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Gameday, Lu to Isles? and Iggy

March 28, 2013, 2:38 PM ET [590 Comments]
Ian Esplen
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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Canucks/Avs Gameday


Last night was one of the few times I have got to watch that Canucks opponent live beforehand. What I saw out of Colorado wasn't pretty, which is why I don't expect whole lot out of them tonight.

The Avs were pretty well beaten in every facet of the game and now they have to travel to a team that they haven't beat in who knows how long and face a goalie in Schneider who is on a roll. Yes, the "Suck for Seth" mentality is on full swing in that dressing room and I would say they are the odds on favourite to land the most balls in the lotto.

Vancouver on the other hand has put in a very disciplined effort and executed their new system to perfection over the last five. This will be the night that the Canucks offence breaks out and hangs a five or a six spot on the board.

The Canucks are far too talented not to score at some point and the Avalanche have been terrible at giving up chances and will be beat after playing until around 11:00p.m. in a fairly physical game where two of their tough guys had the lunch handed to them.

Prediction- 5-0 Canucks


Find great deals on Vancouver Canucks Tickets at FanXchange.com


Luongo to the Isles— book it


No sources on this one, but who needs those with all the obvious signs pointing in the Islanders direction.

- Isles are only two points out of the playoffs
- Isles are 28th in the NHL in goals against
- Isles have good, young NHL players that would fit Gillis asking price
- Isles have no Goalie right now and non in the wings that will ever be NHL starters
- The Isles I'm sure would love to dump DiPietro and have another team buy him out
- The Isles have the cap room to help the Canucks out.
- The Isles to get to the cap floor next year
- The Isle need another star whose name will sell tickets

Let's get Snow and Gillis together on this one and make it happen. The Isles fans deserve to have their team take a shot and the playoffs after years of not being relevant and John Taraves deserves to be on a team that wants to win instead of continually re-building.


To Vancouver- DiPietro (buyout at season end), Niederreiter, Bailey and Kichton
For
T NYI- Luongo and Ballard

The Islanders get the boost they need to make a run and make the playoffs as well as solve their revolving door that they have had in net for the past decade. Vancouver gets cap space and three of good prospects going forward.


Good-bye Iggy, Thank you


As a loyal Canucks fan, I have many memories of Jarome Iginla, but the one that still stands out in my mind is that night in Vancouver in 2008. The game was pretty well meaningless to Calgary other than the fact that Jarome was looking for his 50th goal. Calgary was heading to the playoffs and Vancouver was heading home, yet after the game Jarome made sure every Flames player shook Linden's hand.





All I can say in that regard is, Iginla, you're a class act.

As heated as the rivalry has been over the years, I doubt you'll find many Canucks fans with anything bad to say about Jarome.

Best of luck in Pittsburgh Iggy and hopefully we'll write another chapter in your rivalry with the Canucks in June.


What's your favourite Iginla moment?


I also have a friend looking to write a tribute type story on Jarome Iginla for the Calgary Journal. Email me at [email protected] if there is a personal Iginla story you would like to share and I'll put you in touch with him.


The Deadline Want List

With the deadline in less than a week away, I thought I’d start and update my list of 10 players that I target via trade. Every few days I will update the list accordingly.

1- Scott Hartnell
2- Boyd Gordon
3- Alex Ovechkin
4- Travis Hamonic
5- Casey Cizikas
6- Stephane Robidas
7- Andy McDonald
8- Jerred Smithson
9- Marcus Johansson
10- Nino Niederreiter


That's a wrap

Ian


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