Darren Archibald fights for an NHL job as Vancouver Canucks host Calgary (canucks)

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Darren Archibald fights for an NHL job as Vancouver Canucks host Calgary

By Carol Schram

Sep 28, 2017 • 8:40 am

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Thursday September 28 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet, Sportsnet 650

It's game day! The Vancouver Canucks will hit the ice at Rogers Arena tonight with a lineup that is starting to come into focus after another round of cuts on Wednesday.

For me, the only surprise on this list was Jalen Chatfield. I thought he might get another look here in Vancouver, but the Comets do start their preseason on Friday with back-to-back games, so they need some bodies!

Chatfield said all the right things after receiving the news:

If he performs well in Utica, he could certainly get consideration as a call-up when injuries strike during the season.

For the moment, he's still behind a few other defensemen. I assume Olli Juolevi will be sent to Finland once preseason ends; I wonder if he'll get game action with a more responsible group of veterans before that happens.

I imagine Philip Holm is also still a bit of a question mark—and so is Patrick Wiercioch. Andrey Pedan and Alex Biega are known entities for Travis Green thanks to their time together in Utica.

Another player that Green knows well from the Comets is Darren Archibald—who's also still here.

Archibald's on an AHL contract, so it still seems unlikely that he'll stick around. But—he has looked good in the three games that he has played—he has just one assist, but has been a physical presence and served as a leader among the group of young Canucks that stayed back in Canada last week.

The 27-year-old was the Comets' MVP last season, hitting career highs and leading the team with 23 goals and 47 points despite the fact that his main role is supposed to be as an energy guy.

Jeff Paterson of TSN wrote about Archibald last week:

Coach Trent Cull was certainly aware of Archibald from his time coaching against him in Syracuse.

“I thought he played the game as advertised,… Cull told Paterson. “Just a heart and soul player who plays the game with some edge. I thought he brought what he normally brings. I like Arch and certainly at the American Hockey League level he’s a real impact player.…

Of course, the argument against Archibald sticking around is that AHL contract. If the Canucks want to keep him, they'll need to sign him to an NHL deal. According to CapFriendly, they already have 47 of their maximum 50 contracts on the books.

But then there's this:

If the Canucks were to choose to keep Scottie Upshall around as a gritty veteran, he'd need to be signed to a deal as well. At this stage, the argument could be made that 27-year-old Archibald, whose game is still improving, could be a better option than the soon-to-be 34-year-old, who has a lot of miles on his chassis through a pro career that stretches all the way back to 2002.

Are the Canucks behind schedule in cutting down their roster? Perhaps.

One thing that works in their favour—though they'll have to submit their opening-night roster next Tuesday just like all the other teams, they don't start the season till Saturday October 7—one of the last teams to do so, along with New Jersey.

Travis Green and his coaching staff will have plenty of time next week to experiment with line combinations and work on systems ahead of opening night. The Canucks also start the year with a four-game homestand, so that'll also allow for some solid practice time.

As for the Flames, it sounds like we'll see Mike Smith in net for the first time in Calgary colours tonight. Glen Gulutzan has whittled down his lineup and should ice a team that looks pretty similar to what he'll deploy on opening night.

The other big news of the day so far—Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson has requested a trade.

Anderson's a big power forward at 6'3" and 221 pounds who has been holding out after completing his entry-level contract last season with 17 goals, 29 points...and 89 penalty minutes. That was his first full season in the NHL so at 23, he has upside but is definitely still a work in progress.

I'm a little surprised that it's come to this in Columbus. I seem to recall coach John Tortorella singing his praises last year; he seems like a Torts-type player.

The question now—will something happen, or is Anderson's agent simply tightening the screws before his player capitulates and signs? Here's Elliotte Friedman with more:

If the difference in money is as small as Friedman says, I bet the deal gets done in Columbus before the end of the weekend.

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