As the Olympians return to North America, the NHL trade freeze has lifted and it's back to business.
The first 12 hours have seen some buzz, but no real action. The Marty St. Louis rumour is picking up steam—though I'd think any bad feelings from being left off the Olympic roster are probably washed away by that gold medal that was hanging around his neck yesterday.
Who could be mad after a hug like this from Roberto Luongo?
Tampa Bay has a good team that could make some noise in the playoffs, especially once Steven Stamkos returns. I think he'd be smart to stay right where he is.
TSN has a "Big Board" of players who could be on the move, which they say they'll update as the days count down.
Click here to take a look.
No Canucks, and mostly the usual suspects. The name that's interesting to me, and that I haven't heard discussed much, is Chris Stewart of St. Louis. That guy plays like a beast every time the Blues face Vancouver, though I'm surprised to see that he's now several years removed from his career-best offensive numbers. Stewart had 28 goals and 64 points for Colorado back in 2009-10, but is on pace for just 36 points this year, a drop-off from the lockout season. He has one more year left on a deal that averages $4.15 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
At 26, Stewart has the potential to be a dominating power forward and should be entering the prime of his career, but seems to be headed in the opposite direction on a very good St. Louis team. Could a change of scenery help him to live up to his potential?
I'll be watching him closely as the Canucks take on the Blues on Wednesday night.
Gillis' State of the Union:
Mike Gillis was on TEAM1040 this morning, sounding more relaxed than he has in awhile. He remains noncommittal about making a big deal:
He did say that the team is looking for a player to help Ryan Kesler—in other words, a top six forward. Not exactly new information:
Would Stewart be the kind of banger that could contribute on Kesler's wing, or is he just a slightly older Zack Kassian?
Also—is Kesler going to be able to play? Gillis acknowledged that Kesler was "banged up" in the last two games in Sochi, but there's plenty of speculation that his hand is broken. I guess they're waiting till they can properly assess him. Kesler, of course, will do his best to try to play through anything.
The Canucks will practice at 11 a.m. today and tomorrow, so we should get another round of injury updates and start seeing the Olympians working their way back into the roster over the next couple of days. The team has its annual visit to Children's Hospital on the schedule this afternoon.
Gillis did acknowledge that Nicklas Jensen is playing well right now. “We’d like to leave him there (Utica) but our needs are important.” It might make sense to call him up this week and see how he performs *before* going out and making a deadline deal. Maybe the solution does lie on the farm?
Jensen was pointless in Utica's 2-1 loss to Albany on Sunday, but did manage one of the team's 16 shots in the game. Jeremy Welsh was the goal-scorer.
Gillis continues to sell the idea that the Canucks would be fine if not for their injuries:
Here's the link to Gillis' interview in its entirety:
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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