A couple of notes from the crease before I dive into important issues like the new Steamer Dog at Rogers Arena.
News1130 spoke with Jacob Markstrom, who states emphatically that he hasn't asked for a trade.
For more,
Click here for a complete summary of Markstrom's comments.
If you scroll further down in that Sportsnet story, you'll see an image of Evander Kane in training mode that contrasts dramatically against the pic of Big Buff that was floating around our comment boards yesterday. I've said for months that I'd love to see the Canucks go after him, but I think Team Benning would be too concerned about his potential attitude problems.
But I digress...back to the goalies...
Though Jacob Markstrom is still on board, the next man down the list, Joacim Eriksson, might not be around much longer:
News 1130 reported yesterday that Eriksson's agent will be speaking with the Canucks soon about his client's future. Utica's other goaltender from last season, Joe Cannata, was re-signed back on July 4.
Also in the news yesterday, an ex-Canuck who cashed in with a fat contract extension:
And yes, Schneider's deal has a no-trade clause.
A lot of people are saying that this is a great deal for New Jersey, but I'm not so sure. Schneider has very good regular-season performance numbers, but he still hasn't played more than 45 games in an NHL season. Also, there was the strange situation last year where Schneider was playing well in New Jersey, but his team had trouble putting up wins in front of him. His record was 16-15-12, while Martin Brodeur went 19-14-6 despite inferior stats.
More important to me is the fact that Schneider couldn't deliver playoff wins for the Canucks. Despite a .922 save percentage, Schneider's career postseason record is 1-4 in 10 appearances, with a goals-against of 2.59. I'm not sold on the fact that Schneider has the steely resolve to get the job done in the playoffs.
I still hope for the best for Schneider and would be perfectly happy if he proves me wrong. I'm glad that he'll finally get a chance to prove himself as an undisputed No. 1. I'm just surprised that he was able to ink his big deal before assuming the role.
New Hospitality Strategy at Rogers Arena
As part of the "Change is Coming" overhaul, the Canucks terminated their food and beverage contract with Aramark and have brought the operations in-house. Guests at the Summer Summit on Tuesday got a chance to sample the new food and beverage offerings, at no charge.
New hospitality boss Michael Doyle says the emphasis for the upcoming season will be on quality and speed of service—getting guests out of the lines and back to watching the game, which is smart if they can pull it off. In addition to the fact that it should allow them to sell more food, the game atmosphere sags noticeably at the beginning of periods, when so many fans are still in the concourse food and washroom lines. I wonder if they'll look at expanding in-seat service beyond the club seats as part of an effort to keep fans' attention on the game?
There was lots more talk about the exciting new hot dog line, including the Steamer Dog, which will be served with a perogie as a tribute to Stan Smyl's hometown of Glendon, Alberta.
It's not clear at this time whether old favourites like White Spot and Boston Pizza will still be on the menu. My biggest concern with the change is that higher-quality food options will be accompanied by even higher prices. Hopefully the new fan-friendly attitude will extend to some respect for those fans' budgets.
Prospects—At the Summit, the Grind, and YoungStars Tournament
Also during the Summit, the Canucks brought out new draft picks Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann, Thatcher Demko and "The Big Russian Bear" Nikita Tryamkin to answer a few questions.
• Jake Virtanen continues to be effusive about the opportunity to play for his hometown team. He says his shoulder rehab is going well and the doctors say his recovery is ahead of schedule.
• Jared McCann did a nice job of moving past "it is what it is," saying it's a "true honour" to be a Canuck. He cited Pavel Bure and Markus Naslund as players he idolized growing up, but still admitted that he patterns his game after Ryan Kesler. That drew some boos.
• Thatcher Demko says his dad was a big Kings fan as he grew up in San Diego. The crowd booed that as well, so Demko quickly added that his father has thrown away a lot of his apparel in the last couple of weeks, swapping it for Canucks gear. That brought some cheers.
Demko said he's excited to get going, and that it's tempting to scrap his plan to go to Boston College and get started in the big leagues right away. But he knows that goaltenders take a long time to develop, and patience is important.
• Nikita Tryamkin spoke with the assistance of Russian scout Sergei Chibasov, who acted as interpreter. When asked who he models his game after, he drew a big laugh when he answered "Zdeno Chara." Who else??
As for yesterday's Grouse Grind attack, here's your winner. And don't forget, this activity came on the heels of two days of hard skating out at UBC.
For all the talk of Bo Horvat being too bulky these days, good for him for being a part of the fastest group!
Wednesday wrapped up with a cooking class for the prospects. Today, in addition to skating, the group will visit B.C. Children's Hospital.
The Canucks also announced more details of the upcoming YoungStars tournament in Penticton in September. Tickets go on sale tomorrow—here are all the details:
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