First off, thanks for the great discussion in yesterday's comment section! Lots of good thoughts on Luongo's cap recapture penalties, the ethics of trying to trade Edler and what it would take to bring Evander Kane home to Vancouver.
If Kane is on the market, many teams will be interested, which would likely drive up his asking price. He does not have a no-trade clause, so it's unlikely the Canucks would have any sort of inside track. I'm still not sure Winnipeg can afford to give up on a 22-year-old with so much upside, but if it's happening, I hope Vancouver is in the discussions.
As for Luongo and the cap recapture penalty that could come if he's traded, I tend to agree that in five or six years, a $2 million cap penalty won't be the end of the world. By that point, the upper limit will be much higher, and most teams will be carrying cap baggage in one form or another. Vancouver has already managed to deal with bad contracts like Keith Ballard's; it'd simply be part of the cost of doing business.
As long as the Canucks can keep re-signing their top players at hometown-discount prices, they'd have cap space to spend on funding Luongo's retirement.
Pretty quiet news day today. Here's what I have for you:
Wednesday's Optional Skate
Seven Canucks took part in an optional skate on Wednesday, so the day's news coverage was limited to interviews with Yannick Weber and Zack Kassian.
Fans' cries to try Kassian with the Sedins are growing louder, but the media reports for the moment are focused primarily on Zack's first encounter with the Edmonton Oilers since he broke Sam Gagner's jaw in preseason.
Kassian told Ben Kuzma of The Province that he's up for whatever Edmonton might try to bring his way:
I'm not too worried about someone coming after me—I have no problems standing up for myself. I'm going to play the game hard. If they want some kind of revenge, the door is open. Go ahead.
It sounds like Kassian is taking the right attitude towards trying to get rid of his label from John Tortorella as a "project":
In the defensive zone, there have been a couple of mistakes, and you can’t have turnovers like that and any coach wouldn’t be happy with you. You’ve got to make the simple plays.
Dice and Ice
The Canucks did themselves proud at their 14th Annual Dice and Ice Benefit on Wednesday night. They went with the Ugly Christmas Sweater theme, with outstanding results:
Available online starting Friday. RT @Canucksforkids: Your @VanCanucks roster in ugly holiday sweaters. #DiceIce2013 pic.twitter.com/fgLksFoxrE
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) December 12, 2013The evening's musical entertainment was courtesy of Sarah McLachlan, who led the Canucks' rookies in a rousing rendition of "I Will Remember You." She seems to have faith in Zac Dalpe's skills—and Eddie Lack still can't stop smiling!
Quick Hits:
- No surprise here. Jay Feaster is out of the GM's job in Calgary. I think we all expected that Brian Burke would take the reins sooner rather than later. I wonder if there was a particular disagreement or impasse that sparked the move right before the holidays? Will Burke go against his usual philosophy of the "holiday trade freeze" to try to do one or more deals before Christmas? (FYI, I'm in the group that would just say no to picking up Mike Cammalleri.)
- I forgot to mention this during the last few games, but there the overcrowded press box seems to have become a thing of the past. All that interest from pro scouts has dried up for now—or else the holiday vacations start early?
Back to game action on Friday, against Edmonton. I'll have a full preview for you tomorrow.
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