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Bye, Naslund
by Alanah McGinley on 07/03/08 at 05:06 PM ET
Comments (36)
Markus Naslund signed a two-year deal with the New York Rangers today—New York being pretty much as far as one can get from Vancouver without actually swimming in the sea or hanging out in Miami. And I don’t blame him one bit.
To quote the Yankee Canuck—“Well it’s official: I want Mike Gillis’s head on a spit.”
Agreed, but this was predictable: Keep Vigneault = Lose Naslund. It’s a system he could never play in, plus being captain was a role he never seemed totally comfortable with, either.
So here’s hoping that the NY Rangers simply allow Naslund to do what he does well: score.
And I, for one, hope he kicks a$$ all over the Eastern Conference.
Update 3:20pm PT: A statement from Mike Gillis --
“As an organization we would like to thank Markus Naslund for his 12 exemplary seasons in a Canucks sweater. Markus is one of the greatest athletes to ever represent the Canucks both on and off of the ice. His on-ice success sees him leave the organization among the club leaders in almost every offensive category.
We are very grateful for Markus’ commitment to our community, our fans and our team over the years. Markus and his wife Lotta have given generously of their time over the years to many worthy causes including; Canuck Place, BC Children’s Hospital and the Canucks for Kids Fund. We wish Markus, Lotta, and their three children the best of luck in the future.”
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: markus+naslund, mike+gillis, new+york+rangers,
Comments
Good on ya Alannah for wishing the man luck.
I miss the 94 Canuncks; they were so fun to watch.
Posted by Osrt on 07/03/08 at 04:16 PM ET
Not surprised, but sad to see him go… he was so nice to look at 
.
But honestly… how is this something that Nonis couldn’t have done? I hope Gilles is feeling sheepish now for his criticism of Nonis now that he’s actually got his feet wet. I wonder what he’ll do now, the Canucks have barely any forwards.
Posted by Karina on 07/03/08 at 04:22 PM ET
Its a great day for true Canucks fans, not a sad one.
Wow...not even a word of thanks for his play over 12 seasons.
Not sure if true Canucks fans want you speaking on their behalf.
Posted by dash_pinched from Calgary on 07/03/08 at 04:37 PM ET
Naslund needed a fresh start. He gave us some exciting hockey back in the day with the West Coast Express. I wish him well.
With his departure my hand is a little closer to the panic button. There goes 25 more goals we haven’t yet replaced.
Posted by TriniD from VanC on 07/03/08 at 04:40 PM ET
Here’s hoping he regains his scoring touch without the pressure of being captain. Good guy.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/03/08 at 04:42 PM ET
Wow...not even a word of thanks for his play over 12 seasons.
Not sure if true Canucks fans want you speaking on their behalf.
You mean the ones who wanted to re-sign him?
yeah, those are real fans, the ones who enjoy mediocrity.
Posted by PuckHound61 on 07/03/08 at 04:47 PM ET
You mean the ones who wanted to re-sign him?
yeah, those are real fans, the ones who enjoy mediocrity.
Pretty obvious Naslund wasn’t going to be re-signed once the decision was made to retain Vigneault. Just surprised (well, maybe I’m not surprised) at the lack of acknowledgement of his play in a Canucks uniform over 12 seasons.
It’s always the people that leave that get blamed for the current ills of a team/company. I’m sure we’ll see a similar post when Luongo leaves Vancouver in a couple of years.
Posted by dash_pinched from Calgary on 07/03/08 at 04:57 PM ET
What is interesting is that Tom Renney plays a system that is not far off from what AV is playing. So I doubt the decision is purely style of play.
If you were Naslund, do you wanna be Gillis plan B? Probably not.
What a retard GM (and owner) we have in the Canucks. I feel shame to call myself a Canucks fan now. Sad!
Posted by Matt from Vancouver on 07/03/08 at 05:02 PM ET
I’ve simmered down a bit, so I no longer want his head on a spit. I would just like to see some, you know, general hockey management.
Sometime soon before he’s picking through the bargain bin and we see Marc Chouinard suddenly on the first line.
Posted by Mike from NYC on 07/03/08 at 05:29 PM ET
gillis should be fired has 20 million and two years left with roberto make him happy,i bet roberto really happy that naslund gone,i thought gillis was to sign a top 6 forward, not 3 fourth liners, i bet morrison is gone to matter of time,last place for the next 4 years sweeeaaattttt, cant wait for the season opener hahahaha
Posted by mike slaght from surrey on 07/03/08 at 05:42 PM ET
Can’t believe ther is no speculation as to who will take the C. Sundin hasn’t signed yet....
Posted by Martin from Victoria on 07/03/08 at 06:22 PM ET
PuckHound61 is a fag
Posted by MGillis from Yaletown on 07/03/08 at 07:05 PM ET
I think the captain will probably be either Willie Mitchel or Kesler.
Posted by Dean on 07/03/08 at 07:18 PM ET
Mitchell is their best bet at a vocal, warrior status and has a couple years on Kes. Though either are the best - and only - bets.
Posted by Mike from NYC on 07/03/08 at 07:45 PM ET
PuckHound61 is a fag
Another Naslund Loser/Supporter
These kind of people are like the ones who get dumped by GF’s and harass them for years to come back, dont leave me, waaaaaa, I need you, waaaaa, what ever will I do waaaa, I cant go on waaaaa, life wont be the same without you waaaaaa 
So glad babies like yourself are upset, makes me happy.... thank GOD this team can move forward ONCE AND FOR ALL, which it should have attempted to do once the WCE was broken up....
Good job Gillis, keep up the good work and build this team properly!
Posted by PuckHound61 on 07/03/08 at 08:33 PM ET
RE: Next captain.
It’ll be Sundin, if he signs. But even then, he’ll always have a cloud because of his should-I-stay/should-I- go attitude for the game.
Mitchell before Kesler. Easily. But does it matter? Whoever wears the C will only be Luongo’s assistant.
Posted by espo35 from victoria on 07/03/08 at 09:10 PM ET
I think that the ‘sky is falling’ crowd is getting a little out of hand (not that it’s really happening here, but it sure seems like it is in the media).
First, we don’t know what the plan is, and we’re not likely to be told what it is. We don’t know if the original plan is unfolding or not, or whether the meme that Gillis is getting blackballed is true.
However, here’s what we do know.
1. Gillis said that they were going to go a different direction. By definition, this would require some current roster members going. Naslund wasn’t even offered a contract, which while surprising, may be as simple as Gillis not wanting to insult Naslund with a lowball offer. I’m not sure I would have been happy for Naslund to have been here at $4 million per.
2. Gillis apparently wants to bring in the hockey equivalent of moneyball. Whether or not this works is unknown, but the fact is that it _won’t_ result in otherwise obvious moves.
3. While the media is slamming Gillis for offering Sundin $10 million/2 years, it seems like no one has asked the obvious question. What other options were there? As far as offense goes, it seemed like it was Sundin and Hossa, at least for elite scorers. Gillis apparently is allowed to spend to the cap. There just isn’t a lot of options in the free agent market this year. I haven’t looked, but perhaps there aren’t a lot of options _next_ year either. The key is that spending $10 million on Sundin this year and next may not be a hobble on the Canucks cap situation at all. What happens if he doesn’t sign? The Canucks have a LOT of cap room if that’s the case, especially since they didn’t offer Naslund a contract.
2. Given they didn’t offer Naslund a contract, what is the plan for his offense? The fact is that teams do have 4 lines, so _someone_ will be taking his place...and that someone is not likely to score 0 goals, with 0 assists. His replacement could simply be one of Shannon or Raymond, or a non-obvious trade/free agent signing, say someone who could have the talent, doesn’t get a lot of ice time, thus doesn’t get a lot of goals/assists, but if placed into a scoring role on the 2nd or 1st line, could blossom.
3. Back to the media whining. After slamming Gillis for the huge contract, they then slam him for not having any ‘big’ name free agents to sign (usually Hossa is named). However, two points here. One, these big name free agents appear to be going for either long term contracts at high amounts, especially if they’re coming off good years. Just like signing Souray wasn’t a great idea last year, this would apply to a lot of other players. At least Sundin has been consistent, durable (although that could be luck), but key would be that his contract would be short-term. As for Hossa, it’s obvious now that he was only interested in playing for the Red Wings.
Anyways, if I were to guess what the plan is, it is to try to trade Bieksa for some scoring (and this easily could still happen during the season if it doesn’t happen before), sign some lesser known free agent forwards who are undervalued, give the prospect forwards a shot, and hope Sundin comes to play. If Sundin comes to play, the Canucks have a massive amount of cap space available.
Posted by Dean on 07/03/08 at 09:22 PM ET
Make that if Sundin does NOT come to play, they’ll have massive cap space available.
Posted by Dean on 07/03/08 at 09:30 PM ET
Dean - your points are good, but I’d argue this UFA selection had a decent number of midrange guys (Vrbata, Brunette, Stillman, Rolston, Holik, Hagman, Ryder) and Gillis could have targeted one or two. Regardless of Naslund coming or going, he could have used the Sundin money more wisely and filled more holes that, to your second #2 point, would have allowed proven commodities over prospects blossom with more ice time. Hansen or Shannon are the “missing pieces” that he spoke of the day he was hired? Hordichuk is? Who is?
The Naslund news today would have been lessened if we saw some direction he was taking dating all the way back to the draft. You’re right, we’ll never have any idea what really happened this week with the exception that we know the outcome: the team is worse right now (and as long as it is you’ll hear the sky is falling). Any number of things could change that by the time the puck drops in October but it’s a safe bet it’ll be hard to keep pace with the Flames, Oilers, Avs & Wild in an 82 game schedule with a team that he promised would be different then the dump-and-chase core we’ve seen for two years.
Posted by Mike from NYC on 07/03/08 at 10:01 PM ET
trade gillis and an apology to anaheim for nonis
Posted by me from here on 07/03/08 at 10:52 PM ET
I’m sure we’ll see a similar post when Luongo leaves Vancouver in a couple of years.
Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing Luongo in a Wings jersey. 
jus sayin…
If Gillis *is* getting black balled, he won’t be able to accomplish much of anything. I hope that isn’t the case.
Posted by Osrt on 07/03/08 at 11:19 PM ET
Ok… naslund is gone...WOOOHOOOO. overpaid in the last few years and a no energy or goal producing waste of ice time. Yes, he has talent.. look out in the big apple as he shines.. Most people would be fired or arrested for stealing the money he made as he floated around ice. without any on ice leadership. Linden could be 100 years old and be more effective as a leader..
Will this work.... NO.. we are trying to get a great who is in the last leg of this journey.. $20 million bananas being dished to Sundin for what.. 2 years of his last years… like he is going to build this team..... No it will be another wishing thinking year… Build young…
I give Gillis and Vigneault 2 years and they will be toast… and we will be looking at another geezer to sign…
This team needs to find heart and soul.. you cannot buy it for twenty million garbanzo beans.
Cheers,
Posted by oldtimecanuckfan from Mape Ridge on 07/04/08 at 12:27 AM ET
HARRRRRROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
need I say more..
Posted by tommy r from my house on 07/04/08 at 12:29 AM ET
bye bye nazzy you waste of oxygen....
I agree with oldtime fan.. DONT SIGN SUNDIN..
They were both great.. until Nazzy hated VCR and Sundin is done.. Time for a great to retire, not be 20 million to be another disapointment
Messier, Molginey, etc
Rodney
Posted by Rockin Rodney from Atlin, BC on 07/04/08 at 12:34 AM ET
We have NO first line. It’s too depressing, too embarrassing. Not funny at all. It feels like George Bush getting a second term.
Posted by nuffsaid from Vancouver on 07/04/08 at 12:35 AM ET
That’s not true. The Sedin’s + whoever are our first line, at least until there is at least two guys who are better.
You may argue that the Sedin’s aren’t first line material compared to others in the league, but on our team, they are.
Posted by Dean on 07/04/08 at 01:01 AM ET
“But on our team, they are”.
My point exactly.
Posted by nuffsaid from Vancouver on 07/04/08 at 02:16 AM ET
All I can say is that I am really glad I am no where near Vancouver these days. Our team at the moment is not even NCAA quality that would get beaten sense less by Boston College. Gillis = F**kin Idiot
Posted by Ratphoto from New Zealand on 07/04/08 at 03:49 AM ET
I Respect Nazzys Choice you can trash him for his production here but really he was still the most talented guy on the team the sedins have each other he had no one you expect 40 goals playing with 3rd and 4th line talent he was getting way less ice time less powerplay time and still got 25 goals.And to the luongo lovers if he is as good as you all think we had better dmen and forwards than new jersey but they made the playoffs why? Hmmmm Marty?
Posted by BillyBatts from Vancouver on 07/04/08 at 06:12 AM ET
Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing Luongo in a Wings jersey
I knew someone would say that eventually.
That move wouldnt surprise me one bit.
Posted by PuckHound61 on 07/04/08 at 10:35 AM ET
My brother put up a wild but entirely plausible theory… Could Gillis be mortgaging this season in order for the John Tavares Sweepstakes next draft? With our luck, even if we did finish last with the most ping pong balls i think we’d still not end up getting the #1 pick.
Just a thought…
Posted by Howard Wong from Vancouver/Toronto on 07/04/08 at 10:47 AM ET
yeah Naslund’s gone but the Canucks are moving on, they’ve just traded for a young forward (Steve Bernier) with size AND offensive talent. as it turns out there was a backup plan and that was to sign a couple of RFA’s once everybody else had spent their money stupidly. Dave Nonis wouldn’t have done this, he repeated many times that his policy was not to “poach” talent from another organization. huh? isn’t the GM’s job to make his team better not to make friends with the other GM’s. the old boys network isn’t going to work anymore and the teams like Philly and Tampa that thought they were being so smart locking up their players with long term big money contracts are vulnerable, even a smart GM like Ken Holland in Detroit who left room to sign Zetterberg next year by signing Hossa to a 1 year deal forgot about Filppula ... whoops. Vancouver has the cap room and the picks to accommodate this. yes they offered Sundin a big contract but they also left room to resign core players like the Sedins,Ohlund and pickup a few complimentary pieces. besides that at the end of the year when most teams are looking for that one player for the stretch drive guess who’ll still have cap room?
Posted by Mike from Vancouver on 07/05/08 at 12:28 PM ET
Despite he strong and quite true arguments… PuckHound61 is still a fag.
Posted by MGillis on 07/06/08 at 03:10 AM ET
Canucks should trade Bieksa For Simone Gange
Posted by BillyBatts from Vancouver on 07/06/08 at 05:38 AM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
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I want to shake Mike Gillis’s hand for allowing Naslund to sign elsewhere… now the team can rebuild properly.
Naslund had 12 years and has been on a steady decline, it was about time he left.
Its a great day for true Canucks fans, not a sad one.
Posted by PuckHound61 on 07/03/08 at 04:15 PM ET