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Yesterday, July 1st, Vancouver waited. The city panicked as mediocre player after mediocre player signed. As Prust, Rome, Salo, Samualsson and Tootoo all found homes, Gillis quietly put together what was potentially the best deal of the day. And again this morning he made another smart signing. Ebbett and Garrison, signed for 5.2 million combined, and Vancouver still has money to spend.
Looking at the Garrison deal, it was a bit more than I wanted to spend on him at the start of the day. I went in wanting to land him for about 4.25 million. O by that standard the Canucks over paid a bit, in my opinion. But then when you look and see Salo and Rome received a combined cap hit of 5.25 million, it really puts the value in perspective that the Canucks got here.
Jason Garrison does everything that Rome does. He plays solid, stay-at-home D, hits, and blocks shots. He does everything that Sami Salo does to. He has a big shot, can play the PP, and log 20-24 minutes a game. So in that aspect he covers the loss of both players and does it for less. That to me is a good signing regardless of dollar or term.
Time will tell is Garrison is just a flash in the pan or whether Vancouver got a major steal on day one. Vancouver likes to get the D involved and if Garrison finds his way on the ice with the twins, I can see a twenty-goal season in his future. He has that type of potential. Garrison is also good in his own end and can play in all situations.
While Gillis is not yet done, Vancouver’s D got better today. And that is a good thing people even if it took all day.
Ebbett
I know people think I’m nuts, but I love the Andrew Ebbett signing. I felt he played well enough to earn a contract extension and I’m glad to see Gillis gave him one. This move really shows the league and the organization, that if you come in and play your role you will be rewarded.
I think Ebbett is a good little player, who can play anywhere in the lineup. He doesn’t hurt you defensively and if he stays healthy he can get you 15G/30-40PTS. I personally would have given him 650,000, but for Gillis to get this one done at 600,000 it is a good deal.
You can look on every roster in the league and you will find a player that Ebbett is better than, that is also making a whole lot more money. That makes this a good signing in my books.
Rumours- Brief Thoughts
-Nash to Vancouver
~ Depending on the price, I’d be ok with bringing Nash in.
-Luongo to Chicago, Toronto, Columbus, and Florida
~Interesting, there was no market yesterday and once Marty re-signed, now there market heats up. Guess gillis does know what he’s doing after all.
Player Still Out There
- Ryan Stoa- size, speed, skill
- Alex Semin- skill, lights out scoring when he’s on
- Kristian Huselius- best passer out there
- Colin White- vet D
- Hunter Bishop- love the name
- Boris Valabik- worth a shot in camp, he’s 6”8
That’s a wrap.
Ian
P.S.- If anyone knows Gillis, tell him to go get Ryan Stoa. He won't disappoint.
Five Hole For Food
Five Hole For Food is coming to a town near you this summer. For those of you that don't know, the concept was brought forward by some friends in Vancouver, who decided they would travel the country setting up street hockey games. The price to play in the game is a can of food or donation to the local food bank.
To date Five Hole for Food has raised over 70,000 pounds of food for food banks and is continuing the fight against hunger all over North America!
2012 Tour Dates
St. John’s – July 3rd
Halifax – July 5th
Charlottetown – July 6th
Saint John – July 7th
Montreal – July 9th
Ottawa – July 10th
Toronto – July 12th
Winnipeg – July 14th
Regina – July 15th
Calgary – July 17th
Edmonton – July 18th
Victoria – July 20th
Vancouver – July 21st
So get out and support this great cause this summer. For more information on Five Hole For Food
CLICK HERE
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