John Tortorella sorry for favouring Sweden over Canada - NHL on CBC Sports - Hockey news, opinion, scores, stats, standings
I think this guy might be one brick shy!
I think this guy might be one brick shy!
How about them Canucks!
- Thread starter #juan
- Start date
could be, but the media ran with it, he should know better, his mouth is his worst enemy.
it looks bad when he 'again' has to come forward and explain himself, sure hope there are
no more explanations along the way, give it a rest, its not good for the organization, and
i'm sure gillis wrings his hands once again having to stand by him.
for ch**st sake, just coach the team.
Blues begin road trip against CanucksTuesday, 02.25.2014 / 7:29 PMDavis Harper - NHL.com Staff Writer
BLUES (39-12-6) at CANUCKS (27-24-9)
TV: FS-MW, SNET-P
Last 10: St. Louis 7-2-1; Vancouver 2-8-0
Season series: The Vancouver Canucks are going for a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues after winning 3-2 in overtime at Scottrade Center on Oct. 25 and 2-1 at home on Jan. 10.
Big story: The teams resume play after the Olympic break in vastly different circumstances. The Blues begin a three-game road trip on top of the Central Division, all but assured of a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and challenging for the Presidents' Trophy. The Canucks start a three-game homestand on the outside looking in at the top eight in the Western Conference, but they should get a boost from the return of top-line center Henrik Sedin.
Team Scope:
Blues: With seven Blues playing in the maximum six games in Sochi, coach Ken Hitchcock may be forced to give some of his stars a break during a three-game road trip.
"It's going to be really interesting to see all of these guys coming back that played in some of the important games over there, how quickly they can mentally turn that off and get refocused for some real important hockey," said Blues associate coach Brad Shaw, who has been running practice while Hitchcock served as an assistant coach for Canada. "That'll be a real tough mental challenge for those guys and we'll have to maybe expect some play that is a little bit haywire at times. Hopefully we'll have enough guys pointed in the right direction."
Shaw said the Blues may have to give their Olympians some additional rest.
"I don't think it's written in stone, but there is an idea that some guys will probably need a break, some may not," he said. "A lot of the guys that went over, a [Alex Pietrangelo] or [Jay Bouwmeester], who average 25 minutes and end up playing a 17 or 18 minutes, might be able to come right back in. It's hard to say."
Canucks: The good news is that although Sedin missed practice this week for personal reasons, coach John Tortorella said he is expected to return to the lineup against the Blues. The bad news is that Tortorella had no update on whether center Ryan Kesler would be available. Kesler played the final three games for the United States in Sochi despite a right hand injury sustained when he blocked a shot in the game against Russia; he had an MRI on Tuesday.
Kesler's absence would be a major loss for a team that's already thin down the middle. He leads NHL forwards in ice time (22:12) and has a key role on both special teams for the Canucks.
"He's one guy you notice more than others because he contributes in so many areas of our team," forward Christopher Higgins told the Vancouver Province. "He plays hard minutes. He would be a tough guy to replace."
Who's hot: Blues forward T.J. Oshie became a household name after his shootout heroics in the United States' preliminary-round win against Russia in Sochi, but he's played well all season. His 46 points are tied with Alexander Steen for the team lead. … Higgins had points in each of Vancouver's last two games, and his 16 goals are second on the team.
Injury report: The Blues are expected to be without defenseman Jordan Leopold (ankle) and forward Vladimir Sobotka (knee). … The Canucks will be without defensemen Christopher Tanev (hand) and Andrew Alberts (concussion), and center Mike Santorelli (shoulder). Forward Alexandre Burrows (hand) and defenseman Yannick Weber (undisclosed) are day-to-day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
maybe burrows, henrik sedin will be back today, don't know about kesler, haven't heard results from his
MRI, and no report as yet today.
rumours started by the media, as apparantly there have been numerous calls to gillis inquiring about kesler
concerning his availability for a trade, of course no word from canuck brass, and there might be nothing
at all concrete about this story, and alex edler is also rumoured as possibily being traded, we'll see.
the media love their own voices, and the more they hear themselves the bigger the stories become.
i am very curious why luongo isn't playing tonight, it is lack instead.
luongo hardly played at the olympics, only one game, he has been home
same as others, so why isn't he playing. is something up !!!!!!!!!
ryan kesler won't be playing, and is day to day with a hand injury
BLUES (39-12-6) at CANUCKS (27-24-9)
TV: FS-MW, SNET-P
Last 10: St. Louis 7-2-1; Vancouver 2-8-0
Season series: The Vancouver Canucks are going for a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues after winning 3-2 in overtime at Scottrade Center on Oct. 25 and 2-1 at home on Jan. 10.
Big story: The teams resume play after the Olympic break in vastly different circumstances. The Blues begin a three-game road trip on top of the Central Division, all but assured of a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and challenging for the Presidents' Trophy. The Canucks start a three-game homestand on the outside looking in at the top eight in the Western Conference, but they should get a boost from the return of top-line center Henrik Sedin.
Team Scope:
Blues: With seven Blues playing in the maximum six games in Sochi, coach Ken Hitchcock may be forced to give some of his stars a break during a three-game road trip.
"It's going to be really interesting to see all of these guys coming back that played in some of the important games over there, how quickly they can mentally turn that off and get refocused for some real important hockey," said Blues associate coach Brad Shaw, who has been running practice while Hitchcock served as an assistant coach for Canada. "That'll be a real tough mental challenge for those guys and we'll have to maybe expect some play that is a little bit haywire at times. Hopefully we'll have enough guys pointed in the right direction."
Shaw said the Blues may have to give their Olympians some additional rest.
"I don't think it's written in stone, but there is an idea that some guys will probably need a break, some may not," he said. "A lot of the guys that went over, a [Alex Pietrangelo] or [Jay Bouwmeester], who average 25 minutes and end up playing a 17 or 18 minutes, might be able to come right back in. It's hard to say."
Canucks: The good news is that although Sedin missed practice this week for personal reasons, coach John Tortorella said he is expected to return to the lineup against the Blues. The bad news is that Tortorella had no update on whether center Ryan Kesler would be available. Kesler played the final three games for the United States in Sochi despite a right hand injury sustained when he blocked a shot in the game against Russia; he had an MRI on Tuesday.
Kesler's absence would be a major loss for a team that's already thin down the middle. He leads NHL forwards in ice time (22:12) and has a key role on both special teams for the Canucks.
"He's one guy you notice more than others because he contributes in so many areas of our team," forward Christopher Higgins told the Vancouver Province. "He plays hard minutes. He would be a tough guy to replace."
Who's hot: Blues forward T.J. Oshie became a household name after his shootout heroics in the United States' preliminary-round win against Russia in Sochi, but he's played well all season. His 46 points are tied with Alexander Steen for the team lead. … Higgins had points in each of Vancouver's last two games, and his 16 goals are second on the team.
Injury report: The Blues are expected to be without defenseman Jordan Leopold (ankle) and forward Vladimir Sobotka (knee). … The Canucks will be without defensemen Christopher Tanev (hand) and Andrew Alberts (concussion), and center Mike Santorelli (shoulder). Forward Alexandre Burrows (hand) and defenseman Yannick Weber (undisclosed) are day-to-day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
maybe burrows, henrik sedin will be back today, don't know about kesler, haven't heard results from his
MRI, and no report as yet today.
rumours started by the media, as apparantly there have been numerous calls to gillis inquiring about kesler
concerning his availability for a trade, of course no word from canuck brass, and there might be nothing
at all concrete about this story, and alex edler is also rumoured as possibily being traded, we'll see.
the media love their own voices, and the more they hear themselves the bigger the stories become.
i am very curious why luongo isn't playing tonight, it is lack instead.
luongo hardly played at the olympics, only one game, he has been home
same as others, so why isn't he playing. is something up !!!!!!!!!
ryan kesler won't be playing, and is day to day with a hand injury
Excellent team effort tonight-I wouldn't have been surprised to see a lacklustre game after the long layoff but we saw the opposite of that with everyone working hard and contributing what they could.
well canucks got their 'one' goal, but fortunately st. louis got 'none' goals, good win.
eddie lack is a very bright spot for the future of the canucks, i like him a lot.
the big rumour tonight is the story saying that ryan kesler asked to be
traded some months ago, don't know if it is true or not.
if it is true, he will be gone by next wednesday, (trade deadline). I
like the idea, kesler will bring back very good players, his stock
right now would be very high, he is 29 yrs old, playing very well,
and his stature in the league is very high, his ability is very well
respected around the league, so lets see this happen, as it will
definitely help to restock this team with good players, which they
need to keep this team at a respectable level, and going into next
season they will also have bo horvat, and possibly niklas jenson,
to fill in some of the gaps, and the team can stay competetive, and
not begin to fall down the ladder.
i'm also wondering about alex edler, will he or won't he be gone as
well.
eddie lack is a very bright spot for the future of the canucks, i like him a lot.
the big rumour tonight is the story saying that ryan kesler asked to be
traded some months ago, don't know if it is true or not.
if it is true, he will be gone by next wednesday, (trade deadline). I
like the idea, kesler will bring back very good players, his stock
right now would be very high, he is 29 yrs old, playing very well,
and his stature in the league is very high, his ability is very well
respected around the league, so lets see this happen, as it will
definitely help to restock this team with good players, which they
need to keep this team at a respectable level, and going into next
season they will also have bo horvat, and possibly niklas jenson,
to fill in some of the gaps, and the team can stay competetive, and
not begin to fall down the ladder.
i'm also wondering about alex edler, will he or won't he be gone as
well.
Last edited:
I think the Canucks would be better off waiting until the end of the season before trading any highly prized players. Trade deadline stuff is generally for rental players and drafts. The team acquiring a Kesler is unlikely to be interested in trading away an existing top 6 forward. They should wait until summer then put Luongo and Kelser in a package - all or none. Get a decent established player back along with a prospect and draft - something to that effect.
whenever it happens, if it happens, when the right trade comes forward gillis has to do it, and he
won't do it at the trade deadline, if those returns aren't there.
the rental players are for teams making a run for the possibility of winning it all, that isn't the
canucks, and kesler is a player any team would know they would want to carry over to the next
season, unlike the trade pittsburg made for iginla, an older player, whom they thought would help
them win the cup, he didn't, he left at the end of the season, no contract, and they wouldn't want
to pay iginla, a much older player, what he was asking, to continue with them, kesler isn't in that
catagorie.
kesler has 2 more years left on his contract, which makes him more desireable than a rental, as the
team acquiring him doesn't have to worrry about him 'walkiing' at the end of the season.
his earnings also aren't too high to discourage a team, as was luongo's. kesler's contract is a
desireable one, and a team would be getting a top player for a decent price.
it all depends of what canucks would get back, that is gillis's job to do it right, and also kesler with his no trade contract, will give gillis a list of teams he is willing to go to, which is good,
as he probably will choose an american team, who is strong, a chance to win the cup for him.
pittsburg, boston, chicago comes to mind.
he is an american, family roots in the east, so i would think he and his family would want to move
closer to his roots.
doesn't really matter if it happens now, or in the summer, seems it is going to happen, and probably
luongo too, as lack is definitely threatening to become the second coming of schneider, and a replay
of what happened with that situation could happen again.
if edler leaves, he wouldn't be a rental either, still under contract next season.
won't do it at the trade deadline, if those returns aren't there.
the rental players are for teams making a run for the possibility of winning it all, that isn't the
canucks, and kesler is a player any team would know they would want to carry over to the next
season, unlike the trade pittsburg made for iginla, an older player, whom they thought would help
them win the cup, he didn't, he left at the end of the season, no contract, and they wouldn't want
to pay iginla, a much older player, what he was asking, to continue with them, kesler isn't in that
catagorie.
kesler has 2 more years left on his contract, which makes him more desireable than a rental, as the
team acquiring him doesn't have to worrry about him 'walkiing' at the end of the season.
his earnings also aren't too high to discourage a team, as was luongo's. kesler's contract is a
desireable one, and a team would be getting a top player for a decent price.
it all depends of what canucks would get back, that is gillis's job to do it right, and also kesler with his no trade contract, will give gillis a list of teams he is willing to go to, which is good,
as he probably will choose an american team, who is strong, a chance to win the cup for him.
pittsburg, boston, chicago comes to mind.
he is an american, family roots in the east, so i would think he and his family would want to move
closer to his roots.
doesn't really matter if it happens now, or in the summer, seems it is going to happen, and probably
luongo too, as lack is definitely threatening to become the second coming of schneider, and a replay
of what happened with that situation could happen again.
if edler leaves, he wouldn't be a rental either, still under contract next season.
My point was any team getting him is in a playoff hunt and not likely willing to give up what they are already have. They would be shoring up, not shuffling the decks. That's why rental players do the trick, they don't need to give up playing assets for rental assets. Right at best they would do is give up prospects for Kesler, not top 6 guys. The summer is different. A top 6 guy could be involved in a trade coming back at that point.
thats right, i agree, but i was thinking that some teams that could be in the hunt, could have very
good young players, or prospects, and if canucks know what they are doing they should know who all
of those players are. no, a team in the hunt won't give up a player who can help get them there,
and that is shuffling the deck.
canucks 'need' young players, good young players, they don't have enough of those.
i would never expect a team (who is in the hunt) to give up a top 6 guy.
the high contracts that have been signed recently make kesler's look attractive, that talks.
he denied today that there was any truth at all to this story BUT the media went back to the
original guy (forget his name) and told him that, and he would not back off and said that his
information is true.
they need players and not draft picks, as the top teams don't have high picks.
doesn't matter if they trade him before next wednesday, or in the summer, it won't make much
difference to the canucks this year either way, if gillis can't get what he wants now, do it
later.
i want to see young guys come to the team, not older established players, we have enough of those.
kesler is 29, canucks should trade that down to at least 23 or 24.
the rumours are kadri and bozack for kesler, both centers, kadri only 23 and bosack 26, that would be
a good trade, both of them for kesler.don't know if he would go to toronto,
being american, he might be heading back to the u.s. and closer to
family.
Last edited:
and why didn't gillis completely deny the rumours, instead of saying 'no comment', that just makes
it seem true.
canucks in 10th place tied with phoenix, winnipeg won tonight, they are only 1 point behind, nashville
only 2 points back.
l.a. won, nashville won, dallas won, phoenix got 1 pt.minnesota won.
the media talked about this matter all day, finally when B Mac came on he said there was far too
much smoke, i thought they were going to self-destruct from their excitement.
like little children in a candy store.