Saturday October 10 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames - 7:00 p.m. - CBC, TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks: 1-0-0 first in Pacific Division
Calgary Flames: 0-1-0 fifth in Pacific Division
So much for the least-anticipated season in years...
With the infusion of young talent into the lineup and that statement win over Calgary on Wednesday night, the Canucks have done pretty much everything in their power to try to put bums in seats on Saturday night.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the attendance numbers shake out—whether fans will come back right away or if they'll need more convincing.
There are 300 less seats to sell than there were last year...
With the new NHL-mandated security screening in place, doors will open at 5:30 for the 7:00 start. As an opening-night bonus, all fans on hand will receive a complimentary beverage.
The B.C. Lions are also playing tonight next door at B.C. Place, so the Canucks have issued a press release with everything fans need to know ahead of the game.
I suspect we'll find the Flames chomping at the bit to get going tonight after taking Wednesday night's loss on the chin.
The Flames announced on Thursday that Jonas Hiller will get the start in net tonight for the Flames, and that ex-Canuck Mason Raymond, who recently cleared waivers without being claimed, will be back in the lineup.
Raymond, who's sporting a black eye, says it's like the waiver thing didn't happen. Maybe it will provide him with a little extra motivation tonight.
It sounds like he'll be replacing Josh Jooris on Calgary's third line.
For the Canucks, it still looks like there will be no changes, so Jake Virtanen will most likely be on the sidelines for the second straight game.
Here's who's on the ice for Saturday's optional game-day skate:
To clarify—for junior-age players Virtanen and Jared McCann, they can stay with the Canucks for up to nine games *played* before their entry-level contract kicks in. So, the meter hasn't started to run yet for Virtanen, but tonight will be two of nine for McCann.
As a reminder, Bo Horvat didn't play his ninth game until November 25 last year. His preseason injury kept him sidelined until October 19, then he was assigned to the Utica Comets for a five-game conditioning stint before joining the Canucks. Not the smoothest road, but maybe it offered him a little bit of extra pro-level seasoning?
The other key point—if the Canucks do choose to keep McCann and/or Virtanen with the team beyond nine games, they'll still have the option of returning the players to junior later in the season (or lending them to Canada's World Junior team) if they choose. The only thing that's affected is the status of their entry-level contracts.
This does happen. Alain Vigneault and the New York Rangers kept 19-year-old Anthony Duclair with the team for 18 games last season, until November 29, before being returned to his junior club. It should also be noted, however, that the Rangers rid themselves of future contract concerns with Duclair when they traded him to Arizona as part of the Keith Yandle deal later in the season.
Entry-level contract lengths are standard, at three years. If a player stays with his NHL club for more than nine games, the first year of the contract is effectively "burnt," which means his contract kicks in this season instead of lying dormant until he becomes a more regular pro player.
That means the next negotiation comes up sooner and, for a 19-year-old, that he'll reach unrestricted free agency one year sooner: he'll have completed seven years of pro hockey by the time he's 26 instead of having to wait till he's 27.
To finish this thought—none of these details affect Ben Hutton's status at all. The eternally-smiling defenseman is 22 and came up through NCAA hockey, so he can be assigned to Utica without needing to clear waivers at any time this season.
As much as some of us would like to see if Virtanen can extend his great preseason chemistry with Sven Baertschi and Bo Horvat, their current right winger Radim Vrbata says he's happy on his new line.
A week ago, Vrbata was expressing some concern about who he'd play with in the regular season, but he told
Brad Ziemer of the
Vancouver Sun on Friday that he's excited to play with Horvat.
“You could see it in the second half of last season,” Vrbata said of Horvat. “The plays he made sometimes by himself showed that he has got that offensive side in him and with his speed now and how confident he is with the puck, I think he has so much potential.
“You want to help him as much as you can and with Baertschi it’s the same thing. He’s still young … he is finding his way in the league and it is the same thing. I don’t want to say I am a mentor, but if they have questions I want to help them as much as I can.”
Ziemer also mentioned that Willie Desjardins said that Vrbata and Horvat indicated that they want to play together. My money's on Vrby for initiating that dialogue:
“I think it’s always good when you get guys that want to play together,” he said. “They are certainly going to be invested to try and make it work.”
The Canucks' other right wings, Brandon Sutter and Jannik Hansen, both found the back of the net in Game 1. Will it be Vrbata's turn tonight?
Elsewhere, the Utica Comets play their regular-season opener tonight at Rochester. They'll line up against their old captain, Cal O'Reilly, who is now wearing the C for Buffalo's farm team, the Amerks. Having his younger brother Ryan on the Sabres got Cal a one-way contract this year, but couldn't get him a roster spot on the Sabres.
Nothing definite on the Utica lineup, but tonight could mark the pro debuts for five Canucks prospects: forwards Cole Cassels and Mackenze Stewart and defensemen Jordan Subban, Anton Cederholm and Ashton Sautner.
On Friday night, Brock Boeser was held off the scoresheet in his first college game as his University of North Dakota team beat Lake Superior State by a score of 5-2. Boeser registered three shots on goal and was a plus-one.
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