Canucks stand pat at
trade deadline

By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

here was rampant speculation that
"Tea Canucks’ General Manager Mike

Gillis would make a bold move at the March
4" trade deadline to bolster his team in preparation
for a playoff run, but that wasn’t the case on
Wednesday. In fact, Gillis did nothing at all.

On a day when Vancouver’s divisional rivals,
the Calgary Flames, bulked up significantly with the
additions of Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold, Gillis
apparently decided that this version of the Canucks
is good enough to go deep into the playoffs. Aside
from a brief inquiry call to Florida Panthers GM
Jacques Martin about pending unrestricted free
agent defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, who was
projected to be the prize piece of the day but ended
up not moving at all, Gillis had an uneventful
deadline day.

While the Flames clearly vaulted themselves
into legitimate Stanley Cup contention, the Canucks
failed to keep pace, if they tried at all. The Chicago
Blackhawks went out and acquired one of the best

defensive centers in the NHL in Samuel Paulson,
who won a Cup with Anaheim, was huge in the
playoffs and has captured the Selke Trophy before.

That looks like a resume that would have
fit Vancouver perfectly. The Canucks needed to
improve badly at their third-line center spot, as
the underachieving Kyle Wellwood has dropped
off the face of the Earth and has had no offensive
production to speak of for months. Paulson would
have been a strong third-line center. He can score,
hit, is a terrific passer and excels defensively.
Plus, Chicago got for a relative pittance for a
few borderline players. The deal also netted
them a good young defensive prospect in Logan
Stephenson and a conditional draft pick.

One of the most appealing players available
at the deadline was Marian Gaborik, who in the
end wasn’t moved from the Wild at all. That could
prove to be a big mistake for both Vancouver and
Minnesota. Vancouver erred by not obtaining him
while the Wild messed up by not getting anything
for him at all as he’s made it very clear that he
won’t be wearing the red and green next season.

 

It’s understandable that Gillis was reluctant to

part with some of his prized prospects in order to
bring in a flashy rental. Cody Hodgson, Michael
Grabner and Cory Schneider are all excellent
young players with big upsides, and it is true that
Vancouver isn’t exactly the Los Angeles Kings

in terms of top prospects. But still, doing nothing
may be a big mistake, especially with Chicago and
Calgary improving. The Canucks are looking like
they have a first round playoff series lined up with
the Blackhawks, and Paulson could come back to
bite them.

Not dealing Schneider is an interesting non-
move as well. It’s true that the former Boston
College goalie is a tremendous young puck
stopper who is posting great numbers this year
with Manitoba, but presuming Vancouver retains
Roberto Luongo for the foreseeable future, there
just isn’t room for Schneider here. Dealing him
as part of a package for a guy like Bouwmeester
would have made sense.

 

 

 

 

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