Shannon shipped….
September 3rd, 2008 by thewordbirdGillis has got people shaking their heads….
A team that needs offense to compete, trades away a mid-range prospect that has speed to burn and puck skills to the Senators for what….a defenseman.
I like this move for the Canucks. You may like to look a little deeper and realize what it is that is going on.
Sure, it is certainly not beyond comprehension that Ryan Shannon could develop into a servicable 2nd PP specialist on an NHL roster. He possesses wheels and can stickhandle with speed. Check out this for an example of what immediately came to mind when I heard about the trade. An injury put him on the shelf after being demoted last year and it wil be interesting to see if the kid can revive his chances to make an impact in the big league.
Coming back the other way, the Canucks land defenseman Lawrence Nycholat. He is 29 and is from Calgary, AB. The NHL lists him as a stand-out 6′0″-200 lbs…very plain. Nycholat has enjoyed WHL, IHL and AHL careers of some repute with some very good production from the back end. But if you examine his playoff numbers, it seems he has pulled a disappearing act.
I would relegate this trade to a minor league deal, as both members will most likely be call-ups and depth players-as they are now. Nikulin, Bass, and Zubov will provide resistance in the very least for Shannon to rise on an offensive team. Foligno, MacAmmond, Winchester, and Hennessey will also compete for those spots Shannon should work his as$ off for.
So, people shouldn’t shake their heads, this is an insurance move to get (trade) for a better forward in the coming weeks. I believe Gillis will be moving a defender and this will keep some of the non-NHL ready defense on the farm where they belong and keep the Canucks competitive.
Posted in Canucks, acquisitions
2 Responses to “Shannon shipped….”
By Gerald Norton on Sep 3, 2008
Just don’t forget that Nycholat comes with a one way deal. He’s earning his NHL salary, no matter where he plays…so I hope Gillis actualy wanted him for his NHL club, or that’s a big cheque stroke every month for an AHL’er.
On the bright side, Nycholat is probably a serviceable Dman, in the #6 slot, where as Shannon will likely never make the NHL as is. For Ottawa it was a salary dump/depth move, but for VAN…honestly, I’m not sure what it was.
By Jordy on Sep 4, 2008
I think at this stage in the game, Gillis has put his Sundin hopes aside. an extra 500K in expenses isn’t gunna break the bank.
I expect that Shannon was not a highly touted prospect by the Canucks who’s defensive game was not developing. The Canucks seem to be putting some effort into their farm team in the hopes of developing their youth. I believe that Nycholat is a decent D-man for the minors and was probably sought as someone to stay on the farm when a rising talent (Fitzgerald, Mciver, Coloumbe) gets their shot to come up. I think the same goes for Krog.