The Ryan Kesler trade story morphed over the course of the day on Thursday, but it certainly hasn't gone away.
As people pointed out in the comments board, some of hockey's more credible voices have suggested that Kesler could, indeed, be in play. Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun is one of those voices, and he lays out the case for trading Kesler pretty clearly
here.
Kesler himself was at practice yesterday—which is great news on its own. It means his hand injury may not be so serious after all and he could be available to play tonight.
Kesler issued an emphatic denial about any trade request. Brad Ziemer's story
here contains most of the important quotes.
No, I never commented to anybody that I wanted out. My heart is with this team and making the playoffs.
I look at it this way. Trade rumours are basically the sports equivalent of celebrity gossip. One of the hosts of CTV's "The Social" talk show runs a gossip site called LaineyGossip.com, where she takes a slightly more intellectual approach than most of her peers. Lainey describes gossip as a "buffet," where we can pick and choose what we want to believe. Some of the buzz that comes out has truth behind it; some is utter garbage that makes its way into the lore.
Here's where I think we're at with Kesler:
- He had to issue that denial yesterday. He saw what happened with Roberto Luongo. It doesn't do anyone any good if he's known to be wanting out.
- I believe him, though. Watching him with his family on "NHL Revealed," talking about how his wife is Canadian and his son is half-Canadian, I think the roots from a decade in this organization have grown deep over time. I don't think he's in any rush to move.
- I can absolutely see how his name is in play. As Kesler put it himself (
from Botchford at
The Province):
This is probably coming from our seven-game losing streak (before Wednesday’s 1-0 win over St. Louis) and hearing reports everyone not named Sedin is on the trade block.
- He's an appealing prospect to other teams. He's still under 30, versatile, has two more years left on a deal at reasonable money and plays with the heart of a lion.
Are inquiries being made? I bet there are. And are those inquiries the reports that are trickling back to the media? Most likely.
Will Gillis make a deal? I guess that ultimately depends on what he's offered. As I said a few days ago, every player should have a price. If a bidding war ensues, maybe we will get to a stage where Kesler is dealt. In our current cap-crazy season, even with just three paycheques to go till the end of the year, it would take a lot to see Kesler move by next week.
I'll leave it to you in the comments to keep debating the merits of the various packages that are being bandied about. The question essentially comes down to this:
Here's expert Roberto Luongo's take on the situation:
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild - Friday February 28 - 7:00 pm - Sportsnet Pacific, Fox Sports North
Vancouver Canucks: 28-24-9 65 points 10th in Western Conference
Minnesota Wild: 32-2-17 71 points seventh in Western Conference
Meanwhile, the Canucks have an important game tonight if they hope to build on their one-in-a-row streak from Wednesday.
With a day off on Thursday, the Canucks' playoff chances diminished again as Dallas won, Minnesota won and Phoenix lost in overtime. That drops Vancouver back to 10th place, six points behind the Wild going into tonight's game.
According to sportsclubstats.com, the Canucks are now back to just a 25.4 percent chance of getting to the dance.
The Wild are on the second half of a back-to-back, having shut out the Oilers 3-0 on Thursday in Edmonton. Normally a team that collapses in the second half of the season, they're bucking the trend this year, with a 12-4-2 record so far in 2014.
The game will be Keith Ballard's first back in Vancouver since he was bought out by the team last summer. Ex-Canuck Matt Cooke will also make his first visit to Rogers Arena as a member of the Wild.
The Canucks are running a full morning skate today—a rarity, with even Torts participating. Both Kesler and Chris Tanev are on the ice, so that's good news.
Dan Murphy is speculating that Eddie Lack will start again after his shutout against St. Louis on Wednesday:
Heritage Classic Entertainment:
With two days to go before the Heritage Classic, the NHL has finally gotten around to announcing the musical guests.
Click here for all the details. Nothing says hockey like Tegan and Sara!
Snark aside, congrats to my pals from Odds, who will perform in the second intermission. They're huge hockey fans and have a long musical history with the Canucks, having played live at playoff games for the past four seasons.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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