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Reid Boucher on waivers, Nikita Tryamkin in headlines as Canucks reconvene |
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The Vancouver Canucks took Sunday off after the veterans' long flight home from China.
Monday morning, they get back on the ice—now down to two practice groups after cutting 10 players on Saturday.
None of the players on that list required waivers. If you're willing to take a deep dive into the CBA, Ryan Biech of Canucks Army explains why defenseman Evan McEneny is still exempt this year:
Since Cole Cassels was injured on Friday in Edmonton, he'll stay with the Canucks until he's healthy. There was some talk last week that Jordan Subban might have suffered a minor injury but it wasn't enough to spare him from being assigned to start his third pro season in Utica.
All joking aside, Subban's stagnation is frustrating. I guess we don't hear the same hype about players who don't have the famous bloodlines but he isn't being held back due to his small stature. Though big brother P.K. instructed Jordan to study Ryan Ellis in Nashville as a model for how to play effectively with his body type, it seems like Subban was even more of a defensive liability in camp than we've seen in past years.
Jordan's now 22 and playing out the last year of his entry-level contract. This'll be a make-or-break year for him in Utica.
At this point, I'd say Subban has been passed on the depth chart by McEneny, as well as the defensemen who are still with the Canucks.
In addition to the eight blueliners who went to China, five others are also still here—Philip Holm, Jalen Chatfield, Olli Juolevi, Guillaume Brisebois and Andrey Pedan.
My guess is that the eight who went to China are the eight who will start the year in Vancouver. Chatfield has been excellent but coming straight out of junior, there's no need to rush him. Juolevi and Brisebois are more highly-touted prospects—they're still here purely for the opportunity to soak up more of the NHL experience. Pedan has been pretty solid but probably not done enough to bump Wiercioch or Biega out of a spot and Holm—well, I don't think it would hurt him to spend some time in Utica becoming more accustomed to the NHL game.
Holm's on a two-way contract. If he gets sent to the minors, that'll probably mean a pay cut from what he was earning last year in the Swedish league.
Up front, the Canucks put their first player of the year on waivers on Monday. Forward Reid Boucher played just one preseason game—in Shanghai—but apparently that was enough for Travis Green.
Remember, Boucher was one of the players who came out the gate looking rough during the first bag skate of training camp. Was his fate sealed then?
The Willie Desjardins regime questioned Boucher's conditioning last season, too. With teams more concerned about cutting rosters than adding players right now, I expect Boucher will clear and will get a chance to start raising his stock with the Comets in Utica this year.
Other forward cuts included speedy Griffen Molino and three gritty players—Zack MacEwen, Michael Carcone and Yan Pavel Laplante. I think MacEwen's injury at Young Stars set him back a bit. He'll be a nice addition to the Comets roster. Carcone was more impactful than Laplante in the preseason games. He earned his entry-level contract after a strong showing at the Canucks' 2016 development camp and has continued to bring the intensity—and some decent hands, as well. Carcone had a goal and an assist in his two preseason games.
Defenseman Aaron Irving and forwards Alexis D'Aoust and Brett McKenzie have not yet been signed to contracts, but will continue their auditions at training camp in Utica. They may find themselves looking at ECHL contract offers as the season gets set to begin.
The Utica Comets will play just two preseason games—back-to-back this weekend against Syracuse. The Canucks, Comets and the ECHL Kalamazoo Wings will all open their regular seasons on the same night—Saturday, October 7.
Here's a look at the Canucks' first practice group today. Key items to note—Boeser with the twins and Jonathan Dahlen in the mix for his first proper practice after recovering from mono.
To wrap up today—if you missed it, a Russian interview with Nikita Tryamkin appeared online on Sunday:
A ride through the article with Google Translate is typically amusing but it's not hard to get the gist.
The "Junkie City" headline seems way overblown to me—and the interviewer also issued a clarification.
On balance, I didn't think he was nearly as negative about Vancouver as many elements of the Canucks as he has sometimes been made out to be. He had nice things to say about the Sedins and the Swiss guys, Baertschi and Sbisa, and he corroborated the statements that his decision to go back to Russia had more to do with playing time than anything else. Sure enough, he's averaging 19:54 in ice time in his first 13 games back with Automobilist of the KHL.
Tryamkin says he felt comfortable signing a three-year deal in Russia, but would consider coming back to the Canucks when that contract expires.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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