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Canucks Trade Theories and Other Nonsense
by Alanah McGinley on 01/21/08 at 11:48 AM ET
Comments (5)
Ed Willes in today’s Province notes what he considers one of the more plausible trade-deadline possibilities for the Vancouver Canucks:
The Pittsburgh Penguins are thought to be making centre Erik Christensen available for a physical defenceman and Christensen fits the Canucks’ profile. He’s 24, has decent size and some skill. The injury to Sidney Crosby may effect his availability in the short term, but Christensen might be a fit in Vancouver.
A center would be good, but the guy has scored 6 goals in 38 games this season. Not exactly a solution for scoring woes, and solving those would still be the paramount trade objective for the team, no?
Furthermore, I’m always sort of at a loss for what defenseman the Canucks are supposed to consider excessive enough to their roster that they could trade away without a second thought. The team may have its fair share of good d-men, but they’re also all on a regular rotation through the injury ward. Prospects seem like a more likely trade possibility, albeit a distasteful one.
Regardless, someone like Christensen sounds like a far better possibility than this idiocy I read this morning, related to Philadelphia. A Forsberg floppa’ in the making:
Judging from Forsberg’s recent comments, he’ll want a contract that includes next season and perhaps another, taking him through the 2009-10 season. If that is the case, the aforementioned salary figures (between $2.6 million and $3.5 million) would likely count against the Flyers’ cap....
How in God’s name can numbers like this be thrown around about a guy that hasn’t played hockey in… how long? And in fact, hasn’t even been able to stand up in skates on his own till recently.
To buy him up as a ‘rental’ to finish up this season and take a chance on him makes sense—he’s talented enough to be worth the risk. But signing him to a multi-year deal under the current circumstances would be nutty. Philadelphia can have him.
As far as the Mats Sundin speculation, nothing much to add to what was already mentioned Saturday night. I like Sundin quite a lot really, but he’s 37 years old next month… I can’t conceive what logic there is in losing a ton of assets to rent a player that you aren’t going to necessarily want to (or be able to, regardless) sign at the end of the season.
Lastly, a stray bit of unrelated news that’s probably worth mentioning—more Vancouver time in court today. From Rick Westhead in the Toronto Star:
Tim Danson, who is representing Moore in a $38 million lawsuit against the Canucks and former Vancouver star Todd Bertuzzi, has asked a judge to order the NHL team to provide details of any surveillance done on Moore, according to court documents filed in Ontario Superior Court.
“Since August (2007) I’ve been attempting to obtain ... the full details of any and all surveillance on our clients and any and all information by private investigators retained by (Canucks parent company) Orca Bay,” Danson said in the court documents.
It’s unclear why the Canucks would hire an investigator to watch Moore, who lives with his parents in Thornhill.
Well, I’m not going to argue if it’s right or wrong, but I’d imagine it’s fairly standard practice to hire such an investigator when someone’s suing you for $38 million dollars…
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: erik+christensen, mats+sundin, peter+forsberg, steve+moore, trade+deadline, vancouver+canucks,
Comments
NOTE -- One more player’s name came up in relation to Vancouver on Saturday night, and I missed noting it in my original post. From Jeff Marek at CBC:
Pierre LeBrun mentioned a 22-year-old free agent playing for Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League and just tearing it up. His name is Fabian Brunnstrom and just about every team in the NHL is interested in his services and the teams pushing the hardest - and in the hunt - are the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Those are the clubs Brunnstrom has told his agent he’s be interested in signing with.
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 01/21/08 at 01:53 PM ET
A center would be good, but the guy has scored 6 goals in 38 games this season.
Watching him the past two years, I’m pretty sure that Christensen’s either another Naslund (late blooming sniper) or another Pat Faloon (a nobody with a really hard shot), so it’s something of a crapshoot. But make no mistake about his upside.
Posted by Steve from Pittsburgh on 01/21/08 at 02:03 PM ET
Moore makes it very hard to feel for him.
Let’s face it, he was wronged. He did the math and returning to the ice didn’t make sense. He probably would have only played a couple of NHL seasons at best as he was pretty marginal.
Stay out and go after the big payday. Having said that what Bertuzzi did was stoooooooooopid.
Posted by Ryan from BC on 01/21/08 at 02:33 PM ET
Steve -- Thanks for the comment on Christensen. I honestly don’t know him well, but what I do know, he does seem like a player with an upside. My comment wasn’t meant to disparage Christensen in any way, I was just referring to the cap-space issues the Canucks face, and the fact that it’s a guy who can score at this time in his career that should probably be a priority for the team.
If that’s Christensen, I wouldn’t complain for a minute. 
Ryan -- The whole history is maybe just a headache for Canucks fans at this point, in some ways. But all these years later, I can still remember that night with almost perfect clarity. It was such a horrible thing to see happen, both because of the injury to Moore, and because Bertuzzi was such a huge part of the success of the franchise in those days.
Clearly it was much worse for Moore (and even Bertuzzi) to endure, but as fans of the Canucks and of hockey in general, I think it was also a tough experience.
I’ll be glad when it’s all settled, however it may go.
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 01/21/08 at 09:38 PM 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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Whenever I see or hear Steve Moore’s name all I can think of is Todd Bertuzzi being a blubbering idiot at his press conference following the assualt, and huge dyke women showing their support and chanting “we love you Todd.”, and then the blubbering scene again. It’s all too much....Please stop it.
Posted by Scotty from North York on 01/21/08 at 12:45 PM ET