A couple of notes from the world of Professional Tryouts today.
If you missed it on Monday, it was announced that Kris Versteeg will not be playing in the Swiss League this year after all. Darren Dreger reported yesterday that the issue was with his insurance, dating back to issues with hip surgery that Versteeg had four years ago.
The Swiss club, Bern SC, offers up a conflicting story, saying that Versteeg didn't pass his medical.
Team version doesn't match players view or his representation. https://t.co/tUCKJ2aVMa
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) September 6, 2016
This article is a fun read through the house of mirrors that is Google Translate. It also mentions another Canucks-related tidbit that slipped by earlier this summer...
Remember when Vancouver acquired undersized centre Cory Conacher at the 2015 trade deadline in exchange for Dustin Jeffrey? Conacher finished out the year in Utica—part of the team that went to the Calder Cup Final, then went to Switzerland to play with Bern after becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Conacher led the team, which captured the NLA championship, in goals and points. He was also part of Canada's gold-medal-winning squad at the 2015 Spengler Cup. On July 13, Conacher returned to the NHL, signing a one-year, one-way contract for the league minimum of $575,000 with the team where he had his NHL success in 2012-13 with 24 points in 35 games, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It'll be interesting to see if he can crack the Lightning lineup after failing to replicate his early success after being traded to Ottawa, then moving on to Buffalo and the New York Islanders. With their shortage of scoring and depth at centre, should the Canucks have tried to find a way to give him more of a chance despite his 5'8" frame and the question marks that surround his defensive play?
One thing we do know—despite their interest in adding another left-winger to the roster, the Canucks are not in the market for his services.
Kris Versteeg getting calls from NHL teams about PTO, the #Canucks are not 1 of the teams that have called his agent.
— NEWS 1130 Sports (@NEWS1130Sports) September 6, 2016
Instead, it sounds like Vancouver is pursuing Finnish winger for a possible training camp tryout.
Been told the #Canucks are 1 of the teams that have offered Lauri Korpikoski a PTO. Korpikoski is playing in the world cup of hockey.
— NEWS 1130 Sports (@NEWS1130Sports) September 6, 2016
This is a bit curious. Firstly—the Edmonton Oilers bought out the last year of Korpikoski's contract this summer, which was worth $3 million in real cash and carried a cap hit of $2.5 million. The 30-year-old managed 10 goals and 22 points in 71 games with the Oilers, and he can skate, but he was seen as a weak link last year on a bad team.
The wrinkle here, compared to most other PTOs, is that Korpikoski is skating on the fourth line with Team Finland at the World Cup, so a PTO for him is not about being a veteran placeholder until the rest of the tournament's players are able to join training camp and preseason games.
Team Finland lines:
— NHL Rosters (@NHLRosters) September 5, 2016
Jokinen-Barkov-Laine
Granlund-Koivu-Donskoi
Teravainen-Filppula-Lehtera
Korpikoski-Haula-Komarov
Aho (extra)
Korpikoski's best year was back in 2010-11, when he scored 19 goals and 40 points with the then-Phoneix Coyotes. He would probably be reasonably inexpensive to sign, but would he really be an upgrade on the forwards that the Canucks currently have in their roster mix?