If you were looking for the Calgary Flames to take a kick in the teeth after dismantling the Vancouver Canucks, they got a big one down in Anaheim last night.
We've seen this movie before. The Ducks got four points each from top-liners Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf on their way to a 6-1 shellacking of the Flames—who haven't won at the Honda Center since a playoff game in 2006.
For the second straight game, Jonas Hiller was pulled—this time, after allowing three goals in just over one period of play. Sparkplug Micheal Ferland didn't return from the dressing room after the first intermission following a couple of heavy hits in the opening frame, leading scorer Jiri Hudler was injured early the second and Johnny Hockey didn't play a second in the third, though he was on the bench.
Dark times for one of Canada's two remaining playoff contenders.
Even after their long layoff, the Ducks seemed to have no trouble dispatching the Flames. Calgary did get some good early chances that were stopped by Frederik Andersen, though. If one of those had converted to a goal, maybe things would have been different.
The Flames have survived after being written off many times this season. Remember how they were supposed to crash and burn after Mark Giordano was injured? I'm not ready to assume yet that this series is over. I also can't quite accept the fact that Bruce Boudreau has finally found a way to coach himself out of the second round. We shall see...
It certainly doesn't look good for the Canucks that a team that handled them physically was dominated so easily by the Ducks. Easy to conclude that Vancouver would have been duck soup if the team had reached the second round.
While I'm talking about the Canucks and Flames, a quick look at the poem our mayor was required to read in city council chambers this week after his lost bet with Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi.
It's pretty good, in all honesty, and delivered with gusto by Mayor Gregor. I'd be interested to hear the opinion of our resident poet, Roland.
Trading Vrbata?
I think I have whiplash from how quickly the tide in this town has turned against Radim Vrbata. The Canucks' 2014-15 MVP, all-star representative, leading goal scorer and most exciting player is now being treated as the team's best possible trade chip if the Canucks are truly committed to getting younger up front.
Vrbata's heading into the final year of a two-year deal that pays him $5 million a season and scored more than 30 goals for just the second time in his career, so perhaps his trade value has never been higher.
The juice for the rumour seems to have come from this comment from Willie Desjardins, about why he didn't put Vrbata back with the twins after Alex Burrows was injured:
WD on why Hansen vs Vrbata in the CGY series "Some things in the room stay in the room... but we thought the speed would help"
Vrbata's a guy who's had some highs and lows in his career. Is it conceivable that there's an issue in the room with him, when the Sedins are talking about what a tight group they are from top to bottom?
The good news: nine teams were interested in Vrbata when the Canucks signed him last season, according to this article from the Vancouver Sun's Elliott Pap. So there could be some takers. The bad news, from the same article, is Vrbata's limited no-trade clause.
BUT—Vrbata chose Vancouver with the understanding that he'd play with the Sedins. If that's not going to happen next year, does it increase his interest in moving on?
Jason Botchford speculates on the possible return for Vrbata in this piece in The Province.
The closest (comparable) may be Jason Pominville, whom the Minnesota Wild acquired from Buffalo at the 2013 trade deadline.
Minnesota gave up a first-round pick, a second, a prospect and a backup goalie to get a fourth and the then-30-year-old Pominville, who had 10 goals in 37 games.
Pominville agreed to waive a no-movement clause and, at the time of the trade, was signed for one more year with a $5.3-million cap hit.
That’s close to the position Vrbata is in now — minus any clauses that could be an impediment to a trade, plus three years in age.
I'd argue that teams are much more willing to give up a package of assets like that at the trade deadline than they are in the summer, no matter how shallow the free agent pool will be this year. I also find it amusing that in one breath, Botchford suggests Pittsburgh as a trade target and in the next, he's asking for a first-rounder. That ship sailed for the Penguins when they acquired David Perron.
Pittsburgh's also extremely tight to the cap, with eight forwards already signed at cap hits of $2 million or more going into next season. If Pascal Dupuis stays on long-term IR it would give them a little bit of room to maneuver, but the Penguins would almost certainly need to shuffle the deck a bit with real players.
Other than the idea of removing 13 percent of Vancouver's goals from the roster, I can see why the Vrbata trade idea is intriguing. He was brought in to be a short-term stop-gap player during the (non) rebuild. Could Jim Benning flip him into a long-term asset?
Canucks Sign Joseph LaBate
One other quick note before I sign off today. The Canucks announced on Thursday that they have signed 22-year-old forward Joseph LaBate to an entry-level contract.
LaBate is a big boy at 6'4" and 210 pounds. He was drafted in the fourth round in 2011 and has spent the last four years at the University of Wisconsin, where he was second in scoring for the Badgers this season with 18 points in 35 games—and led his team in power-play goals.
For now, another prospect to add to the cupboard. We'll learn a bit more about him when the summer prospect development camp rolls around.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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