I'm most excited for this... FINALLY a compatible center for his skillset.
- DrChristianTroy

Booth is gone for the year including playoffs are the reports

I really doubt he will be bought out. He will be packaged or waived and then it is up to ever wants him.

I don't blame Nonis for not taking him. He has adequate goaltending right now and he also has a chance to give his old boss and his replacement the middle finger,and saying Payback is a female dog.If I was Toronto I wouldn't have taken Lu either.
- VANTEL

that doesnt solve anything.. you cant hide salary in the minors anymore

gillis is going to have to pay to get rid of him.. and every GM in the league knows it.. cept maybe feaster

Sedin/Sedin/Burrows
Higgins/Kesler/Hansen
Kassian/Roy/Raymond
Weise/Lapierre/Pinizzotto

The depth at center should finally make the Canucks very comfortable in engaging in power-vs-power matchups.

Stop coddling the Sedins ye of little faith: http://puckstorming.blogs...-unlucky-or-not-good.html
- ikn

With our existing roster I think this is one of more stronger lineups

Booth is gone for the year including playoffs are the reports
- VANTEL

He's worse than Salo.

cry?
- JIMI-JAMES

Dozzer!!!

that doesnt solve anything.. you cant hide salary in the minors anymore

gillis is going to have to pay to get rid of him.. and every GM in the league knows it.. cept maybe feaster
- Dozzer

It wasn't to hide his salary ,it was to see if anyone wants him for free. If he clears waivers then you have to call Lu back up and trade Schneider .

And Lu said even if Schneider is gone he doesn't want to be here

He's worse than Salo.
- DrChristianTroy

We need to wait until next year to decide what to do with Davy Crockett.

Awesome blog.

No nuts never was going to make a trade that is why he got the job.

I am surprised Florida wasn't more aggressive.
- TJTD

No nuts? k...
and why would florida take him? they have markstrom in the wings... they would have the exact same problem as you if they traded for him... a developing future starter that would be screwed because luongo is signed for the next decade... the team i thought would actually make a play would be tampa bay... their team is a lot closer to being able to compete if they had competent goaltending

No nuts? k...
and why would florida take him? they have markstrom in the wings... they would have the exact same problem as you if they traded for him... a developing future starter that would be screwed because luongo is signed for the next decade... the team i thought would actually make a play would be tampa bay... their team is a lot closer to being able to compete if they had competent goaltending
- DarcyTucker16

Lu and Vinny on the same team? Maybe they can get Hossa and Kovi also

With our existing roster I think this is one of more stronger lineups
- VANTEL

I agree thus why I think Vigneault should deploy them that way, at least if you lose, it illuminates what the issues are. I think if you take the Kings as the champions as a comparable you should be comfortable going head to head all over the ice in Sedin vs Kopitar, Kesler vs Richards, Roy vs Stoll

With our existing roster I think this is one of more stronger lineups
- VANTEL

Any line-up that doesn't support the Sedins with a stacked 2nd line = 1st round exit.

dude, we're not getting anyone for luongo. the canucks are in a lose-lose situation with his contract. we've accepted this. yes, it sucks and it was a brutal move by the GM coach tandem to put lou on the bench, but we're stuck with it and we'll have to put a pretty good incentive package together to move him at all.

we're ready to move on and start the playoffs with who we have. will it be a writeoff season? maybe.

or will this mess galvanize the team? let's watch the games and find out.
- hnic

Aaaawwww can't we keep this going as long as the Kessel trade went on for?

Luo's contract will always haunt the Canucks. Really, what options does Gillis have, except to either buy-out or waive him? No one wants his contract, no one wanted to give up roster players. He is definitely was not going to be given up to another team for a rental UFA. We are not going to pay Raymond 4 million next year, so we'll lose him and gain nothing in return when July hits.

Mr. Moneyball needs to watch that movie again, or get the hell out of town.

Unless Kassian gets considerable playing time, the Canucks really aren't that tough to play against. There's nothing I hate more than seeing opposition players manhandle the Sedins without any pushback. That has to change. Who feeds Kesler the puck? Mason Raymond? We've seen that experiment fail. Derek Roy? Okay, but then who's your third line center? There are holes on the roster that a Luongo deal could have helped with. That's not really debatable.

Hardly problem solved.
- Michael_Stuart

Who will feed Kesler?

Likely the same linemates he had when he scored 41 minus Sammuelsson.

Sedin/Sedin/Burrows
Higgins/Kesler/Hansen
Kassian/Roy/Raymond
Weise/Lapierre/Pinizzotto

The depth at center should finally make the Canucks very comfortable in engaging in power-vs-power matchups.

Stop coddling the Sedins ye of little faith: http://puckstorming.blogs...-unlucky-or-not-good.html
- ikn

Thanks for the link, that was a good read.

Here's the problem, its not Luongos contract. It's Cory Schneider's contract. 5.3 million for your starting goalie is fine, that's pretty standard. The Canucks had Lou in the #1 spot who would be capable of getting the team into the playoffs every year and giving them a chance to win. Then they decided that the back up goalie could do that too and signed Cory to a deal for too much money for a back up. Other teams see this and know Canucks have put themselves in a position where they are at a disadvantage having too much money tied up in goalies and as a result will not give up anything signifigant in a trade. Now had the Canucks first traded Luongo and then signed Scheider to his deal things would have been a hell of a lot easier for them.

Any line-up that doesn't support the Sedins with a stacked 2nd line = 1st round exit.
- DrChristianTroy

I think having two legit lines that can score behind them is just as good as one stacked 2nd line. I really hope Booth isn't done for the entire year, but it doesn't sound too good for him, but who knows because no one thought Malhotra would be thrown into the fire of a SCF either. Hopefully Kassian can establish a top 9 role with this team.

looks like bure is mending fences with the canucks.

if gillis can get bure's #10 retired, i'll forgive MG for all his crappy moves. haha, just kidding.

sorta.

Ian Esplen: Closing Thoughts and Gameday
Closing Thoughts and Gameday
- IanEsplen

Why give up a couple of 2nd rounders now for a horrible contract when he can be had for a 3rd in the summer.
Gillis is the only GM dumb enough to want that contract.

Please see the return for Iginla, and thats without a 9 year poopty contract.

Who will feed Kesler?

Likely the same linemates he had when he scored 41 minus Sammuelsson.
- IanEsplen

His wife

Any line-up that doesn't support the Sedins with a stacked 2nd line = 1st round exit.
- DrChristianTroy

Do you feel this team is good enough to go past first round?

finally listened to the song montage...those are bad

I think having two legit lines that can score behind them is just as good as one stacked 2nd line. I really hope Booth isn't done for the entire year, but it doesn't sound too good for him, but who knows because no one thought Malhotra would be thrown into the fire of a SCF either. Hopefully Kassian can establish a top 9 role with this team.
- Nucker101

If they played Manny in the playoffs that would mean MG was less than sincere about MM injury. He felt it was too much of a risk that Manny would do permanent damage. Gillis is always sincere about these matters

People are mostly laughing at the fact that Gilles thought he'd get a return for Luongo. Why would anyone trade any asset for Luongo when they know he HAS to be bought out this summer just so Vancouver can be cap compliant.
- coldsteelonice

Luongo said it best "My contract sucks"