NorthWest Sports Blog brings you daily features on Oregon, Washington State, and BC amateur and pro sports teams.
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Kevin “the Flying V” Vanstone tells us the Nucks have a bunch of question marks when it comes to Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider. Schneider failed to deliver the opening night performance general manager Mike Gillis was hoping for as he attempts to deal away Vancouver’s more expensive goaltender.
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Mitch Dyck reports today on the news that we’ve learned Canucks GM Mike Gillis and Alex Edler have reached an agreement and he has signed for 6 more years. Edler was in the last year of a deal that saw him making $3.75 million per season. His new deal is $30 million over six years, with an annual cap hit of $5million. Much less than what he could have gotten on the open market.
The NWSB staff weighs in with their 2013 Vancouver Canucks season player and team predictions. Next up is blogger Kevin Vanstone. The Nucks are very similar to the team we witnessed fall to the LA Kings last April. While the lockout has changed the landscape of the 2013 season significantly, the core personnel in Vancouver remain the same. Kev says Henrik Sedin will edge out his brother Daniel Sedin for the clubs top goal scorer again.
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Mitch Dyck reports today on the news that we’ve learned Canucks winger David Booth will be out 4-6 weeks with a groin strain suffered at 2013 training camp. Coach Alain Vigneault also stated the injury wasn’t due to lack of training, but rather over training on Booth’s part. Now, either Mike Gillis rushes and makes a trade, or the more likely option is that there is some internal competition.
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Kevin “the Flying V” Vanstone tells us the Nucks have less than a week to prepare for the beginning of the regular season and will be moving quickly through a compressed training camp to round out a roster suitable for Saturday night’s home opener. Ready to bet? Cory Schneider faces 10-1 odds of winning the Vezina according to Play Now, edging out Mike Smith, Carey Price, and Ryan Miller.
The NWSB staff weighs in with their 2013 Vancouver Canucks season player and team predictions. First up is blogger Mitch Dyck. Who will lead the team in scoring? Henrik Sedin? Who will be the Canucks goalie for the playoffs? Cory Schneider. Top defenseman Dan Hamhuis. Our Vancouver sports staff weighs in with all the preseason Canucks projections you can handle…
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Kevin “the Flying V” Vanstone weighs in with why he’s happy the 2013 NHL lockout is finally over. He says the tribulations of the latest labour dispute produced wonderful cultural explosions among hockey fans like #AssMode, @NHLPodium, and #DregerFace, but after a bitter winter without hockey fans had begun to feel hardcore hockey withdrawal. What will Mike Gillis do with Roberto Luongo?
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Richard Hodges weighs in with some burning question marks surrounding the 2013 Vancouver Canucks hockey club now that the NHL lockout appears to be over. Question 1. So what happens? Roberto Luongo told the Toronto Sun that he gave Mike Gillis “the green light” to do whatever he had to do, which could mean he’ll go anywhere or he’ll go anywhere on his shortlist or anything really. And we wait…
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Kevin “the Flying V” Vanstone weighs in with the first of many 2013 NHL regular season updates. With the new CBA going into effect on Monday, Kevin tells us how this effects the Vancouver Canucks. Namely, the ability to buy out some contracts, and the scrambling to get a full roster of players ready to go for the proposed season opener on January 19th.
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Mitch Dyck weighs in on the NHL news this week from Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke. Straight from the horses’ mouth, or from the bottom of a bottle of fine scotch, Leafs GM and hater of fancy stats, Burke has refuted claims that there is a deal in place that would see current Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Richard Hodges points out today it’s nice to see the framework of a 50/50 deal finally floating around but because the two sides can’t agree on the dollar figure that will be split, we’ve now lost November and the Winter Classic is hanging in the balance. He looks at some Canucks who are benefiting from the lockout which today. Ryan Kesler, Roberto Luongo, Zack Kassian, Jason Garrison make the list.
NWSB insider and Vancouver Canucks hockey blogger Richard Hodges gives us his top 5 fearless predictions for the 2012 Vancouver Canucks hockey team. (The Lockout edition) It will be a tougher division but if the Canucks don’t finish on top the wounds will be probably be self-inflicted rather than from a burgeoning rival. How is the center depth? Manny Malhotra, Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler enough? Richard says no.
