Fan In Van

Naslundian Dilemma

There’s a real strange feeling around Vancouver regarding the situation of Markus Naslund. There are a handful of backers who would love to see him back in a Canuck uniform next season, and there are an equal amount of naysayers who think Naslund shouldn’t even grace his face in this town again.

Don’t be fooled by Markus Naslund’s performance over the last three seasons; while his production has tailed off dramatically since his glorious 100+ point season in 2003, perhaps it still can be said that he remains a symbol of what the Vancouver Canucks are.

He’s disappointed, brought little leadership, and has shown minimal drive to win when it matters.

To be quite objective, Naslund is not worth the $18M he has earned the last three seasons. In fact, it can even be said that Naslund belongs with disgraced ex-Canuck Mark Messier as players who robbed the franchise of $18M over a three-year contract. Both Messier and Naslund signed on the dotted line and proceeded to disappoint the fans and media who expected so much out of their team’s captain.

That being said, Naslund still has value and is still a serviceable secondary scorer. It is no longer possible to depend on #19 to put up the bulk of the offense for the team; even after Naslund, can we even depend on the Sedin twins to fill that role? That dilemma alone will be one new GM Mike Gillis must solve in the offseason. Is Markus Naslund still a useful player on a Canuck roster that is set for a semi-blowup?

And if the answer to that question is yes, at what price will Naslund cost? 4M? 3M? While Gillis may show sympathy to his former client, he most certainly will not be overpaying for his services like Dave Nonis did three offseasons ago. Gillis, the one who negotiated Naslund’s $18M contract in the first place, knows better than that by now.

In addition, the Naslundian dilemma thickens; reports out of last week’s Globe and Mail stated that Markus Naslund would not return to Vancouver if Alain Vigneault remains behind the bench. Here’s the tidbit:

Complicating matters is this: a source told the Globe and Mail that Naslund, an unrestricted free agent come July 1, won’t consider re-signing with the Canucks if Alain Vigneault remains as head coach.

Few would be surprised if Gillis hired his own coach. But to fire Vigneault, the reigning Jack Adams Award winner, and re-sign Naslund, whose production has slipped for four straight seasons, could easily be seen as too self-serving.

Now this is getting interesting. Doesn’t this sound a little too…. un-Naslund-like? Markus Naslund has never been one to use the media to speak out his displeasure. In fact, Markus Naslund is probably the last guy who would reveal his cards through the media.

Which makes me also question the validity of the Globe and Mail’s report; Naslund does not seem like a person to be making demands at this time; after all, his contract has expired, his team faces an overhaul and he is 35 years old.

Mike Gillis may face challenges in finding the speed and grit he desires for his new team, but he may face a greater one in deciding whether or not to bring back the Vancouver Canuck captain.