Wow—it took me all morning to read through yesterday's comments.
Lots of mixed opinions on whether the Canucks should be trying to trade up to draft Sam Reinhart first overall, or what they should hope to receive in return for Ryan Kesler.
Two things to keep in mind:
1. We have a new slogan on the
canucks.com website: "Change is Coming." I believe that was just introduced over the weekend, as Desjardins was getting locked down. It tells me that the team's not finished now that they've completely overhauled the front office. Player movement is imminent.
2. But...season-ticket holders were offered the opportunity to ask for a refund on July 11th if they didn't like the new direction of the team. Sure, we have a nice sense of optimism coming out of the management changes for the moment, but we also have a declared goal of making the playoffs next year. Yes, the team needs an injection of youth, but it will also need to have enough veterans to win a good number of games in the tough Western Conference.
From the P.R. perspective, I don't think a key piece like Ryan Kesler can be dealt for picks and prospects that won't be able to help the team next season. Also not sure how deeply they can cut into the roster for a chance to move up.
My expectation is that, much like we saw at the trade deadline, there will be a domino effect at the draft. Kesler remains the most valuable asset in play, so just as Mike Gillis held up the proceedings on deadline day by failing to make a deal, the Canucks could very well be the team that sets the action in motion on Friday.
I'll be liveblogging the draft for Bleacher Report over the weekend: the first round on Friday night, then Rounds 2, 3 and 4 on Saturday. I'm expecting fireworks.
Qualifying Offers for Tanev, Kassian
We might be seeing the first steps in the Canucks' housecleaning this morning, as qualifying offers are being issued. As expected, Zack Kassian and Chris Tanev have been qualified, so the Canucks are retaining their rights. So far, it sounds like Zac Dalpe and Jordan Schroeder have not received qualifying offers. That could change, or the Canucks could still negotiate to keep them at a lower salary, but it's very likely that both these players are on their way out.
One other minor-league note: the Utica Comets' 2013-14 leading scorer, Pascal Pelletier, has signed with the KHL:
Pelletier had 22 goals and 62 points for Utica last season and appeared in three games with the Canucks, but at 31, he's hardly in the "prospect" category anymore. Best of luck to Pascal in Zagreb, Croatia.
NHL Awards
I'm psyched for tonight. I love the NHL Awards. The cheesy spectacle has really found its niche since settling in Vegas, where I suspect the atmosphere contributes to some of the more off-the-cuff remarks from the players when they get beyond "I'd like to thank my teammates, my coaches, my family..."
This year's awards will mark the NHL hosting debut for George Stromboulopolous, which should give us a bit of an idea of what to expect from him when he starts his duties with Rogers next season.
NHL.com has also been kind enough to provide the program for tonight's festivities, including the order of the awards, presenters, and entertainment splashes. If you liked Kings' anthem singer Pia Toscano during the playoffs, she'll be there!
At the end of the regular season, Bleacher Report asked me to submit my top thee for the six major awards, so I dug up that list from April to see how I matched up against the final nominees. I went off the grid a bit in a couple of places but even with hindsight, I'm pretty comfortable with my choices.
In a nutshell, I don't understand how Drew Doughty isn't a nominee for the Norris, and I was reluctant to give defensive consideration to the Blackhawks, either for Jonathan Toews or Duncan Keith, when they weren't nearly as solid on the back end this season as they'd been in 2012-13.
Here's a look at my top three choices, in order, with the actual nominees in brackets alphabetically. We'll see how it all plays out tonight:
Hart Trophy (MVP): Sidney Crosby, Semyon Varlamov, Anze Kopitar (Crosby, Getzlaf, Giroux)
Vezina Trophy (top goalie): Tuukka Rask, Semyon Varlamov, Ben Bishop (Bishop, Rask, Varlamov)
Calder Trophy (rookie of the year): Nathan MacKinnon, Hampus Lindholm, Olli Maatta (Johnson, MacKinnon, Palat)
Norris Trophy (best defenseman): Drew Doughty, Zdeno Chara, Erik Karlsson (Chara, Keith, Weber)
Selke Trophy (defensive forward): Patrice Bergeron, Anze Kopitar, Ondrej Palat (Bergeron, Kopitar, Toews)
Adams Trophy (best coach): Patrick Roy, Jon Cooper, Mike Babcock (Babcock, Cooper, Roy)
They've moved up the start time of the show. The livestream of the red carpet starts at 2 p.m. Pacific on NHL.com, and the ceremony gets underway at 4:00.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»