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Vancouver Canucks: Lack, Sedin Discipline and What's On Your Mind |
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The Vancouver Canucks will practice today at Rogers Arena to prepare for Sunday's 5:00 matchup with the Dallas Stars. Vancouver will be looking to snap a three-game winless streak on the second game of its six-game homestand.
Both Jannik Hansen and Dale Weise are said to be close to returning. Though Hansen wasn't exactly tearing it up before his injury, his speed and versatility will be a positive addition up front. If he takes some contact in practice on Saturday, he could be ready to go against the Stars.
Friday was a day full of deadlines for me, so I didn't get a chance to check in on the comments until very late. Some interesting topics were bandied about, so let's use this space today for a "mailbag".
From 1970vintage:
Cue the Luongo trade rumours, Lack gets two year extension.
Eddie Lack was on track to become a Group VI free agent at the end of the season, so the signing keeps him in Canuck colours for another couple of years. Bob McKenzie has the numbers:
Lack has been solid in his four NHL starts so far and seems to have the right easy-going personality to handle the pressure that surrounds goalies in Vancouver.
As for Luongo—I'm surprised that no one has asked him yet about whether he sees himself staying in Vancouver long-term. With the upheaval in Florida this year, would he still want to join that team for his family and lifestyle reasons, or has he come to see a silver lining in staying with the (sometimes) competitive Canucks?
From Fosco:
@ Carol,
Obviously all rumours should be taken with a grain of salt, but Bob McKenzie mentioned the other day that Goc was one of the five Panthers roster players who they consider untouchable.
Along with Huberdeau, Barkov, Bjugstad, and Gudbranson. So at the very least he would take a considerable overpayment.
Thanks for this. I hadn't heard Bob's comments—was following up on Botchford's suggestions from earlier in the week.
Goc-watch does have a fun ring to it. Playing on the first line, Goc has five goals already this season which puts him on pace to shatter his previous career high of 12. He also got in the first fight of his career a couple of weeks ago against Washington, so I guess you could say he's having a breakout season.
You won't hear any complaints from me if Tallon refuses to move him. If the Canucks are going to make a move up front, they need an impact forward with a nose for the net.
From LeftCoaster, on Luongo:
Buying him out is a non-starter with the Aquilini group, right or wrong, proceed under the assumption that it's not going to happen.....EVER!
I think this is true as well. If that's the route they planned to take, it would have happened last summer.
From Scooby-Doo:
I watched Booth every time he was on the ice, he can't skate at an NHL level. It's not even close, the guy is slower than Alberts.
My beef with Booth on Thursday was his puck battles. Some of them were long, but for a guy who's supposed to be so strong and fit, it was always the guy in white and teal who came out of the corner with the puck on his stick. Booth showed some speed to get open for a chance early in the game but missed the net. I didn't think he was behind the play but will watch for that on Sunday.
From Nucker101, on the Sedins' predisposal to taking lazy penalties:
Here's their numbers for penalties taken per 60 minutes played at even strength:
2013/2014
Henrik: 1.2
Daniel: 1.0
2012/2013:
Henrik: 0.9
Daniel: 0.4
2011/2012:
Henrik: 1.1
Daniel: 0.8
A little higher then in recent years, but not a huge difference(Daniel's 0.4 in 2012/2013 was lower than his other years). Again, the extra 2-3 minutes they're playing every night is a big part of it, you're bound to get more penalties when playing more. I'm guessing Torts is also trying to get them to play just as hard at both ends of the ice and they're still adjusting their defensive game a bit, perhaps?
Thanks for this. Interesting. I tend to think of the hooking and holding penalties as being a part of the young Sedins' game, when their skating wasn't the best, but there has been a definite uptick this season.
That being said, Henrik's penalty on Thursday was his first in five games. It came at a terrible time but has not been part of a trend in the recent losses. It's something to keep an eye on as we go forward.
Quick Hits:
- Hot off the press on Saturday morning, the Leafs and Ducks make a deal:
As you might expect, Holland is a centre. The 2009 first-rounder was leading the Ducks' AHL farm team in scoring and will help plug the Leafs' hole down the middle. What an opportunity for him, getting vaulted from the minors to the top line.
If you squint, you could mistake him for "Bolland"—the names are similar enough!
- Now that my rage has subsided after Thursday's loss, let me mention the strong play of Ryan Stanton. He finished with one shot, two hits, a block and a takeaway in 12 minutes of ice time on Thursday. He's not flashy, but he was always in position and played a solid physical game—I was particularly impressed with how he used his body.
Deep teams like the Hawks and Ducks have untapped talent trapped on the farm who have been developing under some solid systems. If I was MG, I'd be watching the waiver-wire and player personnel moves of these teams very closely in an attempt to pluck away another gem at no cost.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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