Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Vancouver-Canucks

Luongo Will Waive NTC If Asked

by Paul on 04/24/12 at 02:43 PM ET
Comments (34)

Today the Vancouver Canucks met with the media and Luongo stated he would waive his no-trade contract if asked to.

Now the question becomes, who wants Luongo?

He just turned 33, his cap hit of $5,333,333 runs through the 2021-22 season (CapGeek).

added 3:45pm, Below, watch video as Luongo answers questions from the media…

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Roberto+Luongo,

Media To Meet With The Canucks But Coach Not Mentioned

by Paul on 04/23/12 at 06:32 PM ET
Comments (2)

Not sure if this is unusual or not, but the Vancouver Canucks just sent out a notice of media availability tomorrow for both GM Mike Gillis and the players.

No mention of Alain Vigneault.

added 6:39pm, via Mark Spector tweet,

If no Vigneault at Canucks avail tmw, he’s done. Coaches ALWAYS talk post season, unless they’ve been fired. We’re hoping not.

added 6:53pm, via Darren Dreger tweet,

Gillis says he will speak to media Tue and Vigneault will address media later in week. Scheduling issues. Gillis meets with owners next wk.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Vancouver’s Cup Run Ends Quickly

by Paul on 04/23/12 at 05:12 AM ET
Comments (7)

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

“Nobody envisioned this.”

Despite which club you thought might win this series, or whether you reckoned these Vancouver Canucks were made of stern enough stuff in Year 2 of their Presidents’ Trophy reign, head coach Alain Vigneault’s words summed up well what happened to the Western Conference champions in Round 1 this spring.

Lose to the Los Angeles Kings? Well, you could have seen that if you squinted a little bit. The Kings were an eighth seed, but from perhaps the best division in the league.

Maybe the Vancouver goaltending would go bad. Perhaps Daniel never returned, or Jonathan Quick just put up such a brick wall that he might win the series all by himself.

For the Canucks however, this was death by 1,000 cuts. Another season passes in Vancouver without a Stanley Cup. This time, without even a decent run at one.

continued

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Shocker! #1 Vancouver Goes Down To #8 Los Angeles

by Paul on 04/22/12 at 10:56 PM ET
Comments (15)

Jarret Stoll with the OT winner, Kings win 2-1 and win the series 4-1.

Western Conference Semi-Finals picture…

St. Lous Blues/Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes or Chicago Blackhawks/Nashville Predators (Nashville will have home ice if they face Chicago)

added 11:06pm, Added Stoll OT goal…

added 11:15pm, Game highlights are below…

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Too Much For Torres

by Paul on 04/21/12 at 09:33 PM ET
Comments (5)

from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

Now along comes Raffi Torres. His sentence: 25 games. And that’s not 2.5 games. There’s no decimal point there. It’s 25 games, a suspension which is stunning for both its severity and complete disproportionality.

“I think it’s probably a little confusing for the players,” Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault said on Saturday, the day before his team met the L.A. Kings in Game 5 of their Western Conference quarter-final.

Vigneault then went on to say that Torres’ hit on Marian Hossa was closer to a hockey play than Duncan Keith’s hit on Daniel Sedin, a hit which drew a five-game suspension and kept Sedin out of the Canucks’ lineup for a month, including the first three games of the playoffs….

Torres now gets the equivalent of a lethal injection, the gas chamber and the electric chair all rolled into one and if you’re confused about that sentence, get in line.

“It’s way too much,” said Jannik Hansen. “It’s definitely suspendable but it’s a hockey play.”

“I think most players think it’s a lot of games,” said Kevin Bieksa. “Twenty-five games, I don’t know. There’s been a lot of dirty things happen in the playoffs. Is that the worst thing we’ve seen? It’s not even close in my opinion.”

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LA Radio Guy Thinks He Is Interviewing Kesler…

by Paul on 04/21/12 at 05:16 PM ET
Comments (1)

but it is Bieksa. Listen to the interview, then click the link below the video.

More at The Legion of Blog at the Vancouver Province.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Kevin+Bieksa, Ryan+Kesler,

Would You Trade For Luongo?

by Paul on 04/19/12 at 02:00 PM ET
Comments (7)

from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,

... The only question now is can the Canucks trade Luongo, 33, and the 10 seasons left on his contract, with a salary-cap hit of $5.33-million (all currency U.S.) per year? The answer, surprisingly, is that it may not be impossible even though a new collective agreement is expected next season with the state of the salary cap and long-term contracts unknown.

A saving grace for Luongo’s contract is that, as pointed out in the Vancouver Province, there is an out clause eight years into the deal for his employer. Luongo will be in the third year of the deal this fall, so any team trading for him is taking on a six-year contract with a cap hit of $5.33-million instead of the monster deal in the books.

That is a much more manageable situation. Now the question is which team is desperate enough for goaltending to try it?

In Vancouver, the favourite is considered to be the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bolts general manager Steve Yzerman stuck with ancient Dwayne Roloson this season after getting unexpected dividends a year ago and took a kick in the slats for his trouble.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Roberto+Luongo,

Canucks Win, Will Play Another Day

by Paul on 04/19/12 at 12:59 AM ET
Comments (0)

Kevin Bieksa scored the game winner midway in the 2nd period and the Canucks would add an insurance goal to defeat the LA Kings 3-1.

Here is Bieksa’s goal.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

All The Pressure Is On Vancouver

by Paul on 04/18/12 at 10:38 AM ET
Comments (1)

from Chris Johnston of the CP at the Winnipeg Free Press,

This was not the type of history the Vancouver Canucks had in mind when the playoffs started.

Down to their final life on Wednesday, the back-to-back Presidents’ Trophy winners are in danger of becoming the first NHL team in more than seven decades to get swept out of the first round after leading the regular season in points.

While the Canucks are no doubt unaware of the exploits of the 1937-38 Boston Bruins, the fact the two teams could even be linked is a testament to the shocking reality of Vancouver’s situation heading into Game 4 against Los Angeles at Staples Center.

No one could have forecasted the possibility of their once-promising season ending so quickly.

“These are real pressure moments,” coach Alain Vigneault said this week. “They’re against the elite teams of the league that have been able to fight their way into the playoffs. We’re one of those teams and we’re faced with a very tough task.”

continued

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Daniel Sedin Practices With The Canucks

by Paul on 04/17/12 at 06:25 PM ET
Comments (0)

from TSN, 

Daniel Sedin took part in the Vancouver Canucks’ full practice Wednesday after missing 12 games with an apparent concussion.

Sedin skated on the team’s top line with brother Henrik and David Booth. He also took shifts with the team’s first unit power play with Henrik, Ryan Kesler, Dan Hamhuis and Alex Edler….

After practice, Sedin said he will wait to see how he feels on Wednesday before deciding if he’ll play. He added he’ll focus on the power play and take his chances 5-on-5 because he is in as poor shape as he’s been in the past 5-6 years.

a bit more on the Canucks…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Daniel+Sedin,

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