As usual, my playoff bracket is in tatters and we're not even at the end of the first round.
I went 1-for-3 on Saturday and lost my predicted Stanley Cup champions, the San Jose Sharks.
I have to give the Edmonton Oilers credit for bouncing back so impressively after that 7-0 loss to the Sharks in Game 4 of that series. After that game, I thought San Jose would be able to take it home but the Oilers responded well, especially with their dominating performance in the overtime of Game 5.
Jannik Hansen turned out to be a relatively inconsequential addition to the Sharks lineup. He went 0-1-1 in six playoff games and saw his ice time drop to just 12:53 in Game 6.
The two teams that made the biggest moves at the trade deadline were also eliminated on Saturday. The Minnesota Wild got just one goal out of Martin Hanzal and healthy-scratched Ryan White for two of their five playoff games, while the Montreal Canadiens got burned badly by their new acquisitions on what turned out to be the series-winning goal in their loss to the New York Rangers.
Even Kevin Shattenkirk of the Washington Capitals is a minus-four so far in the playoffs. Right now, it looks like the most impactful trade deadline move in terms of playoff success was Anaheim's acquisition of Patrick Eaves, who chipped in a goal and two assists in the Ducks' sweep of the Calgary Flames.
Alex Burrows has also been carrying a pretty heavy load in Ottawa. He played just 11:22 in Game 1 of the Sens' series against Boston but that number has increased steadily. He got his first point of the series, an assist, in Game 5 and played a whopping 24:45 in that double-overtime loss.
With the expansion draft looming and so many teams still in playoff contention at the time, this year's trade deadline was a bit of a strange one. I wonder if the way things have played out will cause teams to be even more cautious about rental players in future seasons.
Even though the Sharks' loss means the draft pick the Canucks receive from San Jose to complete the Hansen deal will just be a fourth-rounder, Vancouver seems to have done pretty well in their deadline acquisitions of Nikolay Goldobin from San Jose and Jonathan Dahlen from Ottawa.
Dahlen signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks on Friday.
The Canucks have also included an out-clause in the contract, where Dahlen can choose to return to Sweden rather than play in the AHL. But unlike with Nikita Tryamkin, who seemed to use that clause as a hammer when approached with the possibility to spending some time in the minor leagues, it sounds like Dahlen is ready to do what it takes to make the transition to the North American game.
Canucks general manager Jim Benning told
Jason Botchford of
The Province that Dahlen should be well-suited to the North American ice surface.
“His game is coming out of corners and living in and around the net,” Benning said. “On the big European ice, the corners are so deep, so he’ll be better on North American ice.”
Benning admits that Dahlen needs to work on his skating, “But I think from his draft year to this season, his skating has really picked up," he added. “As he gets physically stronger, it will just get better.”
We'll see Dahlen on this side of the pond for the first time at the Canucks' development camp in July.
Elsewhere, the Canucks' first-round pick from 2012, Brendan Gaunce, underwent shoulder surgery earlier this week.
Ben Kuzma has an in-depth article on Gaunce's injury and prognosis, in
The Province.
The restricted free agent is now looking at a four-to-six month rehab. That should have him ready to go for the beginning of next season, but doesn't exactly put him in a strong bargaining position when it comes to negotiating his next contract.
Gaunce played 57 NHL games this season, going 0-5-5 while deployed primarily as a fourth-line winger. He will be waiver-eligible next season, which should help him stick with the big club.
To wrap up today, Trevor Linden sure spoke like Travis Green has the inside track on the Canucks' head-coaching job when he spoke with
Ed Willes of
The Province this week.
"He’s an excellent candidate. It’s a real positive to have Travis in our organization," Linden said. "You just have to talk to (Canucks goaltending coach) Dan Cloutier and (director of player development) Ryan Johnson about the work he’s done in Utica to know that.
"(Green) has a program and a level of accountability. Relating to young players is so important in today’s game. I think the coaching game has changed."
As for a timeline for a coaching announcement, "I don’t expect this to drag on," Linden said.
Willes also throws cold water on the Ralph Krueger rumours that surfaced earlier this week. As he puts it, "Freddy Krueger has a better chance of being the Canucks’ next head coach than Ralph Krueger."
Despite their sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators, the Chicago Blackhawks have made it clear that their coach, Joel Quenneville, will be keeping his job.
Based on this latest information, I wouldn't be surprised if we hear a Travis Green announcement over the next few days, before next Saturday's Draft Lottery.
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