up tha sleeve
September 7th, 2008 by thewordbirdThe Canucks are in a position where a trade makes a lot of sense right now. GM Mike Gillis has repeatedly stated as much every time he has been pressed for information on how he is going to improve the offense on the team.
With a defense that was both of injury concern and did not live up to expectations last year, some of the pieces will undervalued. Perhaps. If you examine what a player like Sami Salo can bring to a team then he would be a pivotal piece to move. I know, he has a no-trade clause. This does not always mean that the player will not move, just give him the right incentive, the reward to moving him to a contender is substantial at the deadline. Willie Mitchell is a cornerstone that I think you’d be unwise to trade and he also has a no-trade.
The Canucks must be given an indicator this year on whether Lukas Krajicek can play quality minutes. Alex Edler is a fine skater and wary on the defensive side of the puck. Kevin Bieksa is a guy who fresh off of a disappointing year, could not garner as much interest or much of a quality return. Taylor Ellington and Yann Sauve will join the D corps in a few years. Nolan Baumgartner and Lawrence Nycholat are hardly stars but can fill minutes, clear pucks, and fire the puck on net.
In Mason Raymond, Steve Bernier, Ryan Kesler and Cody Hodgson the scoring looks brighter. Kyle Wellwood has a very special chance to renew his touch and bolster a second-line if not first line role. Ideally, Wellwood grabs the centre position on the first line between Demitra (naturally a right-winger) and Mason Raymond graduates. Raymond is a much better player than given credit for (thus far), though I think first-line duties are a bit out of reach. Like I said, ideally. THe Sedins of course will score. Taylor Pyatt needs to prove his worth and push the top-six. That is if the top six are set and he provides tertiary scoring playing with Kesler and Burrows or Matt Pettinger or even Darcy Hordichuk, Vancouver is much better off.
Now, there are rumours out there that suggest the Bruins and the Canucks are talking. If that comes to pass, then I sure as hell hope the Canucks are targeting Milan Lucic and figuring out a way to not overpay for him. They had their heads up their cans already not drafting him out of his hometown and it really could be a sort of reversal of the Neely trade. Boston management is very high on Lucic (esp. Cam Neely) and of course Phil Kessel. But if you could score Matt Lashoff or Andrew Bodnarchuk in return, well, you look at the deal being bantered.
Just hope it is not for a secondary scoring winger like Marco Sturm, whom they would most certainly over-pay for. Aiming at kids like Brad Marchand, Zach Hamill (also from Greater Vancouver), David Krejci and Blake Wheeler would pay dividends.
Robin Keith THompson
7 September 2008
