Vancouver Canucks Trade Rumors

Henrik Sedin participates in skate, likely to face Wild
February 9
NHL.com
 
"Officially, Vancouver's Henrik Sedin is a game-time decision for tonight against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center, but all signs point to the Canucks captain being ready to go. "It felt OK, better than yesterday, so that's a good sign," Sedin said. "We'll see, we'll see how it feels before the game. I guess it's a game-time decision." Asked if he felt tonight like he did at this morning's skate, where Sedin was a full participant, he chucked. "We'll see tonight," he said with a smile."
Henrik Sedin's ironman streak could end after Canuck takes slapshot to his ankle
February 9
Vancouver Province
 
"As Henrik Sedin's twin brother, close friend and longtime linemate, Daniel wishes him only the best. Of course, he wants Henrik's remarkable 552-game ironman streak to continue Thursday against Minnesota. But if it doesn't? Well, not all is lost. "I've been waiting for this opportunity for 120 games," said Daniel, smiling. "Now, it's up to me." If you're looking for any positives, and there can't be many when Henrik is in a protective walking boot, a chance for Daniel to prove he can succeed without his brother is about as good as it gets."
Rumour: Corey Perry to Vancouver Canucks
January 28
Vancouver Province
 
"Say this about the Canucks' trade rumours with Anaheim: They are getting better. Last week, it was Vancouver's supposed interest in George Parros, which was quickly shot down as a possibility. This week it's a former Stanley Cup and Hart Trophy winner on his way to Vancouver. As the rumour goes, Enrico Ciccone, on the TV Show "Le Match," said Patrice Brisebois claims a trade is being considered which would send Corey Perry to the Canucks for Cory Schneider, Mason Raymond and Keith Ballard. We assume the Canucks will also have to throw in a 3rd round pick. The rumour, which features the same three players you see in just about every Canuck rumour these days, looks great for Vancouver. The"
David Booth out for at least a month
December 8
Vancouver Province
 
"David Booth's MRI on Wednesday revealed a sprained MCL and the winger will be sidelined for four to six weeks, just as he was finding his stride as a Canuck and as a linemate with Chris Higgins and Ryan Kesler. Booth was hit knee-on-knee as he drove to the net in Tuesday's game against Colorado by Kevin Porter, who until that major and game misconduct, had not taken a penalty this season."
Report: Canucks shopping goalie Luongo
December 5
CSN Washington
 
"On the same day a story was released about Tomas Vokoun admitting some responsibility for the Capitals up-and-down season, one of the NHL's most well-known goalies has reportedly been made available by trade. According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, and via NBCSports.com, Vancouver Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo could be attainable if the price is right. "The talk among league executives is the Canucks have dangled [Roberto] Luongo in trade circles, but haven't been able to find anybody interested in his $5.3-million cap hit and contract that runs through the 2021-22 season""
Canucks' Schneider to get sixth straight start, but Luongo 'is our No. 1 goaltender'
November 29
Vancouver Sun
 
"Coach Alain Vigneault insists Roberto Luongo remains his No. 1 goalie, but Cory Schneider will make his sixth straight start when the Vancouver Canucks meet the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena (7 p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040). "Right now the way Cory is playing, he's playing real well, and I have decided to go with him tomorrow," Vigneault said after today's practice. But Vigneault quickly added that Luongo's status as the team's top goalie has not changed. "Obviously, Roberto is our No. 1 goaltender and before he got hurt he was starting to find his game," Vigneault said. "We put Cory in, he wasn't very good against Chicago, but after that he was the best"
Mason Raymond on 'steady incline'
November 24
Vancouver Sun
 
"Mason Raymond was the best Vancouver Canuck forward Wednesday morning. Sure, he was the only Canuck forward in a sparsely-attended morning skate. But the winger who suffered a broken back in the Stanley Cup final last June continues to make progress and could play sometime during a four-game homestand that starts Tuesday. "I'm not at the point where I'm ready to go, but I'm still on a steady incline," the winger said of his improvement. "I'm not announcing a date that I have [to return] but everyone sets their goals.""
Luongo set to return in Colorado after mystery injury
November 22
Vancouver Province
 
"Maybe you saw the Dos Equis spoof of Roberto Luongo during the playoffs, a takeoff on the Mexican beer company's "most interesting man in the world." Now, apparently, Luongo fancies himself as an international man of mystery. Ever since he hurt something against the Islanders on Nov. 13 and almost pulled himself from the game, it's been hush-hush about what exactly was injured. Probably a cartilage somewhere, but the club and the goalie will only describe it as a the ol' upper-body owie. "It's a secret, man," Luongo said on Monday, his first day back practising with his teammates."
Ryan Kesler a no-show at Canucks practice
November 17
Vancouver Sun
 
"Struggling centre Ryan Kesler was a surprise no-show at the Vancouver Canucks' practice this morning. Kesler crashed heavily into the boards during Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks and also has been bothered at times by lingering soreness after major hip surgery last July. Canuck coach Alain Vigneault is expected to brief reporters later today on the status of Kesler and defenceman Keith Ballard, who also missed practice after leaving Wednesday's game with a back injury."
Canucks' Andrew Ebbett out for 10 games, Roberto Luongo for far less
November 17
Vancouver Sun
 
"How serious is Andrew Ebbett's broken foot? Ten games. How serious is Roberto Luongo's mystery injury? Not very. The Canucks' recall of minor-league goalie Eddie Lack to back up tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks (7 p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040) led Vancouver to ease its salary-cap crunch by placing Ebbett on long-term injured reserve retroactive to his injury last Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks indicated the depth forward might miss only a couple of weeks, but the LTIR designation means Ebbett is ineligible to play for 10 games — or until the Canucks face the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 6."
Canucks' Roberto Luongo hurt, Cory Schneider gets start vs. Blackhawks
November 16
Vancouver Sun
 
"At about the same time NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan was reassuring the league's general managers in Toronto that it's not going to be open season on goaltenders, Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault was giving every indication he thinks it is. Vigneault used the league's tepid response to Boston forward Milan Lucic's open-ice hit on Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller as his reason for not being entirely forthcoming about the current injury to Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo. Luongo did not practise for the second straight day Tuesday and Vigneault said Cory Schneider will start Wednesday when the Canucks meet the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Arena (7 p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040)."
Canucks GM Mike Gillis insists intensity is lacking, not coaching
November 8
Vancouver Sun
 
"A terrific night was followed by a spectacular morning as Vancouver Canuck players awoke here Monday to a perfect, cloudless sky and views out their hotel windows of an endless Pacific-pounding Santa Monica beach. Not even coach Alain Vigneault had to worry. After a night charter from Chicago made shorter by the Canucks' 6-2 win Sunday against the Blackhawks, Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis said it hasn't even crossed his mind to do what the St. Louis Blues did and fire the coach. "Alain's not going anywhere," Gillis said."
Canucks go California-style to bond off-ice
November 8
Vancouver Province
 
"Return to the rain or tee it up with your teammates in the Southern California sun? Sounds like a simple decision, but the Vancouver Canucks actually put a lot of thought in how they would handle a three-day break in a six-game road trip that concludes with stops in Los Angeles on Thursday and Anaheim on Friday. In an era where rest and recovery have become NHL buzzwords for players being of sound mind and body, the Canucks believe the SoCal Effect — unlike the Roxy Effect that takes a social toll on visiting teams — will provide the bonding and practice experience without the ever-present media charting every drill like back home."
Mason Raymond joins Canucks in Los Angeles, and he's got his hockey gear
November 8
Vancouver Province
 
"The Canucks will have a familiar face with them on the road for the first time this season. Injured winger Mason Raymond, who suffered a fractured vertebra in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final, joined his teammates here on Monday and brought his hockey gear with him. It's tempting to speculate that Raymond is getting close to playing again, but it's believed he still has some hurdles to clear. Just how he participates on the ice, with the team or on his own, will have to wait until today, when the Canucks work out at the Kings' practice facility in preparation for their game on Thursday night."
Road trip will be a sign of November fortunes
November 1
Vancouver Province
 
"Yes, the Canucks have had a consistent history of mediocrity in October under head coach Alain Vigneault's watch beginning six seasons ago. But does that — or the 7-4 win over Washington on Saturday — necessarily mean they'll bounce back in November as they have in seasons past under the current coach? Clearly, the upcoming six-games-in-11-days road trip and a schedule that sees Vancouver playing only four times at home this month will play a big part in determining that. Will the early-season struggles of goaltender Roberto Luongo — who starts tonight in Calgary to kick off the trip — be shown to be just the usual slow start or something more concerning?"
Gillis drops a bomb, trades Samuelsson for big-ticket Booth
October 24
Vancouver Sun
 
"Minutes after defenceman Sami Salo fired a bomb to beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2, Vancouver Canuck general manager Mike Gillis dropped a bigger bomb by dealing popular veteran Mikael Samuelsson in a multi-player trade that brings winger David Booth and $18-million in salary from the Florida Panthers. The Canucks also gave up failed experiment Marco Sturm and took on Steve Reinprecht, another player long past his best who has been getting his $2.175-million NHL contract in the minors. Vancouver also gets Florida's third-round draft pick in 2013."
Panthers trade Booth and respond with thrilling win over Isles
October 23
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
 
"Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon wanted to send a strong message to his players that getting shut out in back-to-back games by conference opponents wasn't acceptable. Tallon grimly drove his point home just before the opening faceoff of Saturday's game against the Islanders, trading longtime Panthers left wing David Booth to the Vancouver Canucks for a couple of NHL warhorses in Marco Sturm and Mikael Samuelsson. The message was received loud and clear as the Panthers dominated nearly every statistical category in smothering the Islanders 4-2 at BankAtlantic Center to snap a two-game losing streak as they embark on their first Canadian trip of the season. And it could be without"
Recovering Kesler gets the all clear to suit up again
October 6
Vancouver Province
 
"First, his wife cleared him for nudity, and now Ryan Kesler has been cleared for contact. Before showing off his body in a nude picture for ESPN magazine, Kesler said he got permission from his wife. It was good news for anyone who's been itching to see his exposed obliques (check provincesports.com for a sneak peak). Also for his teammates. They now have some pretty effective ammunition. "It's on the wallpaper on one of the computers in the lounge, so it's out there now. I don't think he is ever going to live this one down," Kevin Bieksa said."
Oreskovich dumped on waivers, Canucks claim winger Weise
October 5
Vancouver Province
 
"The Canucks claimed physical winger Dale Weise from the New York Rangers on Tuesday in a move that looks to upgrade their fourth line. Weise will be with the Canucks to start the season and will clearly get a look in the fourth line right wing spot. The Canucks also put Victor Oreskovich, who was the incumbent fourth line right winger at the end of the preseason, on waivers. Weise, a 23-year-old Winnipeg native who was drafted 111th overall by the Rangers in 2008, played three seasons with Swift Current of the WHL. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder isn't shy about dropping the gloves and got the better of Chicago's Dan Carcillo in his first NHL fight on Dec. 18, 2010, when the latter was with"
Chris Tanev proving to be real deal in second pro season
October 4
Vancouver Sun
 
"Kevin Bieksa is the Vancouver Canucks' king of quips and, from his throne, he authored one of the best lines last season when asked to describe the on-ice demeanour of rookie defenceman Chris Tanev. "I don't want to use the same joke over and over but he could have played with a cigarette in his mouth," winked Bieksa. Well, not quite. Tanev, you see, is a non-smoker. Can't stand cigarettes. And even if he did smoke, he couldn't imagine how he'd light up on the bench and puff away wearing those bulky hockey gloves. Then what would he do with the ashes? Tap them over the boards after an icing call?"
Canucks' Hodgson and Ebbett being thrown to Sharks
September 30
Vancouver Province
 
"Tonight, between Cody Hodgson and Andrew Ebbett, it's on. At least that's the case if you really believe the Canucks haven't made up their mind and are using tonight's game with the San Jose Sharks as a measuring stick for their two wannabe second-line centres. Leading up to the game against the Anaheim Ducks yesterday, one the Canucks lost 3-2, head coach Alain Vigneault said Ryan Kesler's vacated slot in the lineup was down to Hodgson and Ebbett. Neither had a great game. But when it was over, Vigneault turned some heads when he was asked of all the players competing for a job, who stood out? Without hesitation, he said Ebbett."
Canucks' Luongo ready for a second time around
September 28
Vancouver Province
 
"Roberto Luongo's body language and tone of voice suggested the guy behind the bench might be on to something if faced with a similar circumstance. Instead of agonizing over the prolonged process to get to opening night, the Vancouver Canucks goaltender spoke in anticipation of his first preseason start on Wednesday in Anaheim. With coach Alain Vigneault purposely holding back the majority of his veterans until the final three exhibition games following a marathon 107-game season and short summer, an accent on skating and systems has been replaced by an itch to play. "Even though it's preseason, you still get a little nervous which is kind of weird if you think what we went through last"
Canucks lose game to Sharks, Rome and Pinizzotto to injury
September 26
Vancouver Sun
 
"Aaron Rome didn't get to finish the Stanley Cup final. Now he won't get to start the regular season. Neither will Steve Pinizzotto, a 27-year-old career minor-leaguer whose dream of cracking the roster of a NHL team has ended, at least temporarily. The Vancouver Canucks dropped another pre-season game Sunday night, but that rather meaningless loss paled in comparison to the setbacks suffered by Rome and Pinizzotto. Rome, who was suspended for his open-ice hit on Boston forward Nathan Horton in the Cup final, suffered a broken finger early in the third period of a 4-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena. Pinizzotto, who has never played a regular-season game in the NHL, had been"
Duco stands out for Canucks' fourth line role
September 26
Vancouver Province
 
"There was already enough hate-on around the league for the Vancouver Canucks and that was before Max Lapierre and Mike Duca arrived on the scene. Lapierre is a lock to start the season as the fourth-line centre and Duco is one of a handful of wingers fighting for the chance to line up beside him. On Sunday night fans got a preview of what the two would look like together – drawing angry opponents to them like flies to you-know-what. "I haven't really been liked anywhere I've been," said Duco. "Usually the home fans like me and the opposing team doesn't. "If that's the case, I'm doing something out there.""
Canucks' Mason Raymond hopeful of return
September 23
Vancouver Province
 
"Mason Raymond is trying to move past the play which knocked him out of the Stanley Cup final and broke his back. There's still some anger bubbling underneath but he doesn't have much choice other than to deal with it and get over it. He has more important things to be concerned about. Like playing again. When, or even if, that happens, remains up in the air. Still suffering discomfort and "soft tissue" problems, Raymond is hopeful he can play, maybe even in late November. But there are no guarantees right now and no timeline for a return. "You believe in your mind you're going to get better and you keep going forward. How soon did I know [I'd make a full recovery]? I still don't know today"
Canucks give veterans few pre-season starts
September 22
Vancouver Province
 
"Alex Burrows is looking forward to playing some pre-season games. He'll likely have a to wait. Head coach Alain Vigneault said he will ask most of his veterans to stand down for Thursday night's game in Edmonton, where the Canucks are expected to ice another team loaded with prospects and journeymen. It leaves Saturday's home game against Anaheim as the likely slot to get most of the old gang back together. The Canucks play again Sunday, and you'd assume there won't be many vets asked to play back-to-back. From there, the Canucks have just three pre-season games left. That's not much time. Burrows said he's now expecting to play just two or three games. It indicates how quickly the prep"
Canucks hopeful Todd Fedoruk thankful for second chance at life
September 20
Vancouver Sun
 
"He knows there was supposed to be some sort of epiphany — a eureka moment that made a drowning man want to swim again — but Todd Fedoruk doesn't remember one. He cannot tell you the day he realized he had to stop abusing drugs and alcohol, but he can tell you the day he was most grateful that he did: May 13, 2011. Derek Boogaard, Fedoruk's friend and former teammate, was found dead in a Minneapolis apartment after a lethal overdose of alcohol and painkillers. "Oh, yeah, very easily that could have been me," Fedoruk said Monday on the third day of his tryout with the Vancouver Canucks. "You almost ask yourself: 'Why wasn't that me?' I was filled with this shaking gratitude to be alive, and"
Canucks' Cory Schneider's time may come … it just won't be in Vancouver
September 20
Vancouver Sun
 
"There was a time when Cory Schneider was, oh, 21 years old, that pondering a seat on the Vancouver Canucks' bench from which to watch Roberto Luongo play all the meaningful games in goal was probably instructive, constructive, even entertaining. Now, he's 25, and the clock is ticking — quickly, it must seem — in career terms; excruciatingly slowly when it comes to the distant expiration date of Luongo's all-but-lifetime contract extension. Though you'll never hear a discouraging word from the mouth of the big redhead from Marblehead, Massachusetts, via Boston College, this cannot be where Schneider expected to start the 2011-12 National Hockey League season: caddying for Luongo again,"
Not much star-gazing for Canucks fans in early pre-season games
September 20
Vancouver Sun
 
"The NHL pre-season begins Tuesday on two fronts for the Vancouver Canucks — at Rogers Arena (7 p.m., Sportsnet, Team 1040) and in Calgary — and that means some creative accounting when selecting the split-squad lineups. According to NHL rules, teams must dress at least eight players who meet the following criteria: (a.) appeared in 30 games during the 2010-11 campaign, including playoffs; (b.) appeared in 100 or more career games; (c.) drafted in the first round in 2011; and (d.) a goalie who dressed for 50 games, or played in 30, in 2010-11. So that's why 32-year-old hockey vagabond Niko Dimitrakos, who last appeared in the NHL in 2006-07, qualifies to be among the eight "vets" playing"
For Canucks, there's no rest for the weary
September 19
Vancouver Sun
 
"He told you so. Alain Vigneault was dismissive about the notion of a short summer hurting physical preparation for another National Hockey League endurance test, and now the Vancouver Canucks' coach has evidence to support his case. Led by superhuman Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Canucks veterans arrived at training camp in even better physical condition than a year ago. "So there goes that theory about the short summer," Vigneault crowed Saturday after getting test results from Canucks conditioning guru Roger Takahashi. The twins are fitness freaks, guys who beat the gondola up Vancouver's Grouse Mountain and spend their summers challenging each other to things like uphill sprints on"
Fans worry most about Luongo
September 19
Vancouver Province
 
"It was Roberto Luongo who topped TEAM 1040's poll this morning of issues that worry Canucks fans most. If the team's biggest issue to start training camp is a goalie who was a Vezina finalist last year, it should qualify under "rich people's problems." Luongo was the runaway pick by 62 per cent of the respondents while 32 per cent chose replacing Christian Ehrhoff and just six per cent were worried about the second line. That's a second line that will be without Mason Raymond and Ryan Kesler. They are both out indefinitely, head coach Alain Vigneault said in his Friday news conference. The Canucks weren't exactly worried about any of this as they arrived Friday for their physicals. They"
Is another Stanley Cup run in the cards for Canucks?
September 16
Vancouver Province
 
"When the Vancouver Canucks officially resurface today for training camp, there will be none of the excitement or urgency which enveloped everything they did just three months ago. There is just no easy way to go from the Stanley Cup final to the first day of school. To go from Game 7 to physicals could make camp feel more meaningless than usual. There is a long, arduous road ahead. Really, it's a monumental task for this team to get back and it'd be natural if it produced some emotional sag. The Canucks know all about sagging early. With Alain Vigneault and Roberto Luongo, the team hasn't had one decent start to a season in five years. They sit 31-28-3 in October overall under Vigneault,"
Lessons learned are tests of time
September 15
Vancouver Province
 
"It was a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates by the name of Vernon Law who won a world series the same year he won the Cy Young award in 1960 who is credited with a quote which may well ring true to the Vancouver Canucks as they head into this NHL season. " Experience is a hard teacher," said the big Mormon right-hander, "because she gives the test before she teaches the lesson." So it was with this hockey club last spring when they got all the way to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final only to be found wanting on home ice when it counted most. That was the exam and the subsequent lesson has been given, and what remains to be seen is what the Canucks have learned from their encounter"
Canucks' Roberto Luongo back to take care of 'unfinished business'
September 14
Vancouver Sun
 
"Three months later, the wounds have healed and Roberto Luongo insists he has put last season behind him. At least the bad ending. Luongo, who joined many of his Vancouver Canuck teammates on the ice Tuesday morning for an informal workout prior to Tuesday night's induction into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, said he prefers to dwell on all the positives of last season. "All I can say is now when I think about last year I don't think about disappointment, I don't think about negative things," Luongo said after attending a luncheon honouring the Hall of Fame inductees. "I think about the season we had as a group. We did some phenomenal things, not only in the regular season. We were one game"
Cody Hodgson makes a fresh start
September 14
Vancouver Province
 
"Cody Hodgson slices through the slot, calling for the puck. It lands on his stick and, in a wink, it's over Eddie Lack's shoulder and in the net. Pretty slick play in a pretty sloppy game of shinny with the Canucks at UBC Tuesday. Twenty minutes later, Hodgson is still on the ice. It's 90 minutes since he got there. He's alone now, and doing laps. Flush in sweat, he finally steps off. "I always feel better when I do that," he says. In his second sentence he says he's approaching this season with a "fresh start" perspective. He needs one. And it couldn't come at a better time. Hodgson, you'd think, is about to get the opportunity he's long needed. A report Monday suggests Ryan Kesler could"
Canucks goalie prospect Karel St. Laurent rock solid
September 13
Vancouver Province
 
"Nearly a year ago Karel St. Laurent was wondering if his professional hockey dreams were over. After an outstanding performance in the Canucks prospects' 4-3 overtime win over the Calgary Flames prospects, St. Laurent's aspirations appear to be very much alive. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound goaltender, who's here on tryout contract, delivered a 44-save beauty, while centre Nathan Longpre – also on a tryout – had two goals and assisted on the OT winner just 16 seconds into the extra period. St. Laurent, 20, who put in a solid 24:12 of relief, stopping 13 of 14 shots, in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers prospects, fround himself without a team to play for last October when he was cut by"
Kesler injury opens door for Canucks prospects
September 10
Vancouver Sun
 
"The biggest news out of the opening of the Vancouver Canucks prospects training camp on Friday really didn't come from Rogers Arena at all. It came from the NHL's plush offices in downtown New York, where the league is holding its annual Players Media Tour. Ryan Kesler may not be ready for the start of the season. And while this shouldn't come as too much of a shock to anyone following his recovery from hip labrum surgery, his comments to nhl.com had a trickle-down effect. One was felt 4,000 kilometres west in Vancouver, where 30 of the Canucks' top prospects gathered for testing before travelling east to Penticton for the five-team Young Stars Tournament. Take Jordan Schroeder, for"
Kesler still unsure when he'll be able to return
September 9
NHL.com
 
"The only guarantee Selke Trophy winner Ryan Kesler can offer is that he won't be able to join his teammates on the ice in Vancouver when training camp begins next week. The Canucks center had surgery to repair a tear in his hip in late July and he's nowhere near being ready to play yet. "Not a chance," Kesler told NHL.com Friday during the Player Media Tour. So if he's not ready for training camp, can it be assumed he won't be ready for the start of the season either? "Uh, maybe, but who knows," Kesler said, hesitating in order to make sure he got his point across. "I'm telling the truth when I tell you I don't know. To be honest, right now if you ask me if I'll be ready for the start of"
Fedoruk hopes to make impact on Canucks after recovery from drug and alcohol abuse
September 1
Vancouver Province
 
"You have to give Todd Fedoruk credit, he isn't shy about discussing his drug and alcohol addictions which he says were the real reason he was bought out in Tampa in '09, ending his NHL career unless he should happen to catch on with the Vancouver Canucks this fall. He says he's been clean for nearly 18 months now, is in terrific shape and is ready to drop the gloves as part of the role he has to play if he's going to be a regular in the league as he has been for nine seasons, most of those with the Philadelphia Flyers. But after the death of Rick Rypien, Derek Boogaard and Wednesday Wade Belak, the Canucks might be wondering what they've got themselves into and whether they can give the"
Samuelsson all repaired and looking good in early skate
August 30
Vancouver Province
 
"A reassuring sight on Monday was Mikael Samuelsson doing drills – stopping, starting, making quick cuts and tight turns – looking, in fact, like surgery he had in mid-May has left no lasting pain or weakness. "First of all, every time you step onto the ice for the first time in summer, you feel stiff," the 34-year-old said after a well-paced two-hour skate Monday at a local rink. "It doesn't feel any worse, any different, from the other years, so that's a good sign. "I feel stronger in the area I had surgery on." Samuelsson was plagued all last season with groin problems, a nagging injury he'd had for three or four years as his Detroit teams went to back-to-back Stanley Cup finals and the"
Kesler feels optimistic
August 23
Toronto Sun
 
"Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler thinks he'll be ready to play in time for the season opener. Kesler had surgery to repair the labrum in his hip four weeks ago and was expected to be out of action for 10-12 weeks. But he is optimistic he'll be in the lineup when the Canucks open the season Oct. 6 at home to Pittsburgh. "I'll start skating here in the next couple of weeks and hopefully be back by that first game," Kelser told Canucks TV. "I know what it takes. I know the rehab. It might even make me braver to try things I probably shouldn't be trying, but it's going to make me come back quicker and hopefully I can play in that first game." Kesler is experienced in matters of the hip."
NHL policy change on substance abuse?
August 18
Toronto Sun
 
"The recent off-ice deaths of two NHL players could spark a change in how the league conducts its substance abuse and behavioural program. Commenting on the passing of New York Ranger Derek Boogaard and Winnipeg Jet Rick Rypien at the league's research and developmnt camp in Toronto, commissioner Gary Bettman told a wire service that he will soon approach the Players Association to study the current policy. Boogaard passed away in May after a mishap with alcohol and a painkiller drug. Rypien, who reportedly suffered from depression, died Monday and police will only say the circumstances were not suspicious. Both men had been in the program, which has helped many players with varied"
Ryan Kesler should recover quickly. But if he doesn't?
August 5
Vancouver Province
 
"Everyone around Ryan Kesler believes he is going to make a full recovery. His surgeon, Dr. Marc Phillipon, a renowned hip specialist who has treated stars like Alex Rodriguez, Greg Norman, Mario Lemieux and, most recently, elite sprinter Tyson Gay, believes he should be "as good as new." All of the news for Kesler following last week's surgery is encouraging. He's a quick healer and he's been through this before. But .... If the Sedins are the pilots, engineers and mechanics who keep the Canucks churning over the course of a season, Kesler is the engine. He's all pistons, cylinders and air pumps. He's the do-it-all centre who plays the biggest minutes, does the spade work on the all-too"
Will Craig MacTavish, next coach of Canucks affiliate, put pressure on Alain Vigneault?
July 29
Vancouver Province
 
"Craig MacTavish is taking the head coaching job in Chicago, confirmed by a TSN report today, and it isn't to be an AHL coach for long. Obviously, like the many former coaches-turned-broadcast analysts before him, he's out to make a comeback to the big leagues. MacT led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup final in 2006, but has been out of coaching for the past two years. He went to TSN and right now is back in a place, running a Canucks affiliate, which four previous coaches have used as their final pipeline to be a head coach in the NHL. And that's where MacTavish wants to be. The move to Chicago just shows he's not going to sit around and wait for the right situation to open up to him. So,"
Canucks, Jannik Hansen to swap arbitration papers
July 27
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks and Mark Stowe, the agent for restricted free agent winger Jannik Hansen, will exchange briefs Wednesday in advance of Friday morning's scheduled arbitration hearing in Toronto. That exchange of briefs is mandatory 48 hours before the actual arbitration hearing. "You see the opposing side's case, you then have two days to prepare your presentation and rebuttal," Canucks assistant general manager Laurence Gilman said Tuesday. "You know what the other side's position is at that point." Gilman, who is in Toronto preparing for Friday's hearing, would not say how likely he feels it is the two sides could reach a deal before the hearing. "We have had continuous dialogue"
Canucks sign free agent Byron Bitz
July 26
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks announced Monday they have signed right-winger Byron Bitz. The 27-year-old, a 2003 entry draft pick of the Boston Bruins, last played in the NHL in 2009-10, splitting the season between the Bruins (four goals, five assists and 31 penalty minutes in 45 regular season games) and the Florida Panthers (one goal, one assist and two penalty minutes in seven games)."
Canucks acquire Mike Duco from Panthers in exchange for Sergei Shirokov
July 10
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks have acquired the rights to restricted free agent left winger Mike Duco from the Florida Panthers in exchange for the rights of Sergei Shirokov. Duco, 24, had 20 goals, 31 points and 126 penalty minutes in 67 games with the AHL's Rochester Americans last season. He had 10 penalty minutes in two games with Florida. Duco is described as hard-nosed, but at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds is not an especially big player."
Tambellini going to Zurich on three-year deal
July 7
Vancouver Province
 
"Jeff Tambellini has signed a three-year deal to play for Zurich of the Swiss League, where the ex-Canucks winger will be playing for the same ZSC Lions team that his father, Steve, and grandfather, Addie, played for. He was headhunted immediately following the end of the Canucks' season by former NHL head coach Bob Hartley, who was recently hired by the Swiss club to rebuild it back to the championship level. Tambellini, 27, whose strong points are speed and work ethic, will be on the team's top line and be expected to be one of their top offensive producers -- a big change from his mostly fourth-line role with Vancouver and his previous stops in the NHL. "It's great stability and it's a"