Prattlin' On About Nothing Again

Ah, summer distractions... luckily Dave Pratt (on the TEAM 1040) is there to wake me out of my slumber. Today (Sept. 4) after the announcement that Trevor Linden's number 16 will be retired, they lost it.

First of all, during the "leadership" discussion, there was a mention that when Mark Messier was here he insisted on being on the penalty kill and the Canucks PK stunk. Well, it was below the league average all three seasons Mess was here, but it was also below the season prior and after.

Check it out:
96/7 80.81% (league average: 83.73%) the season prior to Moose's arrival
97/8 82.18% (league average: 84.92%)
98/9 82.89% (league average: 84.19%)
99/00 80.43% (league average: 83.85%)
00/01 80.88% (league average: 83.36%)

So not only did the Nux improve their PK unit during Messier's first two seasons here but % wise they got closer to the league average. Not that it's a big deal nor a mindblowing stat and Messier was a lot of things, but to blame the PK problems on him when it wasn't all that good before he came is just plain vindictive. Knocking the Mooster, doesn't make Linden look better.

OK, before you all nod off, let's get to this "Linden will be in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder" jag that the Prattster went on about a bit. This has got to based on what "may happen" in his hockey future in management.

So, all this blether must mean that training camp has not yet started, and there is nothing much to talk about. Pretty much sums up my summer absence from blogging.

All I can say is talking about hockey even as dopey as the tangent was today sure beats last week's morning show on the TEAM where one day the poll question was whether anyone would want to see Michael Jackson live. Seriously? This what the coveted sports talk radio 18-to-25 male demographic is interested in? Weren't they more into the hair or metal bands back then? weren't they? No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones rang so true . . . let alone no Clash, Buzzcocks or the Jam.

With that dated New Wave reference, I must bid all adieu until hopefully the Gillisian One pulls of the Sedins for Kovalchuk deal I want...or until some actual hockey "news" happens.

Is Mo Gone?

So, with the Nux picking up Kyle Wellwood off the Make Beliefs on waivers, you have to figure there will be zero attempts to re-sign 32-year-old UFA Brendan Morrison now? Can you see Mo taking Linden's slot as the fourth line center? It's not going to be Wellwood as why bring in a 25-year-old with little defensive or faceoff skills to be a fourth line center?

You know Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler are locks at center for '08/09. Wellwood is just 25, scored a bunch in junior and in the AHL so give him more than the 12+ minutes he was getting in T.O. and let's see what he can do.

Given he seems fast and has shown signs of being a bit of a Steve Sullivan with the puck, well worth the waiver claim put in. Anyway, Luongo and the Nux D can make most any forward look a better defensively. So goalsuck away, Kyle!

Now if the Canucks snag Darcy Tucker then who knows? Tapping into that Laff talent pool and snagging Jerry Butler and Tiger Williams did not hurt the '82 squad, although Rick Vaive did go on to pot a ton o' goals with the sadsack Laffs of the '80s.

Canuck Draft 2008: Back to the '80s!

Obviously the "payoff" of any draft is further down the line but at least we now have an idea of what sort of team Mike Gillis is trying to build. One Trevor Linden clone, a big slow offensively-challenged defensemen, a skillful Scandinavian, a skillful Lower Mainland marketing dreamboat and a Canuck employee's son--so, yeah, basically your typical Canucks team of the '80s.

The first rounder is Cody Hodgson. He's described as a Trevor Linden clone (i.e., future hunky dreamboat captain material who will lose his scoring touch by his mid-20s?) and, hopefully, is not in any way related to another ex-Canuck Dan Hodgson. Cody can definitely score, but in the words of TSN's Bob McKenzie "the only thing that separates him (Hodgson) from (#1 overall pick) Stamkos is a lack of explosive speed." So, in other words, Mike Modano he's not. Then I guess he is Trevor Linden Version 2.0.

Associate (would someone explain to me how assistant coaches became "associate" coaches, by the way) Rick Bowness's son works as the (wait for it) marketing and communications manager of the St. John Sea Dogs (QMJHL). So, voila, Ocean Canines' D-man Yann Sauve is ours in round two. He says he patterns his game after Dion Phanuef.

Let's see how good a judge of his talent Sauve is:
17-year-old Phaneuf 30 pts in 71 GP, +28 w/ Red Deer (WHL)
17-year-old Sauve 21 pts in 69 GP, +1 w/ St. John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

Well, not quite at Phaneuf levels yet. Maybe he meant he patterns his hunky physique more like Phaneuf's in hopes of catching Elisha Cuthbert's eye. Sauve might want to crank it up a bit as by 18, Phaneuf was a serious stud (statistically, that is) and by 19 was averaging over a point per game in the Dub.

Now given Nonehead boneheaded up by trading all of the 2008 draft picks for the Eric Weinrichs and Keith Carneys of the NHL world, Gillis was left with nothing to do for rounds three and four but watch other teams stock up.

Round five and away we go!
The Nux picked up Prab Rai (for all confused world music fans, that's not a new form of Algerian pop music). Described as a Mason Raymond type (so we can look forward to him not making the NHL until age 22?) albeit via Surrey. The Rai on ice has way better stats than Raymond ever had. Last season, the Prabster had 65 pts in 71 GP for the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) and was +31. The marketing potential, too, is Robin Bawa-tastic here locally so here's hoping he blazes his way onto Canuck ice sooner rather than later.



Round six
An Espen Knutsen of a pick in Mats Forsberg...I mean Froshaug. A Norwegian playing in the Swedish junior league, he bagged 36 pts in 35 GP--"hyggelig!" As nice as that is in Norwegian, the fact as a 19-year-old he played in the World Championships held in Canada this past spring is promising news. Then again we're talking a nation of cross-country skiers and ski jumpers. I'm sure the talent level and depth in Fjordland are not exactly up to its Scandinavian neighbors' depth charts.

Round seven
Once again it's time to tap that wide Canuck scouting network. Morgan Clark, son of Nux goaltending consultant Ian Clark, is now Canuck property. He is described as a sound technical goalie. Given his save percentage last season with Red Deer (WHL) was .884, I think he needs to look into being more Gumby Hasek-like unless they meant the way he talks "sounds" technical.

There you have it: No Tanguay, Umberger, Jokinen or anyone else half decent traded for the Sedins on draft day. Meaning another season of Tour de Sweden cycling until maybe one or more of the 2008 crew come onboard the good ship Canuck.