From time to time I like to dream up trades involving the Canucks. Sometimes realistic, sometimes not. Today I’d like to take a crack at some realistic ones.

Firstly, a bit of background. Mike Gillis was on the Team 1040 last week and proclaimed that the Canucks were ‘open for business’ on the trade front and that he wanted to change the ‘change the balance’ of the team. By Mike Gillis standards, this is an earth shattering revelation. Some general managers call press conferences sans-tie, Mike Gillis is more subtle. Gillis will drop hints, and this was a hint.

Of course it should come as no surprise that Mike Gillis might be looking to bolster his lineup. This is a team that is poised to make another run for the cup, but it is not without flaws. Last year Gillis added Chris Higgins and Maxim Lapierre at the trade deadline, and both moves proved to be strokes of genius. They were brought in to provide depth on the fourth line and ended up both playing key roles on the 2nd and 3rd lines.

The Canucks’ needs this year are a little different. The recent injury to Sami Salo has highlighted once again how dependent they are on the fragile Finn. A defenceman who would step up into a top four role if needed would be welcomed, as it is becoming more and more clear that Keith Ballard is not fit for that role. The Canucks could also use some grit on their forward lines.

The Canucks don’t have a lot of players on their roster that they would like to deal that also have significant value, but Mason Raymond is one of them. With David Booth, Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen, the Canucks have a lot of guys that can do what Mason Raymond does. Because of that, I think Raymond is expendable (although I have been saying this for about three years with Raymond).

Of course, any player the Canucks acquire has to fit under the salary cap. The Canucks don’t have a lot of cap space, but you don’t need a lot of cap space if you acquire a player at the end of the year.

So who’s available? I’m not sure, but I can take some educated guesses. Lets take a look:

George Parros

Contract: One year left, $875,000

Doug MacLean from Sportsnet got the ball rolling today on the possibility of George Parros heading to Vancouver today on a Toronto radio station. Parros would give the Canucks something they haven’t had for a couple of seasons now, a heavyweight enforcer. The question with Parros would be, can he play well enough to stay in the lineup? That’s tough to say. Parros has seen limited minutes in every postseason with the Ducks, so he wouldn’t likely see many minutes on the Canucks as well. But if Parros could come cheap enough, he might be worth a look. Having a guy like Parros to throw in the lineup if you need to help turn the momentum of a series could come in handy, if only for a game or two in the playoffs.

Francois Beauchemin

Contract: One year left, $3.8 million

Francois Beauchemin is a name that I haven’t heard yet this season, but given the state of the Ducks (currently 14 points out of a playoff spot) and the pending free agent status of Beauchemin, he could become available. Beauchemin would be the perfect addition to the Canucks defense. He is used to playing big minutes (he is averaging 25 minutes of ice time a night this year) and is steady and gritty. Beauchemin also knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup, winning with Anaheim in 2007. Beauchemin likely wouldn’t come ridiculously cheap (even though he is a rental), but he would be worth it.

Travis Moen

Contract: One year left, $1.5 million

Travis Moen would be an upgrade to Dale Weise on the Canucks fourth line. He is 6’2″, 217 lbs, has cup winning experience (Anaheim, 2007) and can play hockey pretty well too. He has a respectable 15 points, -1 and averages 15:28 of ice time on a terrible Montreal Canadiens team. Montreal will surely become sellers at the trade deadline and a guy like Travis Moen is a luxury they can’t afford. Moen would provide size, character and leadership. He’s also a guy that can handle himself against Boston’s Shawn Thornton.

Hal Gill

Contract: One year left, $2.25 million

Another member of Montreal’s impending fire sale could be Hal Gill. The hulking 6’7″, 244 lbs defenceman is 36 years old and is slow as molasses. He has also proven himself to be a valuable defenceman come playoff time in the last few seasons. He wouldn’t need to play in a top 4 role in Vancouver, but could likely fill-in should the need arise. He doesn’t fit the Canucks mold per say, but he is an upgrade on Andrew Alberts.

Shane Doan

Contract: One year left, $4.55 million

Ok, I know the Coyotes probably don’t want to get rid of Shane Doan. He is their Trevor Linden. But what if they do? Trevor Linden was traded once upon a time. So was Ryan Smyth out of Edmonton. Doan is a big power forward that is probably best suited to a role on the second line. He has never played beyond the first round of the playoffs, but is likely hungrier than anyone in the league for playoff hockey. He loves life in Phoenix, but he’s also 35 years old. Sooner or later, he’s got to want a chance to win. Getting a guy like Shane Doan won’t be cheap, even though he is a rental. The Canucks would likely have to give up a guy like Mason Raymond, maybe more. As long as it’s not too much more, I would pull the trigger.

David Booth hasn’t exactly gotten off to the most roaring start with his new team since he was traded to the west coast on October 22nd. Booth started the year in Florida notching 1 assist in 7 games, while playing on the third line. Not great numbers, but those were expected to change in Vancouver where he would get a chance to play with better players in a more prominent role.

Booth has 2 goals and 5 assists in his first 12 games with the Canucks. Those numbers are average, but when we dig a little bit deeper, they’re less impressive. One of his goals was into an empty net. Of his 5 assists, three of them were of the phantom variety (ie. second assists where he had very little to do with the scoring play).

What’s worse with Booth is that he doesn’t appear to be much of a physical presence, despite his size (6’0″, 212 lbs). He also doesn’t appear to see the ice well. For the moment, Booth is back on the second line with Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins, but I think that’s more out of hope than merit. The ‘American Express’ line has a great nickname, but they haven’t shown a lot of promise together.

Booth is still early into his tenure with the Canucks, so there is a lot of time for him to gel with his teammates and improve his play, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned. If Booth, along with Keith Ballard, don’t improve considerably Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon will come off looking like a genius. In just over one calendar year, Tallon has offloaded two overpaid hockey players, as judged by their play this year and last. Both players have three years remaining on their contract, at over $4 million each.

It’s still early and Booth has a chance to turn it around, but I’m starting to lose hope that he’ll become the perfect fit on the Canucks second line. For the moment he appears destined to be a bigger version of Mason Raymond. I hope I’m wrong.

The Canucks have traded Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm to the Florida Panthers in exchange for David Booth, Steven Reinprecht and a third round draft pick. Amazing that these same two teams have come together on yet another trade. As you might recall, Florida and Vancouver have teamed up on the Bure-Jovanovski, Bertuzzi-Luongo, Grabner-Ballard trades among others.

This trade is interesting on a number of fronts. In getting rid of Samuelsson (34) and Sturm (33), the Canucks will get younger up front. Samuelsson had been facing a lot of criticism by media and fans last year and early this year. I’m in the minority in that I didn’t mind his overall play. I think he has a lot to give still, especially in the playoffs given his experience. I never understood why the Canucks decided to go after Marco Sturm this offseason, and after six uninspiring games, Mike Gillis now agrees.

The key to the deal for the Canucks is David Booth. Three years ago Booth looked destined to be a front line player for many years when he broke out with a 31 goal season at age 23. The following season he suffered a concussion on a vicious hit from Mike Richards and hasn’t been the same player since. Still, Booth was able to score 23 goals last year and played in all 82 games. Booth has good speed, grit and scoring ability. Sounds like he might be a good fit with Ryan Kesler, doesn’t he?

Steven Reinprecht is a key to the deal as well, but not in the way you might think. The cash strapped Panthers were paying Reinprecht $2.05 million to play in the AHL this season. The Canucks will likely do the same, so don’t run out to the Canucks Team Store just yet to get “Reinprecht” printed on the back of your jersey (unless it’s a Chicago Wolves jersey of course).

The Canucks will win this trade if David Booth plays up to his potential and becomes a fixture with Ryan Kesler on the second line. He has shown the ability to score 30+ goals in the NHL which is no small feat. Of course, this trade will blow up in Mike Gillis’ face if Booth struggles. Booth’s contract pays him $4.25 million for four more years.

This trade will also alleviate the logjam of wingers the Canucks had. With the impressive showing by Cody Hodgson early this season as well as impending return of Mason Raymond in a few months, the Canucks will simply have too many 2nd/3rd line wingers.

The Canucks lose Samuelsson’s valuable experience and I am  loathed to see him go, but I think the David Booth is worth the price.

Hello everybody. I’m back. It’s been a while since my last blog, and I’m sure you can understand why. The Canucks exciting and exhausting Stanley Cup run ended one month ago today. That was followed up quickly with the NHL draft, the NHL awards and the start of free agency. I was exhausted. I needed to re-charge. And no, the signing of Marco Sturm didn’t exactly give me the kick start I needed.

But I’ve recovered and I’m back for some fun summertime blogging. You know what’s great about summertime blogging? RUMOURS. Mike Gillis and the brass are pretty tight lipped, so there aren’t many juicy ones out there.

To start a good rumour, we have to address a team’s needs.

What do the Canucks need? The three most glaring areas are: an offensive defenceman to replace Christian Ehrhoff, a better second line winger to play with Ryan Kesler, and more grit/toughness.

Ok, those are the needs, lets start it off!

Mark Streit

Position: Defence

Age: 33

Contract: 2 more years left at $4.1 million per season

Last season stats: n/a

Why he’s a good fit: He’s an offensive defenceman who can play big minutes. He didn’t play at all last year due to injury, but his stats the previous three years are very impressive. He had 62, 56 and 49 points with the Canadiens and Islanders. He’s great on the power play, doing most of his offensive damage there. But he’s more than just a power play specialist. He averaged over 25 minutes of ice time in 2008-09 and 2009-10 on some terrible Islanders teams and was a combined +6. That’s downright astonishing.

What it would take to get him: So if Mark Streit is so good, why would the Islanders want to get rid of him? Perhaps because of his age (at 33 he’s getting old for a rebuilding team like the Islanders) or perhaps because of his injury troubles. But the best reason why he would be available is because Garth Snow is not a very good general manager! He wouldn’t come cheap, but perhaps he could be had for a combination of Keith Ballard and Mason Raymond? That’s a bit of a long shot, but certainly the Canucks could get him if they were willing to give up Cory Schneider or Cody Hodgson. I probably wouldn’t trade either youngster for him, but it’s at least worth a thought.

Dennis Wideman

Position: Defence

Age: 28

Contract: One more year left at $4.5 million per season

Last season stats: GP: 75, G: 10, A: 30, Pts: 40, -19, TOI/G: 23:59

Why he’s a good fit: He’s an offensive defenceman that could replace Christian Ehrhoff. He’s only two years removed from a 50 point season with the Bruins. He’s also low risk, seeing that he is only under contract for one more season.

What it would take to get him: Probably draft picks and/or young players. The Washington Capitals are currently over the salary cap and have a lot of defencemen. Wideman was brought in last season to fill-in for the injured Mike Green. Now that Green is healthy again, perhaps there’s less of a need for Wideman. The Caps currently have eight legitimate NHL defencemen signed.

Brenden Morrow

Position: Left Wing

Age: 32

Contract: Two more years at $4.1 million per season

Last season stats: GP: 82, G: 33, A: 23, Pts: 56, -3, TOI/G: 19:14

Why he’s a good fit: He’s got grit, toughness, determination, leadership, experience and a goal scoring touch. He also scores big goals. What more do you want for your second line alongside Ryan Kesler?

What it would take to get him: A lot. He is the captain of the Dallas Stars and has played his whole career there since being drafted by the Stars in 1997. With that said, with the departure of Brad Richards and not much else coming on the horizon, the Stars are in a rebuilding situation. If the Canucks could knock their socks off with some young talent, I think the Stars might be willing to give up Morrow. What about Cory Schneider and Mason Raymond (or insert someone else’s name here if Dallas is unwilling to acquire a player with a broken back!) and a first round pick for Morrow and Andrew Raycroft? I’d make that deal.

So that’s my best attempt at getting the rumour ball rolling. Keep on enjoying the summer everybody.

This Friday is one of the most exciting days of the year for hockey fans, July 1st, the start of free agent season! Only trade deadline day and the draft (especially this year with Jeff Carter and Mike Richards getting traded) can come close to matching the intrigue of July 1st. Last year Mike Gillis signed Dan Hamhuis, Manny Malhotra and Jeff Tambellini on the first day of free agency. The previous year Gillis re-signed Daniel and Henrik Sedin, just hours before July 1st.

This year probably won’t be as eventful for the Canucks. Kevin Bieksa signed a five year deal today, worth $4.6 million per season. Core players such as Christian Ehrhoff and Sami Salo are all still unsigned as of this moment. Depth players such as Andrew Alberts, Raffi Torres, Chris Higgins, Tanner Glass and Jeff Tambellini are also set to be unrestricted free agents on July 1st. Some are more likely to return than others, and it will be a balancing act for GM Mike Gillis. Ehrhoff, Salo, Torres and Higgins could go either way, and I think the rest will not be returning.

With all of that said, Gillis is likely to have a little bit of spending room (especially if they are able to unload Keith Ballard and his $4.2 million cap hit), and should be active on the free agent front. I believe that Gillis will be in the market to get tougher on the fourth line, get depth on defense (especially if he isn’t able to re-sign Christian Ehrhoff and Sami Salo), and improve scoring from the second line. The likely result on defense will be the return of at least two of Ehrhoff, Salo and Ballard.

With that in mind, here are the players that GM Mike Gillis should have on his free agent wish list:

Simon Gagne

Age: 31

2010-11 Salary: $5.25 million

2010-11 Statistics: GP: 63, G: 17, A: 23, Pts: 40

2010-11 Playoff Statistics: GP: 15, G: 5, A: 7, Pts: 12

The most talented free agent forward not named Brad Richards, one might think that Simon Gagne will probably get overpaid this offseason. But with his concussion history, maybe not. Gagne is not the player he once was, but he is still very effective, offensively and defensively. He would slide into the Canucks system seemlessly and would help out Ryan Kesler tremendously on the second line. He is a gold medal winner, and has been to a Stanley Cup final. Gagne likely won’t duplicate his career year from 2005-06 (47 goals and 79 points), but he could easily put up a 30 goal/60 point season (if healthy). But with Gagne, health is always the number one concern. If the Canucks decide to sign him, it’ll be a gamble. If Mike Gillis can convince him to sign a short term deal for $3 million, I think Gagne is worth the risk.

Erik Cole

Age: 32

2010-11 Salary: $2.9 million

2010-11 Statistics: GP: 82, G: 26, A: 26, Pts: 52

2010-11 Playoff Statistics: n/a

A gritty power forward with a scoring touch, Erik Cole could be a nice fit with on the Canucks second line. He has a Stanley Cup ring and has been a consistent 20-30 goal scorer. But he does not come without risk. Firstly, he has a long injury history. Secondly, his heart seems to be in Carolina. He played his entire career in Carolina, save for one disappointing year in Edmonton. But he might be worth the risk. If they can get him for $2.75 million on a 1-2 year deal, I say roll the dice.

Ville Leino

Age: 27

2010-11 Salary: $0.8 million

2010-11 Statistics: GP: 81, G: 19, A: 34, Pts: 53

2010-11 Playoff Statistics: GP: 11, G: 3, A: 2, Pts: 5

One of the Flyers playoff heroes from 2010 (21 points in 19 playoff games), Leino is a candidate to play with play a scoring role on the Canucks second line. He has proven that he can produce at a second line level, and more importantly he has proven that he can do it come playoff time. He’ll be in the market for a new contract worth probably in the neighbourhood of $2.5-3 million.

Chad LaRose

Age: 29

2010-11 Salary: $1.7 million

2010-11 Statistics: GP: 82, G: 16, A: 15, Pts: 31

2010-11 Playoff Statistics: n/a

Chad Larose would be a good fit for the Canucks third line. He’s a gritty player that will likely put up 15 goals while delivering bodychecks (he was 4th on the Hurricanes in hits) and killing penalties. If they can add Larose for about $1.75 million, it would be a good find.

Joel Ward

Age: 30

2010-11 Salary: $1.5 million

2010-11 Statistics: GP: 80, G: 10, A: 19, Pts: 29

2010-11 Playoff Statistics: GP: 12, G: 7, A: 6, Pts: 13

Joel Ward was an absolute force in this year’s playoffs, but whoever signs him this offseason should not expect that same player for 82 regular season games. Ward has size and a scoring touch, but he has never put up more than 35 points in a regular season. He would fit onto the Canucks 2nd or 3rd line and the hope would be that he would be able to elevate his game in the playoffs. Sign him for under $2 million and you’ve got a bargain.

Honourable Mentions

Maxime Talbot: A gritty player with a Stanley Cup ring, Talbot is loved by his teammates. He also finds a way to step up in big games. He scored both of the Penguins goals in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final in 2009. His regular season numbers are a little underwhelming, never putting up more than 26 points in a season. It is in the playoffs where he has made his reputation. He has 33 points in 66 playoff games.

Mike Grier: At age 36, his best days are clearly behind him, but Mike Grier would provide experience and physical play, likely in a fourth line role.

Ben Eager: He’s not exactly the most popular player among Canucks fans, but Eager would give the Canucks a lot of things they don’t have right now. He is a big bodychecker and a good fighter. He has championship experience and even a bit of a scoring touch. He scored 11 goals for the Blackhawks in 2008-09, and had 7 last season.

Michael Rupp: Another player with championship pedigree (notice a trend here?), Rupp would be a nice fit on the Canucks fourth line. At 6’5″ and 230 lbs he is a big man with the ability to pop in the odd goal. He had 9 goals last year and 11 the year before.

Earlier this week we took a look at the Canucks goaltenders and defencemen, deciding who is likely to return and who is likely to move on. Today, we look at the Canucks’ forwards.

Mike Gillis doesn’t have a lot of work to do with his forwards, but he does have options. His most important forwards are already under contract for next year, so it’ll be just a matter of tinkering with his depth forwards. Given the lack of production from his second line at even strength, he may want to find a better winger to play with Ryan Kesler.

Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows

They’re all part of the core of this team and all locked up long term. They’re not going anywhere.

Mikael Samuelsson

Samuelsson had no shortage of critics this season but I wasn’t one of them. He is a smart, versatile player with a good shot and can get on some nice scoring streaks at times. He was playing hurt for a while this year which hurt his production, but I think he can regain his old form. He’s also a Stanley Cup winner and has underrated grit. He stays.

Mason Raymond

The time for Mason Raymond to prove that he is a legitimate second line winger is almost upon us. He turns 26 before next season and in my mind the jury is out on him. He might have been a prime candidate to be trade bait this offseason, but given his current injury, he won’t be. The Canucks will hope that he can show more grit and more finish, especially if he is going to be playing alongside Ryan Kesler for long periods of time. He stays.

Manny Malhotra

He’s a leader, does a lot of the intangibles and assuming his eye recovers 100%, he will be back for another season. He stays.

Chris Higgins

Chris Higgins is an unrestricted free agent and had a very impressive playoffs. There’s probably not enough money for him here and he will sign elsewhere. He goes.

Maxim Lapierre

Lapierre probably exceeded everyone’s expectations in the playoffs this year and that should earn the restricted free agent a raise. He’s earned probably $1.3-1.5 million. The question is if the Canucks can afford to pay him and play him on the fourth line. The other question is if they need to make space for Cody Hodgson. I think Lapierre is trade bait. He goes.

Cody Hodgson

Cody Hodgson didn’t get a lot of playing time with the big club this season, but that may change next year. The organization’s top prospect is now 21 years old and needs to play. Is more AHL time in his future or do the Canucks play him out of position on their 2nd or 3rd line? In the end I think the Canucks play him on the wing. He stays.

Jannik Hansen

Hansen had a breakout year, and will return to the team, but at what price? He’s a restricted free agent and could get more than $1.5 million. They’ll find a way to do it though. He stays.

Raffi Torres

Torres signed a bargain basement $1 million deal last summer, and I don’t think he intends to be a bargain this time around. I think he brought an important element to the Canucks this year but I think he will sign elsewhere for more money. He goes.

Tanner Glass

I think Tanner Glass’ time with the Canucks is over. He seems to be well liked in the dressing room but he’s kind of a “tweener”. He can do a little of everything, but doesn’t do any one thing particularly well. I think they will replace him with a bigger, more physical player. He goes.

Jeff Tambellini

I thought Tambellini was a nice insurance policy this season, a speedy player that can fill-in at times, but I don’t think the Canucks will want to give him another chance given younger players like Cody Hodgson and Sergei Shirokov should be able to do that as well. He goes.

Victor Oreskovich

Oreskovich had a real nice finish to the season. His combination of size, speed and youth are perfect for the fourth line. He stays.

Due to the Canucks long playoff run, the team is in for a very short offseason. The NHL entry draft is in four days and free agency begins in only eleven days. Mike Gillis has some work to do, as all GMs do. Luckily for the Canucks, most of their core is locked up long term, but there are a few key players that will become restricted free agents. Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff, Sami Salo, Andrew Alberts, Raffi Torres, Chris Higgins, Tanner Glass and Jeff Tambellini are all unrestricted free agents on July 1st. Maxim Lapierre, Jannik Hansen, Victor Oreskovich and Alex Bolduc are all restricted free agents.

While who Mike Gillis decides to sign and not sign will affect the look of the 2011-12 Vancouver Canucks, he may also be in the market to make a trade or two. He might need to make a move to free up cap space, or to find the missing piece of the puzzle.

Today we will look at the Canucks’ goaltenders and defencemen. Later in the week I will look in depth at their forwards and before July 1st I will look into who the Canucks can go out and sign from elsewhere.

Lets start with the most polarizing figure on the team, Roberto Luongo:

Roberto Luongo

Despite his critics, he is still one of the premiere goaltenders in the NHL. There’s no doubting his skill, and he has done everything short of winning a Vezina and winning a Stanley Cup. But despite this, you can’t argue that he has had a strange propensity of getting into slumps at inopportune times. His play in game 4, 5, and 6 of the Chicago series left some room for concern. He gave up some bizzare goals against Nashville. And in the Stanley Cup finals he had four sub-par games. One could argue that he was outplayed in 3 of the 4 series. It seems strange to say, because when he was good, he was VERY good. But unfortunately the good does not erase the bad. Despite all of this, I believe Luongo is an excellent goalie that can win a Stanley Cup. And because he has a no trade clause, he won’t be going anywhere.

Cory Schneider

I believe in Roberto Luongo, but I also believe in Cory Schneider. Schneider is unproven of course, and it would remain to be seen if he could carry the mail as a number one netminder. In a perfect world, the Canucks would trade Luongo, clear cap space and go with the younger/cheaper Schneider. That would give them approximately $4 million more to play with. Because of Luongo’s no-trade clause, that would be a risky proposition, given that he could say no and then you have a rift in the relationship between your top goalie and management. They could also choose to trade Schneider and find a journeyman goalie to backup Luongo. While that could possibly fetch them a good second line winger to play with Ryan Kesler, but Mike Gillis will likely play it safe and keep both of his goalies for at least one more year. He stays.

Dan Hamhuis

No doubt here, he stays. He was their best offseason acquisition and is their best shutdown defenceman.

Kevin Bieksa

He is an unrestricted free agent and will surely get a raise on the $3.75 million he made last season. On the open market, he would command over $5 million for sure, but it seems like he might be willing to take less to stay in Vancouver. If the Canucks could convince him to sign for the same as Hamhuis ($4.5 million), it would be a steal. I think he stays.

Christian Ehrhoff

Like Bieksa, Ehrhoff is an unrestricted free agent. Like Bieksa, he will command over $5 million on the open market. He says that he might take less to play in Vancouver, but I don’t think he will as much as Bieksa. Ehrhoff is their most talented offensive defenceman and he is one of the most important players on their potent power play. The Canucks would be wise to re-sign him, but it might not fit in their salary structure. If he doesn’t stay, then a likely destination for him would be Detroit. Without Brian Rafalski, Ehrhoff would be a fine replacement. It’s probably 50/50, but I think he goes.

Alex Edler

He isn’t going anywhere, and if the Canucks are unable to re-sign Christian Ehrhoff, his role as an offensive force will likely expand.

Sami Salo

It will be very interesting to see what happens with Sami Salo. One of the longest serving current Canucks, Salo made $3.5 million last season. As you might be aware of, he is quite injury prone. He has also lost a step and is also 36 years old. I can’t imagine the Canucks locking him up for more than one year, and if they do, what will be the price? He played well after returning from injury, but I don’t think the Canucks can afford to pay him big money given his lack of reliability due to injuries. If he accepts a one year, $2 million deal, I think it would work. Otherwise, he leaves. I think Salo stays.

Aaron Rome

Rome has one more year left on his contract at a very affordable $750,000 cap hit. He is a favourite of Alain Vigneault, and we found out why after he was suspended in the Stanley Cup final. The team missed his reliability and grit. He is a dependable depth defenceman, and will be back next season.

Andrew Alberts

Alberts had a strong season and the Canucks would probably like to have him back, but I’m betting that he will want more playing time and will sign elsewhere.

Keith Ballard

The most intriguing decision that Mike Gillis will make this offseason will probably be with Keith Ballard. To say he had a disappointing season is putting it nicely. He has four more years left on a deal that pays him $4.2 million per season. That likely means that his contract is impossible to trade. Gillis can decide to keep him and hope he has a bounce-back season, or dump him in the minors in order to re-sign Christian Ehrhoff. The problem with dumping in the minors is that it likely won’t please Francesco Aquilini, who would be on the hook for paying Ballard $16.8 million dollars for a minor leaguer! My best guess is that he stays and has a bounce-back season, but it’s a toss-up.

Chris Tanev

Chris Tanev has all but locked up a spot on next year’s roster, given his strong play in the Stanley Cup Final. His calm, cool demeanor was great to see. Having a good, young, cheap defenceman is a nice thing to have in a salary cap system. He makes just $900,000 next year.

The biggest game the Canucks franchise has played since game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup finals did not disappoint on Tuesday night. It wasn’t easy, but the Canucks finally got their revenge over their arch rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks. It took good goaltending from Roberto Luongo, a smart defensive corps and a gritty effort by their forwards to edge the Blackhawks, 2-1 in overtime.

While the victory was a great team victory for the Canucks, in many ways game 7 was the Alex Burrows show. Burrows, who up until game 6 had many wondering if he simply didn’t have an extra gear for the speed of the Stanley Cup playoffs (due to his lack of production in the playoffs in his career), was all over the ice. He scored the first goal after a great power move by Ryan Kesler. He took a penalty shot in the 3rd period (which I think if he used his patented forehand-backhand deke, he would have scored). He was the one who gave the puck away at centre ice which lead to Jonathan Toews’ improbable game tying shorthanded goal. He was the one who took the ill-timed penalty in overtime. And of course he was the one that scored the clutch goal in overtime to send the Canucks to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Adjustments

Head coach Alain Vigneault kept his new look lines from game 6 in tact for game 7 and it paid off. The Kesler-Burows-Raymond unit was their best line. While the Sedins struggled with Mikael Samuelsson, the 3rd line (Lapierre-Higgins-Hansen) was a pleasant surprise. The fourth line was a rough and tumble line, and looked capable despite limited minutes. Of course, he also started the right goaltender in game 7: Roberto Luongo.

I noticed a different style of play from the Canucks in game 7. There was a clear direction from the coaching staff to not get too spread out through the neutral zone. Even early in the game, the Canucks were loathed to chase the Blackhawks when one of their defencemen brought the puck up the ice.

Home Ice Advantage

I was a little worried that the pressure of the home crowd might work against the Canucks in game 7 but clearly it didn’t. I was impressed with the constant noise from the home crowd. More importantly, I was impressed that the crowd didn’t sound nervous at all.

The Overtime Power Play

Thank goodness Roberto Luongo was able to stop Patrick Sharp while shorthanded in overtime because otherwise the Canucks would be left to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions. The Canucks played a great game in game 7, but their lack of finish almost allowed the Blackhawks to pull off the upset. Had Sharp scored, Alain Vigneault likely would have been fired and Roberto Luongo’s reputation as a big game choke artist would be solidified. The Sedins (no points in game 7) and Ryan Kesler (no goals in the playoffs) would also be called into question. Every aspect of this franchise would have been unglued, had one more shot gone wrong. But Luongo made the save, the team killed the penalty and Burrows made Chris Campoli pay for a poor clearing attempt and the rest is history.

Where was Gillis?

Were you wondering where Mike Gillis was during the overtime winning goal? Well, he was in the washroom!

History Books

Luckily the Canucks avoided being added to the list of teams to blow a 3-0 series lead, because that would have lived on forever. Instead, for the first time in team history, the Canucks won a game 7 in overtime at home. Of course, the only time they’ve won a game 7 overtime came in Calgary on a breakaway goal by Pavel Bure (kind of ironic that one of the lyrics to Kyprios’ song is “Burrows, looking like Bure”). As far as where this goal will sit compared to the other great goals in team history, well that will all depend on how far this team goes. Congratulations boys, the job is 25% done. And the job only gets tougher.

For the first time in the Canucks-Blackhawks Trilogy, we will have a game 7. And it will happen in the most improbable way. As you must know by now, the Canucks have squandered a 3-0 series lead and now face elimination on Tuesday night.

A few of my observations from last night’s game:

-I wasn’t a fan of the Cory Schneider start in net, but he played well… Apart from his two major puck handling blunders. In many ways, those two errors cost the Canucks the game.

-Despite losing 4-3 in game 6, the Canucks were the best team on the ice last night, but the best team doesn’t always win.

-Kevin Bieksa had the best game of his career last night. He logged over 36 minutes of ice time, had a clutch goal and was a plus 2. Every decision he made seemed to be the right one, and he wasn’t playing a conservative game by any means.

-Bieksa had to play big minutes in part because the Canucks lost Sami Salo to injury. It’s the playoffs so nobody is saying what is wrong, but I wouldn’t count on him playing in game 7. In true Sami Salo fashion, he injured himself simply skating up the ice.

-Maybe with Salo injured we will see Keith Ballard inserted back into the lineup. It makes absolutely no sense to me why he has been benched time after time. He’s clearly better than Andrew Alberts and Aaron Rome. Why this isn’t clear for Alain Vigneault is a mystery. To make matters worse, Alberts was a central figure on the winning goal, as his mobility was an issue dealing with Marian Hossa.

-Alex Burrows arrived last night. It was his best game of the series by far, as he picked up a goal and two assists.

-I thought the referees absolutely shafted the Canucks last night and Mike Gillis agrees. Somehow, with the Canucks carrying most of the play, they were given only two power plays. I’m all for letting the players play, but on two occasions there were ‘automatic’ penalties that were overlooked. The first came when Daniel Sedin was high sticked on an offside call, the second came when Henrik Sedin’s stick was slashed in half.

-Roberto Luongo is getting some heat for his play in game 6 and I think it’s unwarranted. Sure, he looked a little shaky coming in cold in the third period, but the bottom line is he only let in one goal and you can’t blame him for it. He needed to make an acrobatic save on a deflected shot. To expect great rebound control or to make the second save is asking a lot.

Lineup Changes

-Bryan Bickell is injured and will miss game 7. Tomas Kopecky appears ready to return from injury, he’s traveling with the team to Vancouver.

-Sami Salo will likely miss game 7 as well, perhaps he will be replaced by Keith Ballard.

-It will be interesting to see if Alain Vigneault decides to play Cody Hodgson in game 7. Personally I think he should play Maxim Lapierre on the 3rd line and re-insert Tanner Glass at 4th line centre. We probably won’t find out until game time.

-Of course the biggest lineup change is the starting goalie, Roberto Luongo.

Keys to Game 7

A quick start. It goes without saying that the first goal is important, but perhaps more important will be the second goal. If Chicago gets the first two goals, the pressure will mount.

Special teams. It remains to be seen how many penalties will be called in game 7, but the Canucks will need to be better on the penalty kill and power play. I would love for Alain Vigneault to put Alex Edler back onto the first unit power play in place of Mikael Samuelsson. I know he reads this blog, so that should be no problem…

Pressure. There will be lots to go around, especially for the home team, especially for Roberto Luongo. How he and the players in front of him deal with that pressure will absolutely be the biggest key to the game. They need to harness the energy from the home crowd and play smart with controlled aggression.

History

This will be the 10th game 7 in Canucks history, the first without Trevor Linden. They’re 5-4 in game 7s, 3-2 in game 7s at home. The Blackhawks will try to become just the fourth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-0.

This game is one of the most important games in franchise history and undoubtedly the most important game in franchise history that didn’t take place in 1994. It may well define the legacy of Alain Vigneault, Roberto Luongo and the Sedins. If they are unable to win this series, serious questions will be asked and Vancouver will have a very grim summer. On the other hand, if they win this series this propel this team to greatness.

Just when you thought the trade deadline was going to pass with Canucks general manager Mike Gillis doing nothing, he pulled off a pair of deals. The Canucks sent Evan Oberg and a 3rd round pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Chris Higgins. Gillis also acquired Maxim Lapierre and minor leaguer MacGregor Sharp (part of the all-name team) from the Anaheim Ducks for Joel Perreault and a 2013 3rd round pick.

Both of these deals caught me off-guard, as both of these players don’t seem to fit the Gillis mold for 4th line players. With that said, lets take a closer look at who these guys are:

Chris Higgins:

Age: 27

Position: Left Wing

Contract: Last year of a deal that pays him $1.6 million. He’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Stats this year: Higgins has had a very underwhelming season. He has 11 goals and 12 assists in 48 games.

Career year: His best came 3 years ago, during the 2007-08 season with the Montreal Canadiens. That season he scored 27 goals and 25 assists in 82 games.

Playoff Pedigree: He doesn’t have a lot of playoff experience, playing in 22 games with the Canadiens. He has a respectable 11 points in those 22 games.

What he will bring: At the moment, I’m unsure. At the moment he is injured with  broken thumb and should return in about two weeks. Once he returns, he’ll likely see time on the 4th line as a centre or on the wing (he has played centre before). It’s possible that he gets a chance to supplant Mason Raymond on the Canucks second line, but I doubt it.

Verdict: I’m afraid I don’t agree with this trade. I guess he presents a good insurance policy, but to give up a 3rd rounder for insurance? Seems a bit much. He just strikes me as a player doomed to be an underachiever. He doesn’t really play a 4th line type game, which is where they need the most help.

Maxim Lapierre

Age: 25

Position: Centre

Contract: Last year of a $900,000 contract. He is a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Stats this year: Splitting time between the Canadiens and Ducks, Lapierre has 11 points in 59 games.

Career year: He is not that far removed from his best season in 2008-09 with the Montreal Canadiens. That year he had 15 goals and 13 assists in 79 games.

Playoff Pedigree: He has 3 goals and 4 assists in 35 career playoff games, so he has some experience. He was on the Habs team that went to the Eastern Conference finals last season.

What he will bring: He will fill the void as the team’s fourth line centre and is an agitator. Canucks fans haven’t seen a sneer like his since Jarkko Ruutu left town.

Verdict: I love the fact that he’s a centre with some grit for the fourth line. The puzzling part is that he plays like Alex Burrows did a few years ago, he’s an agitator that takes bad penalties and dives. Gillis/Vigneault will have a hard time getting him to buy into not taking dumb penalties. Lapierre played for Alain Vigneault in junior, so that’s a good sign, they obviously know what they’re getting into. Overall I like this deal for this season and he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the season which means he’s not a rental player.