Canucks Army has a summary of how the Vancouver Canucks' current prospects rank on ESPN's latest top 100 list. The original ESPN article is a premium piece, so you can click here to read Dimitri Filipovic's analysis.
In short, four players made the cut:
No. 19 - Bo Horvat - up from No. 28 in 2013 No. 26 - Jake Virtanen - new No. 31 - Hunter Shinkaruk - "dropped a few spots from 2013" No. 77 - Jared McCann - new
Filipovic is troubled by the fact that Virtanen is ranked lower than several players who went after him in this year's draft, such as Willie Nylander and Nikolaj Ehlers. Given that he's been sidelined for months after shoulder surgery, I wouldn't worry too much.
For both Virtanen and Shinkaruk, it's all about how well they do in the next phase of their development after missing extended periods of time.
Perry Pearn - Eye in the Sky
Monday's announcement of Perry Pearn's hiring came down just as I was about to publish yesterday's blog. Our intrepid newspaper reporters have come through with more details about Pearn's background and how he'll fit with the new Canucks regime.
In The Province, Ben Kuzma reports that, while Willie Desjardins and Pearn have never worked together, they've known each other since the 1980s, when Pearn was coaching at NAIT in Edmonton and Willie was at the University of Calgary.
Over in the Vancouver Sun, Brad Ziemer's piece includes a quote from Desjardins, touting the benefits of Pearn's current knowledge of NHL players. "He brings experience, No 1. He has been around for a while. He knows all the players in the league and I think that's really important."
Pearn will not be on the bench, but will watch games from up at press box level and share what he sees with the rest of the coaching staff. He will fill part of the void left by the departure of Darryl Williams, while Ben Cooper takes over the video part of Williams' job.
Beyond Pearn's physical location for games, the roles of the coaches are still not quite clear. "Desjardins said Pearn will help him coach the power play, while Gulutzan will take charge of the penalty-kill units," reports Ziemer, while Kuzma says "Pearn, 63, joins a coaching staff that already includes assistants Doug Lidster and Glen Gulutzan, who is being retained to work with the power play."
With contradictions like that in play, it sounds like we'll have to wait a little longer to see how the coaches' roles play out.
And yes, in case you missed it—Pearn spent one year as the head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers, in 1994-95. Of course.
Who Wore It Best?
As expected, Canucks.com gave the honours at No. 12 to the legendary Stan Smyl.
Things get a bit more interesting at No. 13, though we have only eight players to choose from. Here are your nominees:
Lars Lindgren: The Swedish defenseman joined the Canucks at age 26 in 1978-79 and played 335 games in Vancouver over six seasons. He had good size and mobility and was known for his passing—a reliable blueliner who was a key part of the run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1982.
Artem Chubarov: A second-round Canucks' draft pick in 1998, I always felt like Chubarov deserved a better opportunity in Vancouver. A big centre who was good on faceoffs and solid defensively, Chubarov didn't score often but when he did, he made them count. His first four NHL goals were all game-winners, though they came across three seasons from 1999-2000 to 2001-02.
His development was slowed by a shoulder injury that caused him to miss almost the entire 2000-01 season. He was used as a reliable bottom-six player as the Canucks crawled back to respectability during the early part of the decade.
Chubarov decided to remain in Russia after spending the 2004-05 lockout year playing for Dynamo Moscow. Chubarov's still just 34 years old, but has been out of hockey since 2010.
He played a total of 228 games for the Canucks over five seasons, recording 25 goals and 58 points.
Raffi Torres: Here's a polarizing option. Torres spent just one season in Vancouver, signed as a free agent going into 2010-11. He had 14 goals and 29 points in the regular season, then seven points in the playoffs, including the game-winner in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Though Torres' reckless reputation has been built primarily during his time with other teams, he was suspended during his time with the Canucks for an elbow to the head of Jordan Eberle. He escaped suspension during the first round of the playoffs despite laying a questionable hit on Chicago's Brent Seabrook.
Torres is an impact player, but in my mind the negative elements of his game outweigh the positives.
Other notable No. 13s: Mats Sundin, Mike Brown, Sergei Nemchinov
I think my vote goes to Lindgren, who realized his potential better than Chubarov.