Fan In Van

Deal With the Devils

Well, I didn’t see that one coming. Did you?

For a few days I had heard whispers that the New Jersey Devils had expressed interested in Ilya Kovalchuk but didn’t think they’d want to part ways with some of their prospects. Combine that with the apparent rumours of the Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins’ vested interest in the sniper and you could say this one came out of left field.

So who won the trade?

Headed to the Devils is Ilya Kovalchuk. Ilya frickin’ Kovalchuk. There are few Russian players who can be mentioned in the same breath as Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Pavel Datsyuk, but Kovalchuk belongs in that class of Russian greatness. He’s a consistent performer, having scored an average of 47 goals a season over the past four years, and is usually a lock for somewhere in the 90-point range. The energetic sniper has that ability to electrify fans with his play, something few players in this league can do.

Oh, and the Devils also got Anssi Salmela. The defenceman isn’t going to be lighting the league on fire any time soon with his offensive numbers but he’s a solid defender who will offset the Devils’ missing pieces.

Calling Atlanta home is Johnny Oduya, Patrice Cormier, Niclas Bergfors, and a future first-round selection.

After popping 26 points two years ago and building on that performance with 29 last season, a lot of Devils fans expected Oduya to continue setting new career point totals this season. That hasn’t worked out as well as hoped. In 40 games this season, the Swedish blueliner has put up a mere two goals and four points this season while missing 15 games of action with a groin injury. While he’ll get a fresh start in Atlanta, there’s no certainty that the 28-year old can get his game back on track.

Cormier is renowned both as the captain of this year’s Canadian world junior team and as the QMJHL kid who elbowed Mikael Tam into oblivion, garnering a suspension for the rest of the season, plus playoffs. While Cormier has the tools to be a rugged top-9 player for the Thrashers some day, there’s a distinct unpredictability about his game that indicates that may or may not come to fruition. His current undisciplined style of play could hinder his chances at an NHL roster spot.

The real loss for the Devils here may lie in Bergfors. Drafted in 2005 as New Jersey’s first selection, the Swedish winger has had a terrific first season, scoring 13 goals and 27 points in 50 contests. 8 of his markers have come on the powerplay and head coach Jacques Lemaire had no problem slotting him in on the second line and on the man advantage. He’s shown he’s NHL ready this season and to lose him now could be a huge loss for New Jersey.

So overall, who won and who lost? In all honesty, I think the Devils won this deal and Atlanta GM Don Waddell lost out.

Johnny Oduya? That was the best you could get, Don? As opposed to trying to get a roster player, I think the best course of action for the Thrashers is to embrace the complete rebuild. While Atlanta fans won’t like it, there’s young pieces in place and it’s time for Atlanta to build up another empire of stunning stars. Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Bryan Little, and Ondrej Pavelec are all kids this team can be built around and adding Oduya seems to offset that.

Other prospects in the Devils system are Matt Halischuk, who’s been a point-per-game player with Lowell in the AHL, Mattias Tedenby, the fast and speedy Swedish skater … Even Jacob Josefsen, whom the Devils drafted in the first round last season. Instead of pursuing a wild card in Oduya, the Thrashers should’ve went in this direction.

I’m not sure about Waddell’s future in Atlanta … Something tells me he could find his way out of a job soon before the NHL entry draft in June.

Kovalchuk Sweepstakes Start

I’m going to make this perfectly clear so every Canuck fan (both intelligent and ignorant) can get this right: Ilya Kovalchuk is not going to be traded to the Vancouver Canucks.

Despite what armchair general managers may have read on the most ridiculous trade rumour websites or on late night sports radio shows, there’s no way Mike Gillis can afford the Russian sniper from both a financial and physical standpoint.

Since the Sedin twins and Alex Burrows have set the league on fire with their hot play in the last couple months, it stands that the trio will remain the team’s top line for the distant future. Would Ilya Kovalchuk be content on going from playing 25 minutes a night with the Atlanta Thrashers to 18 minutes with the Canucks?

And if Vancouver has their sights set on retaining the services of Willie Mitchell and Ryan Kesler next season, then the trade for Ilya Kovalchuk would become merely a rental. As it stands, the two Canucks make a combined $5.25 million in salary; Kesler could easily see his $1.75 million stipend double by next fall and Mitchell could make $4 million on the open market. Kovalchuk, meanwhile, makes $6.4 million a season and could bargain for $8 million in the summer, a ridiculous figure too high for the Canucks.

It’s a farfetched dream at best, and perhaps more glaring is the cost to pry the Russian star out of Atlanta. Thrashers general manager Don Waddell, who is clinging to his job after years in the NHL’s cellar, must handle the Kovalchuk situation perfectly. He’ll need to bargain for a high draft selection, top prospect, and a player who can impact the team immediately.

The writing is on the wall for Waddell; if he doesn’t hit a home run with a Kovalchuk trade, he’s toast. Already the team has lost players like Marian Hossa, Dany Heatley, and Marc Savard. And despite the cupboard being replenished with young talent like Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian, the club and its fans need something to show up to games for.

TSN analyst Bob McKenzie recently suggested that the struggling Calgary Flames may actively pursue Kovalchuk in order to shake up their roster, but also hinted that the

dominating Chicago Blackhawks could try to reunite the superstar with Hossa.

Calgary’s most tradeable asset remains to be Dion Phaneuf. Despite stating that he hasn’t requested a trade, Phaneuf has looked out of place with the Flames this season and has been playing steadily worse since his rookie season in 2006. A bruising defender like Phaneuf would go a long ways to appeasing Thrashers fans who want a winning club now. Outside of Phaneuf, there’s little the Flames could offer, as the club likely won’t throw in top prospects like Mikael Backlund or Greg Nemisz.

As for the Blackhawks, it’s hard to believe a team who’s one expensive dinner away from going over the salary cap could possibly be in the mix. But the Blackhawks have talented players who may garner interest from Atlanta. One deficit which has plagued the Thrashers has been the lack of a top centre and the Blackhawks could offer that in Patrick Sharp or Dave Bolland, players who are making $3.7 million and $3 million respectively. Chicago may also be willing to part ways with young defenceman Cam Barker, whose stipend is $3 million. The window for the Hawks to win a Stanley Cup is small and they may go for broke this season.

At this point, the only thing I can guarantee: Ilya Kovalchuk will NOT be in a Canucks uniform in March.

Drunk as Puck

I should quickly toot my own horn to mention that I correctly guessed 19 of the 23 players on Team Canada. The only errors I made were: Jay Bouwmeester (replaced by Drew Doughty), Martin St. Louis, Shane Doan and Steven Stamkos (replaced by Eric Staal, Patrice Bergeron, and Jonathan Toews).

I’ll deliver my speech on Team Canada along with CanucksHockeyBlog.com writer Richard Loat tomorrow, but nonetheless I’m pleased with the lineup Steve Yzerman delivered. It’s a young team to be certain, but speed and youth seems to be the trend for international competition as the United States and Russia delivered equally youthful rosters. It’ll be interesting comparing it to the aging Sweden and Finland teams, who are giving it one more crack at the gold before a changing of the guard.

In the meantime, hockey fans should be psyched at this year’s version of the World Junior gold medal game. While Canada’s entry is no surprise, it’s a breath of fresh air to NOT have Sweden in the finals this time around, as they’ve been the runner-up for three years in a row. And to be perfectly honest, the United States team that is pitted against Canada may have the best shot in four years at knocking off the host squad in the gold medal match.

There’s a lot of speed on the United States with players like Jerry D’Amigo, Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider all being very fluid on international ice. Playmakers like Jordan Schroeder and puckmoving defencemen like John Carlson all add to a United States team which can not only keep up with the Canadians, but outskate them in late stages of the game as witnessed the last time these two teams hooked up on New Year’s Eve.

___________

In the meantime, I’m not sure how some of you spent your holidays, but there’s one NHL player who enjoyed himself a little too much.

Dion Phaneuf celebrated his Christmas Eve in unruly fashion, mingling with the New York locals in the Big Apple’s club scene:

Needless to say, this was before he found out he was not selected to the Canadian Olympic team.

…I knew it was a mistake drafting this guy in my fantasy pool.

Here Come The Russians!

In my mind, this is going to be one hell of an Olympics. Despite having home-ice advantage, Team Canada is still reeling from their seventh-place finish in the 2006 games. And this year, don’t expect things to get any easier, especially from Team Russia, who finished 4th in Turin and are the defending World Champions.

Today, Russia executive and hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak released the Olympic roster:

Alex Ovechkin - Pavel Datsyuk - Alexander Semin
Ilya Kovalchuk - Evgeni Malkin - Maxim Afinogenov
Slava Kozlov - Sergei Fedorov - Alexander Radulov
Danis Zaripov - Sergei Zinovyev - Alexei Morozov

Andrei Markov - Anton Volchenkov
Sergei Gonchar - Fedor Tyutin
Dmitri Kalinin - Denis Grebeshkov
Ilya Nikulin, Konstantin Korneyev

Evgeni Nabokov
Ilya Bryzgalov
Semyon Varlamov

Before you gouge your eyes out, just take a look at the Russian top six. Headed by Alex Ovechkin, that is an incredibly frightening list of forwards. Ovechkin and Malkin are two of the game’s best players, Pavel Datsyuk is hands-down the best two-way forward in the NHL and in a supporting role Ilya Kovalchuk and Alex Semin would be considered front-line players on any NHL squad. Even Maxim Afinogenov has had a great year, developing chemistry with Kovalchuk in Atlanta.

On defense, expect Andrei Markov to be fully recovered from his injury in October to lead the blueline. Behind him is another strong supporting cast in Gonchar, who last year won the Stanley Cup with Malkin, as well as one of the most physical players in the NHL in Anton Volchenkov. Grebeshkov may be a bit of a question mark here, though, as he has been injured this year and hasn’t been terrific.

Perhaps my deepest concern is between the pipes. Yes, there is Evgeni Nabokov, who has been a borderline top-five goaltender with San Jose for the past five years, but the real wildcard is Ilya Bryzgalov. Big Bryz has carried the Phoenix Coyotes on his back this season, winning 21 games and registering five shutouts. On some degree, Bryzgalov’s story has been heavily under-publicized this season, as he has the third-best GAA, is ranked third in wins, fifth in save percentage and leads all goalies in shutouts. If anything, Bryzgalov has demonstrated that he can carry a lacklustre team towards greatness, and if he gets hot during the Olympics, there may be no looking back for the Russians.

Some notable exceptions from the Russian lineup: Alex Kovalev and Sergei Zubov, who are 36 and 39 years of age, respectively. More pointedly, Kovalev was the captain of the 2006 squad and his absence signals a change in leadership among the Russians, fueling speculation that a younger player like Ovechkin may be given the team captaincy. Alexander Frolov, who has had a mixed campaign with the Kings this year featuring a few healthy scratches, was also left off in favour of other Russian talent not in the NHL. Youngster Nikita Filatov also failed to crack the team, as did fellow KHLer Nikolai Zherdev.

Personally, very shocked to see Sergei Fedorov in the Russian lineup. Can he still play? Judging by his play with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk team, yes. But is it enough to merit consideration over other younger two-way centres?

In any event, Team Russia in my mind is not just in contention for the gold, but given the fact they are the defending world champions, I consider them the favourite.

And a look at this year’s World Hockey Championship final between Russia and Canada:

My Team Canada

It’s only a matter of hours before Steve Yzerman and his executives finalize Team Canada for the impending 2010 Olympics and now it’s my turn to put in my final nominations for our national roster. Feel free to comment and critique on your changes.

Goaltenders

This one’s easy. Disregarding who will start, who will backup and who will sit in the press box, the three nominations go out to Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Brodeur and Luongo are the quintessential favourites who have a combination of both experience, passion, and home-ice advantage, while Fleury has played head over heels over fellow compatriots Marty Turco and Steve Mason.

Defensemen

I’ve got a hunch that Yzerman isn’t going to go with a roster with the best players, but one that has a higher degree of familiarity. As a result, I’m putting forth a blueline corps with pairings who have either played together in the past or are currently playing on the same NHL club.

Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger - The two played together in Anaheim before Pronger was dealt to the Flyers in the offseason, but both would be locks whether there was chemistry or not. Niedermayer is a nominee for the captaincy after playing in the Olympics twice, while Pronger is still one of the nastiest and toughest blueliners in the world.

Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook - These two are teammates in Chicago and they’re the engine that makes the Blackhawks go. They can play in all situations and are a strong second unit. It’ll be their first Olympics but the fact they went deep into the playoffs last season gives hope that they should be fine.

Jay Bouwmeester, Shea Weber - Having never played together in the past or present, the hope may be that they can generate chemistry quickly. Bouwmeester is one of the most prolific skaters today and that may help offset Weber’s lack of speed, while Weber is a big and bruising defender who is not much different from Bouwmeester’s teammate Dion Phaneuf (and without the defensive problems).

Dan Boyle - Probably one of the best defenceman in the game today, Boyle can easily be slotted on the third pairing if one of Bouwmeester or Weber falters. He’s the kind of guy who can play on the powerplay if the Canadians need an injection of offense.

Forwards

To make this simple, here are the locks at centre: Sidney Crosby, Joe Thornton, Ryan Getzlaf, and Mike Richards. My locks on the wings are: Corey Perry, Dany Heatley, Jarome Iginla, Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis, and Patrick Marleau.

That’s ten of the thirteen forward spots that are taken. To justify the locks above, Crosby is the best player in the world, Thornton is the NHL’s leading scorer and Richards is a terrific two-way player. Getzlaf and Perry are teammates, as is Marleau and Heatley. Nash and St. Louis have enough international experience to merit another trip to the Olympics.

My last three selections at forward may shock some of you. Brenden Morrow, Shane Doan, and Steven Stamkos are my final four forwards. Morrow and Doan bring sandpaper as well as passion to this team. To get deep into the medal rounds it’s clear that a team needs a little extra determination and these three provide it. Stamkos has also had a scintillating year, enough to warrant the 13th forward position.

So there you have it, my final Team Canada Olympic roster. Some of the notable exceptions: Drew Doughty, Mike Green, Dion Phaneuf, Mike Fisher, Patrick Sharp, the Staal brothers, Brad Richards and Jason Spezza. To be fair, most are on the cusp but bring things to the table which have already been met by the players on my roster.

Comments? Critiques? Let’s hear your Olympic roster.

Why I’d Never Trade Kesler

Ever since Ryan Kesler’s value catapulted last season, I’ve often been confronted with hypothetical situations from Canuck fans on what it would take to pull the trigger on a deal which would send the two-way centre away. And perhaps in all that water cooler talk I’ve underrated how much Kesler means to the Canucks.

I know all about what Ryan Kesler brings to this table. He’s a playmaking centre with good speed, good skill, good size, good everything. On top of him wearing a letter on his chest, the guy plays in all situations: On the powerplay, the penalty kill, when you’re defending a one-goal lead and when you need a goal with one minute to go. Those kind of intangibles are few and far between in the NHL.

Ryan Kesler may never step out of the shadows of the 2003 NHL entry draft, arguably one of the deepest drafts in NHL history. Drafted 23rd, the bottom half of the first-round produced an abundance of superstar forwards like Zach Parise (17th) and Ryan Getzlaf (19th). After the Canucks came and left the podium with a scrawny Ohio State Buckeye in Kesler, future studs like Mike Richards (24th) and Corey Perry (28th) didn’t wait much longer.

With that kind of company, it’s easy to talk about how much better the Canucks would’ve looked like if they decided to trade up for Jeff Carter (11th), who scored 46 goals last season. Maybe the Canucks would’ve scored a few extra goals, won a couple extra games … maybe they would’ve won another round or two in the postseason. Up to this point, I have severely underrated Ryan Kesler.

But no longer.

At first look, it appears as though the Michigan native is headed for a minor step back on his career path, after scoring a mere six goals 30 games through the season (he’s currently on pace for 16). But while his goal totals are discomforting, he’s on pace for 54 assists and could surpass last year’s career-high in points of 59.

Perhaps more pointedly, more evidence which points to his improvement is that at this time last season, Kesler only had five goals to his name as well. When he and the rest of the Canucks caught fire in the New Year, he set the league ablaze with 17 goals down the stretch.

But numbers aren’t everything. Even though Kesler won’t be mistaken for his 2003 draft mates like snipers Parise and Carter, or power forwards Getzlaf and Perry, or heart-and-soul player Richards, all five players except Parise are making north of 5M per season. And Kesler, who has stated previously that he may consider taking a paycut to keep the Canucks’ group together.

Just how much that discount is remains to be seen, but if Kesler is true to his word and takes around 4M per season, the debate of who in the 2003 draft class is the better player would become much more muddled.

Oh, and it wouldn’t be a 2003 draft discussion without mentioning the few duds of the first round: Brian Boyle (26th) and Shawn Belle (30th) have combined to play 45 games in the NHL and I do believe the New York Rangers are still waiting on Hugh Jessiman (12th) to show up to training camp (since traded to Nashville).

Two Captains at WJC?

It’s starting to get colder in Vancouver, but as December rolls around there’s only one thing on my mind (besides trying hopelessly to acquire Olympic tickets for cheap): The upcoming World Junior Championships to be held in Saskatchewan, starting on Boxing Day.

The annual event seems to be getting better and more hyped every year. As Canada shoots for an unheard of sixth straight gold medal and the NHL places a higher emphasis on young players, fans are getting the chance to see tomorrow’s superstars play in an upbeat tournament.

If the NHL and the pursuit of the Stanley Cup compared to a marathon race, the World Junior Championships can be liked to a 100-metre sprint towards the finish line. And perhaps that’s why the WJC has increased its lustre over the years, because fans are privy to some in-your-face hockey where every game is played like it’s a player’s last.

As usual, this year’s tournament is being billed as just as exciting as the last, with several teenagers returning from Canada’s gold medal-winning roster which took it all in Ottawa. 15 players will not be back, though, and as a result Hockey Canada has opened the door for several new faces to earn some hardware between now and the New Year.

But among those returning faces will be Vancouver Canucks centre Cody Hodgson, who, despite an ailing back which has prevented him from suiting up for his junior team in Brampton, will be a strong candidate for the captaincy. Hodgson led the tournament last year in scoring and is a safe bet to receive the ‘C’ and a lock to at least get a letter on his chest.

What may come as an even larger surprise is the possibility that another Canuck prospect may receive a leadership role at the World Juniors. 2009 first-round selection Jordan Schroeder, who will be competing in his third tournament for the United States, may end up leading the Red, White, and Blue towards the goal of winning their first gold medal since 2004.

Despite his lacklustre performance in last year’s tournament and his not-so-hot start in his sophomore season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Schroeder is the kind of person who leads by example on the ice. His quick release wrist shot is sure to terrorize goaltenders in this year’s tournament again.

Like Hodgson, Schroeder is a virtual lock to at least receive a letter. Other candidates like Mitch Wahl and highly-touted 2010 draft selection Cam Fowler will receive consideration, but given Schroeder’s resume and qualifications, it’s entirely possible he can receive the captaincy.

In other WJC news, Vancouver’s second-round selection in 2009, Swedish forward Anton Rodin, rounds out the three Canuck prospects who were selected to their respective nations’ preliminary rosters. Rodin is a flashy skater who scores some pretty remarkable goals but certainly will not be mistaken to be Sweden’s game breaker.

These players suck, period

That’s it, I’ve had it. I’m sitting in an unfavourable position in all three of my hockey pools and it’s thanks in large part to some players who should be my dependable contributors and are not producing enough. We’re now a quarter way through the season and if these players don’t kick it into gear soon, I (and other fantasy owners) are going to punch a big fat hole through our computer screens.

Shawn Horcoff - Are you kidding me with this, Shawn? If you’re being paid like a front line centre you damn well better produce. Plagued by a couple nagging injuries or not, Horcoff’s three goals in sixteen games are laughable at best. And while he’s not terribly far off his career high of 22 goals, the Oiler is nowhere near his career high of 73 points set back in 2006.

Martin Havlat - Seems like inconsistency among vastly talented players is a trend continuing in Minneapolis. After Marian Gaborik skipped town, Havlat came in and has been absolutely… invisible. Two goals is bad, even for Havlat, who has missed an umpteen amount of games.

Jonathan Cheechoo - Alright, so this might not be so surprising. But seriously, I have never seen someone crash this hard since Britney Spears’ head-shaving days. Cheechoo once scored 56 goals in a season. Now, he’ll be lucky to get 56 goals combined in the remainder of his career. And with only one tally this year, something tells me the former Rocket Richard winner won’t be around much longer.

Pavel Datsyuk - Okay, I get it. Datsyuk may have been battling an injury, and yes, Detroit as a whole haven’t been great this season, but this sickly talented Russian is better than a point per game. Over the last four seasons he has scored 87, 87, 97, and 97 points. Fantasy owners, don’t give up faith, but boy has Datsyuk been unspectacular this season.

Bryan Little, Alex Burrows - What do these two have in common? Both normally play with stars but those stars were sidelined for long stretches. Where Rich Peverley has been a star in Atlanta, Little has been a dud

thus far. Lots of people expected Little to build on his 51 points last year, but the third-year winger must have really missed Ilya Kovalchuk here. As for Burrows, his measly empty-net goal in the last 17 contests is alarming. It’s likely Burrows has sent Daniel a thousand get-well cards and carnations by now.

Oli Jokinen - Some people just can’t take the heat. Olli, maybe you were better off staying in Florida. It looked like a shrewd move by Darryl Sutter at last year’s deadline, but in 38 career games as a Flame, Jokinen has potted ten goals. He might also be the league’s worst fighter. Ever.

David Backes - This one…. oooh, this one. David Backes, you are single-handedly causing more pain than H1N1 at this point. Seriously, David? ONE goal in eighteen games? If you’re not going to get close to last year’s 31 goals, at least drop the gloves more often and get us some penalty points. But three points this season is absolutely incredible it’s beyond comprehension.

(Dis)Honourable mentions: Alex Kovalev, Kyle Wellwood, David Krejci, and pretty much anyone playing for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Forsberg could be a match

As the Vancouver Canucks creep towards 100 man games lost this season due to injury, perhaps it’s fate that general manager Mike Gillis has expressed interest in the oft-injured Peter Forsberg.

I know what’s being said out on the street and on the radio, and it seems like there are more people who think a Peter Forsberg on one foot is a risk the Canucks can ill-afford at this crucial stage for the Canucks with the Olympics (and along with it a crucial road trip) around the corner.

But I don’t care what the pundits say about Peter Forsberg when it comes to his ability to continue playing hockey. Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Forsberg, unquestionably the most dominant Swedish player in hockey history, can still play this game, and at a very elite level.

And Canuck fans, just so we’re all on the same page here: Peter Forsberg is no Mats Sundin. No, with all due respect to the latter (Another sure-fire Hall of Famer), Peter Forsberg accomplished much more than Sundin and most importantly to the ears of Canuck fans, delivered it all when it mattered most. Let’s quickly go through a rundown of what exactly Foppa has accomplished thus far in his NHL career:

1. Two Stanley Cups
2. Hart Trophy
3. Art Ross Trophy
4. 3-time First NHL All-Star
5. Calder trophy winner
6. 2 Olympic Gold medals

And while some of that success can be attributed to the fact that Forsberg played with some incredibly talented players, there’s no denying his statisics of 706 NHL games and 885 career points with a +242 rating. Forsberg was an incredibly physical centre who could dominate his opponent with an envious combination of size and skill. In every sense of the word, the Swedish hero was fearless. He did things at full speed that most NHL players couldn’t do at half speed.

Peter the Great, however, has had a number of injury issues, most specifically in his ailing foot. However, Forsberg is reported to feel healthier than he has in many years, and still has gas left in the tank and a desire to show he can compete in the NHL. And let’s be honest, folks, if Peter Forsberg, even at 50% of his health, can play for the Canucks, he would still have more scoring touch than the majority of players on the roster.

With Pavol Demitra possibly missing the rest of the season due to shoulder injury, Mike Gillis stated that he wasn’t concerned and the gaping hole was an opportunity for players like Mason Raymond to step into a top-six role. And while Raymond has thus far been decent in his recent promotion, he is no Peter Forsberg. The Canucks owe it to their fans to be legitimately interested in the Swedish star, and Canuck fans owe it to the organization’s desire to contend for a Stanley Cup to be interested.

It’s a tantalizing thought to believe that one day Forsberg will line up for a faceoff on the powerplay with his fellow Ornskoldsvik brethren in the Sedin twins. All three are very strong down low and Forsberg would be a bonafide triggerman who would exceed Alex Burrows’ ability to finish. Forsberg at either centre or left wing would anchor a second line with Ryan Kesler and fellow Swede Mikael Samuelsson.

But let’s be honest, folks, the chances of Forsberg donning the green, white, and blue are marginal at best. Forsberg’s loyalties to the Colorado Avalanche stand as the most evident obstacle for the Canucks, as he spurned their offer two years ago to sign with the team he won two Stanley Cups with. And as of today, Forsberg was reported to have as many as NHL scouts from six different clubs in attendance at the Karjala Cup which he competed for with Sweden.

Times and the people who ran the Canucks ten, five, and two years ago have changed. No, this isn’t the same team or organization that Peter Forsberg used to dominate on his own back in his prime. The fact Mike Gillis was able to attract Mats Sundin despite the heavy interest from the New York Rangers serves as a great precedent. If the Canucks can manage to lure Sundin away from other possible suitors, perhaps fans have reason to hope that they can somehow bring Forsberg.

And to refer back to Mike Gillis, his reputation as a former player agent may continue to reward the team. The respect and friendship he commanded with Peter Forsberg’s agent Don Baizley may help sell Forsberg on the idea of coming to Vancouver.

Perhaps most pointedly, Vancouver itself will be hosting the 2010 Olympics in less than 100 days and while the general public outcry from the city is about how much the costs are going to be, the Canucks are able to sell the fact that future players will be able to play in the same arena the Olympics will be held is a carrot worthy of a nibble.

Any kind of Peter Forsberg will be extremely beneficial for the Vancouver Canucks. But I’ll put this out there, peopl: Don’t get your hopes up. Instead, I will leave you to whet your appetite with this highlight video from Forsberg’s prime years:

Ace in the hole?

Before proceeding any further, let’s make one thing perfectly clear: By all accounts, Michael Grabner did not deserve to play in the NHL this season, let alone find himself skating on the top line with Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows. But if we’re being honest, Grabner is the only proverbial ace in the hole the Canucks can wield now.

All available options have been exhausted with Daniel Sedin and Pavol Demitra sidelined. Putting Ryan Kesler on the top line would leave the Canucks without a second line centre, a role which Kesler has been able to anchor thus far. Ditto for Mikael Samuelsson. And Steve Bernier, although he’s been decent on the powerplay, isn’t capable of logging top minutes.

Talk about being thrown right into the fire. Grabner will be counted upon to not only boost the Canucks offense, but almost carry it. Expectations have been set unreasonably high and to be honest any fan expecting him to fulfill those expectations are seriously kidding themselves,

So the team calls up Michael Grabner.

I’m not going to lie, I won’t be holding my breath for the Austrian to score his first NHL goal. While he’s shown hands in the American League, he hasn’t been able to translate that success to the NHL. His preseason showing was unbearable, to say the least. Despite possessing blinding speed and the ability to carry the puck up ice at those speeds, Grabner’s hesitation to go into the dirty areas of the offensive zone leads me to believe he may never get to the NHL.

He’s steadily approaching “bust” status, and this may be Grabner’s best and last chance to prove that he can play in the NHL. Coach Vigneault couldn’t have given the Austrian a more bonafide opportunity to prove his worth than on the top line with one of the best set-up men in the game today in Henrik Sedin. Alex Burrows vows to do all the dirty work necessary; all Grabner has to do is finish.

Can he do it? I suppose we’ll find out on Friday when the Canucks hit the road in Calgary. Canuck fans are holding their collective breath waiting to find the answer.