is looking to rebuild, but this might be a tough piece to pry away. Worth a try for a longer fix.
Here’s what’s out there in the UFA market:
Canucks could’ve had Kadri, Bozak and a pick for Luongo
Worth noting at June draft Canucks could’ve had Kadri, Bozak and a pick for Luongo. Got greedy. Now have lost as many as have won.
— Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) March 6, 2013
Canucks were close on a deal to move Luongo
Mike Gillis on After Hours, asked if the Canucks ever got close to closing a deal to move @strombone1 prior to year: “Yeah. Yeah, we were.”
— Dan Tencer (@dantencer) March 3, 2013
Could the Canucks trade Schneider?
The Vancouver Canucks could potentially look to trade Cory Schneider and not Roberto Luongo, according to speculation by Craig Custance. With the asking price for Luongo likely too high for most teams, and Schneider holding more value overall, the Canucks could end up holding onto the goaltender who wanted out so badly less than a year ago.
Blackhawks have chance to make NHL history Tuesday against Canucks
Word about the record started trickling into the Blackhawks’ dressing room after their victory Friday against the San Jose Sharks.
The Hawks were closing in on the most successful start in NHL history. Not only that, but the three teams to go the furthest into a
season without losing a game in regulation — a group the Hawks had joined with that victory — all had won the Stanley Cup.
The 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks started 12-0-4 and finished as champions. The 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers started 12-0-3 and finished as champions. The 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens started 11-0-3 and finished as champions.
‘‘Interesting stat,’’ Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.
The Hawks are 12-0-3, the second-best season-opening point streak in NHL history. A victory or overtime/shootout loss Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks at the United Center would match the all-time mark. They could break it Friday against the Sharks.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/18314213-419/blackhawks-have-chance-to-make-nhl-history-tuesday-against-canucks.html
Will Kessler return to the lineup tonight?
AV: Kesler has been medically cleared to play.
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) February 14, 2013