Tuesday February 7 - Vancouver Canucks at Nashville Predators - 5 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific
Vancouver Canucks: 53 GP, 23-23-6, 52 pts, sixth in Pacific Division
Nashville Predators: 52 GP, 25-19-8, 58 pts, third in Central Division
When the Vancouver Canucks beat the Nashville Predators 1-0 at Rogers Arena on January 17, the two points allowed the Canucks to leapfrog the Preds in the Western Conference standings, though both teams remained on the lower side of the playoff cutline.
Since that time, the two teams' fortunes have headed in opposite directions. Nashville has amassed a solid 5-2-1 record, including wins over Minnesota, Columbus and Edmonton (twice). The Predators now sit comfortably in the third seed in the Central, although they're just one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues, who fired Ken Hitchcock last week in a desperate effort to turn their season around.
Over the same three-week stretch, the Canucks have gone 2-4-0 and slipped back to 11th place in the Western Conference. They're now five points behind the Calgary Flames, who currently sit in the second wild-card spot, and could lose more ground with a loss tonight if Dallas earns one or two points in its game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After their flight to Nashville on Monday, the Canucks held an optional morning skate in Music City today.
As expected, Ben Hutton's confirmed to be returning to the lineup after missing a month of action with that hand injury. Jacob Markstrom also gets his first start since January 25.
To a man, the Canucks are dead clear on the fact that they need to be more successful on this current road trip than they've been away from Rogers Arena through the earlier part of the season. Vancouver has picked up just 15 of a possible 48 points on the road so far—a points percentage of .3125. It's a lot to ask, but I think the Canucks need to come home with at least eight of a possible 12 points from this trip if they want to stay in the postseason hunt and keep the spectre of possible trade-deadline deals at bay.
General manager Jim Benning is currently on a European scouting trip, but he wavered a bit from his previous declaration that he wouldn't ask players to waive their no-trade clauses when he spoke to
Ben Kuzma of
The Province on Monday.
“We’re going to see where we’re at,” Benning told Kuzma. “I’ll have individual conversations with those players and their agents, but we’re hoping we can stay in the (playoff) fight. But it’s a tough trip.”
Kuzma says the team's pro scouts will be getting together next week in Pittsburgh. By that point, the Canucks should have a clearer idea of whether or not they're positioned to be sellers this year.
As he told me last week, impending free agent Alex Burrows reiterated to Kuzma that he hasn't thought about waiving his no-trade clause, but he's not hanging onto any delusions about the lay of the land.
“I want to make the playoffs with this team, but things can change really quickly in this business. I’ve learned that. I think with the Canadian media, it (no-waive NTCs) was just to take you guys off his (Benning’s) back a bit to calm the storm down instead of being asked about it every day or every week.”
Burrows also mentioned to me last week that when he was a kid starting to play hockey, his dream—as a Montreal native—was to play for the Canadiens someday. What do you know? Kuzma reports that a scout from Montreal was at Rogers Arena for the Minnesota game last Saturday—to look at Burrows.
Montreal would be an awesome fit for Burrows. His hometown team, strong at all positions with world-class goaltending—and well-positioned right now at the top of their division, set to cruise into the playoffs without needing to break too much of a sweat.
I can see how even a lifelong Canuck who bleeds blue would be tempted to entertain that possibility if Vancouver does drop out of the playoff picture.
The Nashville Predators made a move that helps to set the asking price for this year's trade-deadline acquisitions when they re-acquired a former Predator, Vern Fiddler, from the New Jersey Devils last week. Like Burrows, Fiddler is an undrafted player who has logged more than 800 NHL games—the 36-year-old is now at 857 games with 260 points, while Burrows is 35, with 813 games and 380 career points.
Like Burrows, Fiddler is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, but he's on a one-year, $1.25 million contract that he signed last summer with New Jersey. Burrows is finishing off a four-year deal with a cap hit of $4.5 million per year.
Fiddler has one goal and two assists so far this season, and he fetched a fourth-round draft pick from the Preds, while Burrows is 7-9-16 this season and has that reputation as a clutch scorer thanks to his overtime "dragon-slayer" goal that pushed the Canucks past the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7 of the first round of the 2011 playoffs.
Could a Burrows deal bring back a second-round pick?
In addition to Fiddler playing his first game back in a Nashville uniform tonight, the Preds will show a few other changes in their lineup. Injured defensemen P.K. Subban and Roman Josi are both now back in action, while forward Mike Ribiero cleared waivers a few days ago and has now been assigned to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals. Forward Harry Zolnierczyk has been placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue, while Pontus Aberg has been recalled from Milwaukee.
Enjoy the game!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»