Brock Boeser and Jake Virtanen make the cut with Canucks, Pouliot practices (carl neill)

carl neill

Brock Boeser and Jake Virtanen make the cut with Canucks, Pouliot practices

By Carol Schram

Oct 4, 2017 • 3:28 pm

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After a few last-minute surprises, the Vancouver Canucks submitted their 23-man roster to the NHL in time for Tuesday's deadline.

Highlights:

• the kids - Brock Boeser and Jake Virtanen are both on the opening-night roster

• D shakeup - Patrick Wiercioch was placed on waivers today after the team's acquisition of new defenseman Derrick Pouliot. The timing of the trade allowed the Canucks to designate Wiercioch as a non-roster player, so he wasn't counted as one of the team's 23 players. Ryan Biech does a good job of diving into the CBA to explain how this works:

• Darren Archibald was the last man released.

Brendan Gaunce and Cole Cassels start the season on injured reserve. Ryan White is also still here as he deals with his concussion symptoms. He doesn't have a contract—and I don't imagine he'll get one when he's healthy he enough to play. I believe, like Cassels, he automatically stays under the Canucks' care because he was injured while representing the team—in his case, in that first game of preseason back in Los Angeles.

According to CapFriendly, the Canucks open the season with 47 of their 50 available contracts used, and just over $74 million of their $75 million in cap space spent. There's a benefit for teams to be as close to the cap ceiling as possible on opening day in order to maximize future space on long-term injured reserve, so this is a good thing.

To make room for Archibald in Utica, the Comets released Brett McKenzie from his ATO agreement on Tuesday. He's now on his way back to North Bay to play an overage year in the OHL. McKenzie was drafted by the Canucks in the seventh round in 2016, so the team retains his rights for one more season. If he's not signed to a contract by June 1, 2018, he'll become a free agent.

Last spring, the Canucks elected not to sign defenseman Carl Neill, who had been a fifth-round pick in 2015. After hitting free agency, he elected to go back to school. He's playing CIS hockey at Concordia University in Montreal this season.

The Comets have roster issues of their own that they'll have to address before their regular season kicks off on Saturday. Suddenly, the farm team has too much depth!

The Comets made a couple of moves today, assigning defenseman Mackenze Stewart and goalie Michael Garteig back to Kalamazoo of the ECHL, but that doesn't help the logjam of veteran players. If Patrick Wiercioch clears waivers tomorrow morning, that'll be an eighth vet in the mix.

Back in Vancouver, here's how the lines shook down at practice today.

It's a good thing that there has been lots of talk about team's plan to get more out of its fourth line this year, otherwise I'd be in a rage over seeing Markus Granlund's name there.

I don't love seeing him out of the power-play mix, either.

I assume Granlund will still be working the penalty kill, at least. After all, that's where he scored his great shorthanded goal against the Oilers last weekend.

I am expecting that we'll see lots of fluidity in the lines this season—partly because Travis Green will be looking for chemistry and also because he says he'll try to get good matchups against opponents.

On the blue line:

Derrick Pouliot has given up his No. 51 in favour of Luca Sbisa's old No. 5. Probably not good news for Philip Holm, who wore 5 in preseason.

Newest #Canuck Derrick Pouliot getting first practice with his new team. - Wearing #5

A post shared by Shanel Pratap (@shanelpratap) on

The NHL regular season kicks off tonight with two four games—Matthews vs. Laine as the Leafs visit the Jets in the early Canadian matchup and...Ryan Reaves vs. his old team (?) as the Blues visit the Penguins to see another Stanley Cup banner raised in Pittsburgh. Late games are the Battle of Alberta and the Flyers at the Sharks.

I picked the Penguins for the three-peat in my list of Bold Predictions for Bleacher Report earlier this week. You might be particularly amused by the fifth prediction on my list.

And if you're going to the game on Saturday night, I've got the rundown of what's new in food and beverages - including happy hour deals - plus the new Adidas store and tweaks to game presentation, in my latest Westender column:

Mmmmm...bacon...🥓

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