OK, you understand what's happening here, yes?
With less than a week until this year's trade deadline and just one actual deal to report (Minnesota acquired Jesse Winchester from Chicago from Brian Connelly on Wednesday), our trusty sports media is working itself into a frenzy, reporting rumours and speculation while continuing to warn that not much is likely to happen in the next seven days.
Yesterday's early buzz, for the east coast, was all about Martin St. Louis. By the time our game rolled around, Ryan Kesler was the
player du jour.
How does a report of a trade request, which apparently happened much earlier this season, come out from Louis Jean of TV-A in Montreal, the french-language arm of Rogers Sportsnet? This is where it all began:
Even Jean admits in a later tweet that it's unlikely that Kesler will get moved before next Wednesday.
That being said, the rumor gains some traction once we get input from the local scribes. Jason Botchford of
The Province is always keen to buy into a big story. He says
"Kiss Kesler Goodbye.". Over at the
Vancouver Sun, Brad Ziemer's a little more
cautious. Mike Gillis told reporters at Wednesday's game that the rumours are unfounded.
Ziemer also goes into a bit more detail than the Canucks have been willing to reveal about Kesler's hand injury, courtesy of Kesler's Team USA mate David Backes:
“I watched him and all the rehab he was doing and he was a warrior to keep playing through the injury he had,” Backes said before Wednesday night’s game. “Hopefully he is healed up and back in the lineup sooner rather than later.”
After the game last night, TEAM1040 said that Kesler was seen in the building with his hand in a cast. If that's true, I think it's safe to assume that he's more than "day-to-day," and would also make him even tougher to deal right now.
I think the biggest reason this rumour has come into play at this time is because Rogers needs to start establishing some "insider" characters to anchor their broadcasts when they take over next season. They can't let McKenzie, LeBrun and company from TSN control the plot of the trade deadline like they have in the past.
Not sure how many actual deals we'll see—anywhere in the league—by March 5, but expect to hear lots more hysterical speculation in the days to come.
Wednesday February 26: Vancouver Canucks 1 - St. Louis Blues 0
The drama has overshadowed the fact that the Canucks got an important win last night, shutting out one of the league's best and sweeping their season series with the St. Louis Blues.
Here are the highlights:
Without Kesler in the lineup, the team was noticeably thin down the middle—he leaves a lot of minutes to be shared around. Jordan Schroeder played 15 minutes, as did Brad Richardson, and Zac Dalpe managed eight, leaving Henrik Sedin to actually slot in just under 20 after spending the last few days flying to Sweden and back.
The biggest difference in the Canucks from earlier in the season was that they didn't sag in the third period. Instead of collapsing into a desperate defensive shell, it was Vancouver that was able to capitalize on a breakdown from a St. Louis fourth-line shift, where Tom Sestito sprung Jannik Hansen loose on a breakway that happened in the blink of an eye.
The Canucks outshot the Blues 7-3 in the third period—and 35-20 overall. They were able to withstand the dreaded six-on-five and drive the one-goal lead home to victory. It was almost like they were Team Canada or something!
Despite Vancouver's horrible record heading into the Olympic break, the energy at Rogers Arena was positive all game long, with the crowd humming and engaged. I suspect the good hockey vibes spread from coast to coast by our men's and women's teams has helped to reignite the interest of some casual fans. I still can't help but hope that the Canucks can put together a solid stretch run and give the city a dose of positive excitement to wrap up the season.
The win puts the Canucks back in eighth place in the Western Conference, for now. Both Dallas and Phoenix are just one point back, and each has three games in hand.
Vancouver's chances of making the playoffs increased by 6.6 percent last night, according to sportsclubstats.com. We're up to a lofty 30.5 percent likelihood of reaching the dance.
Friday's game against the Wild is huge. Minnesota is currently four points ahead of Vancouver, in seventh place.
NHL Revealed: Olympic Edition
For plenty of behind-the-scenes footage from the Olympics—with Ryan Kesler being one of the featured players in this docuseries—tune in at 8 p.m. tonight on CBC for a special two-hour edition of NHL Revealed.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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