Canucks.com has posted another "insider" video today, inviting us into the inner sanctum as the details of the Ryan Kesler trade were being finalized. The video shows us how all the draft-day puzzle pieces fit together and how Jim Benning's secondary deals were dependent on the haul received from Anaheim for Kesler.



It's interesting to note that Benning says coach Desjardins really wanted Nick Bonino included in the deal. He sees him as a puck-distributing center who makes others around him better. He also seems to think, at 24, that Luca Sbisa still has plenty of untapped upside on the blue line.

In the end, Benning did acquire that 85th pick that he's so concerned about in the video. That's the one he flipped to the New York Rangers in exchange for Derek Dorsett.

I wonder if the teaser clips we're seeing this week will eventually evolve into a full-length reality show? Maybe something similar to last year's "Behind the B" in Boston?

David Booth, Jeremy Welsh Move On

David Booth's signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs came just a few minutes after I published yesterday's Leaf-centered blog, so it has already been well-covered in the comments. I have to admit, I'm surprised that Booth got picked up—I didn't think he'd have much interest in playing for a small contract when he has so many other interests outside hockey.

At $1.1 million, he's relatively low-risk for the Leafs. I look forward to his interactions with the Toronto media as they mull over Tweets like this one:

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I'm made for another world

— David Booth (@D_Booth7) July 18, 2014

Mason Raymond mapped out a nice career path last year, signing with Toronto for $1 million before moving on to a three-year, $9.45 million deal in Calgary this summer—more than he ever made with the Canucks. I imagine both Booth and Mike Santorelli will be striving to follow the same trajectory with the Leafs this season.

The Canucks also lost another fringe player from 2013-14 on Tuesday. Jeremy Welsh was signed by the St. Louis Blues. After being acquired from Carolina with Zac Dalpe to start the 2013-14 season, Welsh played just 19 games for the Canucks and recorded a single goal—his only one in the NHL so far.



Welsh has taken a step backwards from last year's one-way, $1 million contract. He's signed a two-way deal with St. Louis that will pay him the league minimum of $550,000 at the NHL level and just $100,000 if he plays in the minors.

Canucks Re-Sign Darren Archibald and Brandon DeFazio

Many ex-Canucks have moved on to new addresses over the past couple of weeks, but the team has re-upped with farmhands Darren Archibald and Brandon DeFazio. On Tuesday, both were signed to new deals, though details have not been released.

I thought Archibald showed promise during his call-ups with the Canucks last season. He played 16 games for Vancouver, recording a goal and two assists. His claim to fame last season was this hit that he laid out while playing for Utica:



Brandon DeFazio spent the entire season with the Comets, where he scored 17 goals and posted 106 penalty minutes in 76 games. He's 25: a 6'1" left winger who came up through college hockey and has been a career minor-leaguer.

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