Questions revolving around Vancouver

As we wait longer and longer for Sundin to make a decision, you have to wonder that if he really hasn't decided whether he is going to play next season, do you really want him? Its not long before training camp opens, and the new NHL season begins and Sundin still has yet to make up his mind. My personal opinion, if he wanted to come to Vancouver, he would have done so already and its time to move on. But to what you may ask, well at this time that is unclear, but its obvious the Canucks need atleast 1 more top 6 forwards. The names that have been thrown around, linked to Vancouver are, Vermette, Gionta, Afinogenov, Williams, Jokinen, and Weiss. Unfortunately out of those players none of them are 1st line centers, but they are good forwards nonetheless. But what would be a good fit in Vancouver? Should Sundin be off the radar, look for Vancouver to go very hard for Weiss, as he maynot be anything more then a 2nd line center, but he definately has a play making ability, and the Panthers look like they are going to be sellers, with the Bouwmeaster rumours running rampid, and their captain Oli Jokinen already traded to Phoenix. Another good fit would be Vermette, a player that I have personally be a fan of for quite some time, Vermette had put him 20+ goals on a 3rd line in Ottawa, so in a second line roll you would expect the same, if not more. Finally, Justin Williams, he is a young stud, only 26 years of age, and has scored 30+ goals twice, prior to last season. A player who could be an impact on Vancouver's second line, Williams could bring some much needed scoring to a team that is dearly lacking. Now on a different note, a move that I would not be surprised if the Canucks made would be trading long time Canuck Mattias Ohlund. With UFA's like Gaborik next season, look for Ohlund to be possibly moved, depending what he wants to stay in Vancouver. Canucks have some key Free-Agents like the Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Alexandre Burrows and Steve Bernier to name a few, look for them to possibly trade Ohlund. For Ohlund to stay he would need to take a home town discount, and unfortunately, that is not something, I suspect, he is willing to do. So what do you guys think? What is Gillis's next move? What will he do with pending UFA/RFA's? Has Gillis moved on from Sundin? Is Gillis targetting a big name player? Is Bieksa a movable asset? Some many questions, so little time before training camp. So I ask you, if you were Mike Gillis what would you do?

PANEL OF UNBIASED FANS NEEDED

Hey Guys,

I NEED A COUPLE GUYS WHO ARE UNBIASED TO HELP ME OUT WITH THE SELECTION PROCESS OF THE NEXT HOCKEYBUMS BLOGGER CONTEST IF YOUR INTERESTED IN HELPING OUT EMAIL ME AT hockeybums@yahoo.ca

Scotty

LIVE CHAT 9:00am TOMORROW

HEY GUYS LIVE CHAT TOMORROW AT 9:00am HERE ON HOCKEYBUMS TO DISCUSS EVERYTHING IN THE HOCKEY WORLD!

Scotty

Selanne Returning......To Ducks?

Today in a Finnish TV interview Selänne pretty much confirmed he's going to return, again saying the Ducks are the only team he will play for. I guess there won't be anything official until Anaheim can clear some cap space for him, but it looks like he has decided to play.

kudos to atc of hockeybuzz for this info.

Future Watch:Alex Goligoski

Hey Guys Im Thinking Of Starting A New Feature Called Future Watch So Here Is My First Kick At The Can Let Me Know What You think Of The Idea.

FUTURE WATCH:ALEX GOLIGOSKI

Born in the self proclaimed new Hockey Town USA,Minnesota Goligoski is a 6 foot tall 187 pound defensive stud.He attended the U of Minnesota for college and was a d-man for there NCAA hockey team the Golden Gophers. He was then selected 61st overall in the NHL entry draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hes had a couple of stints with the Penguins since concluding his tenure at the University of Minnesota but he plays the majority of his games right now with the affiliate team Wilkes Barre-Scranton.

CONCLUSION: In conclusion it looks like he will get playing time this year with the Pens as one of there top d-men Ryan Whitney will be out for 3-5 months recovering from surgery. Look for some good numbers from Goligoski on the pens point as he can play in all situations and excel. Hes also a GREAT sleeper pick in a fantasy draft.

Ryan Whitney out 3-5 months with injury

From Rob Rossi at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Whitney, whose point total dropped from 59 in 2006-07 to 40 last season, underwent surgery to correct a left-foot misalignment Friday in Charlotte. Full recovery from the osteotomy, usually takes three to five months, which means he won't be back before the end of November.

“Ryan has been bothered by this condition in his foot for some time,” Shero said. “He consulted with a number of specialists in an effort to correct the problem without surgery, but it was ultimately determined that surgery was the best path to take – for his general well-being, and for his career.

Look for Kris Letang to get more ice time, especially on the PP and for rookie Alex Goligoski to start the season with the Penguins.

Blues High On Shanny

After reports tonight coming from hockeybuzz.com's Andy Strickland that the Blues would not sign Brendan Shanahan I have come upon this article from St.Louis Today's Jeremy Rutherford. He had these quotes from Blues John Davidson......

"For us, we think Brendan can still play," Davidson said. "He's in great shape. We've done our research."

As far as taking the spot of a young prospect on the roster, Davidson said: "We want our young players to graduate to the next level. We're trying to surround them in the right atmosphere and Brendan could be a big part of that. We're still going to play a lot of youth. We'll just see how it goes."

Im thinking theres a good chance he signs there,

Scotty

Panthers re-sign Drew Larman

The Florida Panthers agreed yesterday to terms with restricted free-agent center Drew Larman on a one-year contract.
The Michigan native Larman, 23, appeared in six games with Florida last season, recording only one assist. He spent the majority of the campaign with Rochester of the AHL, where he registered 10 goals and 22 points in 54 contests.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Habs sign Yannick Weber

The Montreal Canadiens have announced the signing of defencemen Yannick Weber to a three-year contract. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed yet.

Weber, 19, played for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL last season, scoring 55 points in 59 games. He also played in the Memorial Cup, where his Rangers lost in final vs the Spokane Chiefs.

Weber will likely head to Hamilton for a few years of seasoning before before turning pro.

Oilers invite Guillaume Lefebvre to training camp

Tough winger Guillaume Lefebvre, who played a few NHL games with Philly and Pittsburgh, is on the main training camp roster on a tryout. Lefebvre will be at training camp with the Oilers in September. He has two goals and six points in 38 career NHL game.

Lefebvre, 27, played the past 2 seasons with the St. Jean Chiefs of the NAHL.

McCabe trade confirmed but return is sketchy.

So earlier I reported that the players in the McCabe trade had been confirmed to be David Booth and Mike Van Ryn. While the Booth and Van Ryn part are still there, there's others being mentioned.

Speculation is beginning to rear its ugly head again as there are now several more players being named.

On Torontos end: Nik Antropov, Alex Steen, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Bryan McCabe.

On Floridas end: Mike Van Ryn, Anthony Stewart, David Booth, Stephen Weiss.

There are picks involved including Floridas 1st rounder next year. (I know this sounds crazy but this is what Dreger has said)

Now not all these players will be moving but at least one or more of these players will have new jerseys come Sept 1st. I say that if Antropov is involved there will be that 1st rounder coming the other way as Torontos surprise late bloomer from last season has an all time high trade value right now.

Anyways stay tuned for more.

The Source