In case you missed it, the Vancouver Canucks' Daniel Sedin was part of the Pacific Division team that took the title in the NHL's Inaugural 3-on-3 All-Star Tournament.
Riding the wave of goodwill surrounding captain John Scott, Team Pacific won its first game 9-6 against Team Central, then beat Team Atlantic 1-0 in the final thanks to perfect goaltending from Jonathan Quick and John Gibson.
Scott scored two goals in the first game and was named the tournament's MVP. Daniel also scored twice:
In addition, Daniel logged an assist in the first game and set up Corey Perry for the only goal of the second game.
It was strange to see Daniel working so well with Perry and Gibson, instead of toiling against them, but that's the nature of the business at All-Star time.
Unsurprisingly, Daniel's strong play was basically overlooked by CBC's broadcast team. The John Scott story was compelling—and Scott was a real factor in the game with his two goals and his (real) hit on Patrick Kane that was followed up by a friendly near-fight. Scott deserved the MVP honours but Canucks fans can take some secret pride in the fact that our guy was one of the best guys—in a game that will be forgotten by the end of this week.
The only way the John Scott saga continues is if the Montreal Canadiens give him a call-up. If I was Marc Bergevin, I'd seriously consider it at this point—the guy has some juju on his side right now, and the Habs can use any help they can get!
Over the weekend, Ed Willes wrote
this column, imploring the Rest of Canada to re-think its hatred for the Canucks.
Though the Canucks are two points out of a playoff spot, Willes rightfully suggests that the team currently represents Canada's best hope to get into the postseason. He hopes the nation will finally see that this group no longer bears much resemblance to the crew from 2011.
Looking back, it’s easy to understand why the Canucks weren’t universally admired during their Cup run. We were blinded by Ryan Kesler’s 41 goals. We thought Max Lapierre was a rugged two-way centreman. We thought Mike Gillis was misunderstood. And we really thought the refs were out to get us.
But we see things more clearly now. We see there were aspects of that team which were off-putting. We also understand that business after Game 7 confirmed a lot of people’s worst suspicions about our city. We have to own that one. But we are contrite and we want to make amends.
That’s where you can help us, Canada. We need your support. We need your positive energy. Together, we can do this. Together, we can get a Canadian team in the playoffs.
Really, this time you’ll like us. Did I mention we have a Sutter?
I think it'll take more than a Sutter to turn the tide of public opinion. I'm also not quite ready to count out the Habs. I think the Canucks and their fans need to embrace the us-against-the-world attitude and not worry about what anybody else thinks.
The Canucks will reconvene for practice on Tuesday, preparing to push for that playoff spot against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Get ready for the return of Torts—he's expected back behind the bench after missing three games before the break with broken ribs after he got run over by Rene Bourque during an outdoor practice.
Now that we're into February, the countdown to the trade deadline begins in earnest.
At the
Vancouver Sun,
Brad Ziemer suggests that the team's success or failure at Rogers Arena this month will go a long way towards determining which moves Jim Benning makes at the deadline.
Ziemer goes all in on Brandon Prust, saying there's a "100 percent" chance that the rugged winger is history—and that he'll get the "Chris Higgins treatment" and be sent to Utica if Benning can't find a trade partner.
He's warm on the ideas of Vrbata and possibly Hamhuis also finding new homes, but reminds us that their no-trade clauses give both players a degree of control over where they might land.
Ziemer also suggests that the team "would certainly consider moving" Yannick Weber, Alex Burrows, Matt Bartkowski, Linden Vey and, of course, Higgins—and figures all but Burrows will have a hard time finding a spot in the lineup if the Canucks come out of the break with a healthy roster. Moving any of those players would be about creating roster and cap space more than about bringing back meaningful returns.
I think Vey and Emerson Etem will remain a thing, and that Bartkowski's more likely than Weber to stick around as a seventh defenceman—or a sixth, if Hamhuis does get moved. If Benning can find somebody to take Weber or Higgins, good on him!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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