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Vancouver Canucks To Induct Roberto Luongo Into Ring Of Honour

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Former Vancouver Canucks All-Star netminder Roberto Luongo will be inducted into the team’s Ring Of Honour next season at an undetermined home game, as announced by the team Wednesday night.

Luongo, 43, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame just a few weeks ago alongside a pair of Canucks legends, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. The team’s all-time leader in wins (252), Luongo backstopped the Canucks to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, was twice a Vezina Trophy finalist, and won the 2011 Jennings Trophy alongside backup Cory Schneider.

While he was drafted by the New York Islanders and played more games for the Florida Panthers, he reached his greatest team success in Vancouver. Luongo never won a Vezina Trophy, but he was universally recognized as a top-five goalie in the league for most of his 1,044-game career. His .919 career save percentage is tied for eighth among goalies with at least 250 NHL games, and his 489 career wins are fourth all-time.

Luongo was so revered in the Canucks organization that the team even attempted to name him captain. Although he couldn’t wear the “C” on his jersey during games as a goaltender, he was technically the twelfth captain in franchise history from 2008 to 2010 before conceding the role to Henrik Sedin.

Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford gave a statement on the news:

We are proud to welcome Roberto to the prestigious list of Canucks Ring of Honour inductees. Roberto experienced many of his career highlights as a Vancouver Canuck and is deservingly viewed as one of the best goaltenders our game has ever seen thanks to those moments. He was a fierce competitor and a tremendous leader for this team, and we are honoured to be able to acknowledge his contributions to this organization and city.

Given the level of play Luongo delivered in Vancouver, and his legendary status in NHL history, having his name in the team Ring of Honour is full and well deserved. It’s a bit surprising to see the organization opt not to retire Luongo’s #1 completely, but it’s still an option should the team reconsider in the future.

Vancouver Canucks Reassign Vasily Podkolzin, Jack Rathbone

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The Vancouver Canucks assigned forward Vasily Podkolzin and defenseman Jack Rathbone to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks on Monday evening, according to a team tweet.

Podkolzin, 21, is enduring a bit of a classic sophomore slump. The 10th overall selection in 2019 has just three assists through 16 games, although he has been limited to playing just 12:34 per game. It’s his first demotion to the minors this season. It would be his first regular-season AHL contest if he suits up with Abbotsford. He had two points in two playoff games last season.

Similarly, it’s Rathbone’s first demotion of the season. He’s been a healthy scratch for most of the season, playing in six out of 22 games. He’s registered an assist and a -3 rating. The 23-year-old returns to Abbotsford, where he had a spectacular 40 points in 39 games last season.

For Vancouver, it could be a sign that Jack Studnicka is getting ready to come off injured reserve. He’s been out with a lower-body injury since November 15.

Latest On Bo Horvat

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During a difficult start to their season, one of the few bright spots on the Vancouver Canucks’ roster has been the play of captain Bo Horvat. Horvat currently ranks second in the NHL with 15 goals, and has 21 points in 19 games. But while his hot start is good news for Horvat and Canucks fans, it may be giving Vancouver’s management team some headaches. That’s because Horvat is a pending unrestricted free agent, and the better he plays, the larger the contract he’ll be able to receive this summer gets. And while they are undoubtedly thrilled from an on-ice perspective that Horvat is playing well, his hot start may complicate his future in Vancouver. As team president Jim Rutherford has said that the Canucks’ priority will be gaining long-term financial flexibility, not losing it, many have wondered if Horvat is pricing himself out of Vancouver’s long-term plans.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that communication between Horvat’s representation and the Canucks have been “scarce,” and that there is a belief that contract talks between the two parties “broke off before training camp and have not resumed.” Since the going rate for productive top-six centermen is $7MM per year at the absolute minimum (with upwards of $8MM being the more realistic number) it’s fair to wonder if the Canucks have the desire to extend Horvat rather than deal him to a contender for a major compensation package.

More On Tyler Myers Trade Speculation

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Over the weekend, reports emerged that the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators had discussed a potential Tyler Myers–Nikita Zaitsev swap. The talks didn’t get far enough to approach either player to waive their no-trade clause, but it still caused plenty of speculation over whether the Canucks will try to move on from their big defenseman.

Today, while discussing the particulars on CHEK TV, Rick Dhaliwal explained how difficult it will be to move Myers.

Here’s the problem. Myers has a $5MM signing bonus coming his way on July 1. That’s tough for any team to digest. That’s maybe why Ottawa is asking for a sweetener, something the Canucks are not in the mood to give up. 

The Canucks are already without their 2024 second-round pick because of a trade that sent Jason Dickinson to the Chicago Blackhawks and do not appear to be in any position to start handing out more future assets. The team is struggling to stay in the Pacific Division race (despite some recent success) and likely could get Myers off the books much easier if they waited until after that $5MM signing bonus is paid out.

The 32-year-old defenseman is only signed through 2023-24 at a $6MM cap hit, meaning any acquiring team next summer would get him for just $1MM in actual salary. With a 10-team no-trade clause, Myers does have some say in where he ends up.

Vancouver could use that cap space next season, as J.T. Miller’s extension comes into effect and captain Bo Horvat needs a new deal. Even Andrei Kuzmenko, who has been one of the team’s more consistent offensive pieces, could factor into the financial planning as he too is a UFA after his one-year entry-level deal expires.

Moving Myers this year would obviously help, given the team is currently deep into LTIR space and will be in an extremely tight cap situation when Tucker Poolman and Travis Dermott are ready to be activated. But it might not be possible at this point, especially given his recent decrease in responsibility.

Myers has seen fewer than 19 minutes in each of the last three games and is now averaging fewer than 21 on the season for just the second time in his 14-year career.

Vancouver Canucks Inquired About Jack Roslovic

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The Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks have been two of the most disappointing teams in the league to start the year. But over the summer, there were talks between the two teams about a potential Jack Roslovic trade, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.

Portzline reports the Canucks inquired about Roslovic, looking to add to what was becoming a deep forward core, but the Blue Jackets were reluctant to move him. While Columbus’ subsequent start and Roslovic’s mediocre stat line (one goal, six points in 15 games) may make it look like a poor decision in hindsight, it’s understandable why Columbus wanted to hold onto their assets in an effort to be competitive. Many viewed Roslovic as a potential candidate to center a line between Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine after he broke out for a 22-goal campaign last year, but with Laine never really getting his feet under him, and Roslovic not playing up to the bar he set for himself, that trio has seen just 21 minutes together at even strength, per MoneyPuck.

Latest On Trade Market For Defensemen

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Mentioning the market for defense in the NHL immediately brings to mind at least two things: Jakob Chychrun and the Ottawa Senators, both as they are separately, and the rumors connecting the defenseman to Canada’s capitol. With Chychrun having been on IR to finish last season and now to start this season, the rumors surrounding the 24-year-old had been a bit quieter than usual, but expected to tick up with his return on Monday.

Tonight on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman seemed to confirm this inevitability, expecting talks on Chychrun to begin heating up once the defenseman returns. Another interesting note from Friedman on the Coyotes and their defensemen is the possibility of a trade involving Conor Timmins. A second-round pick in 2017, Timmins’ prospect status has never really been in question, at least for his on-ice performance. Instead, injuries have derailed the 24-year-old’s career. Now on a conditioning stint in the AHL, Timmins appears to be fully healthy and soon to be ready for NHL action, causing Friedman to wonder if Arizona might pursue a trade market for Timmins as well.

A newer name added to the defensemen speculation is San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson. Once thought to be unmovable, Karlsson is off to an incredible start, on pace to set several career-bests already, scoring 11 goals along with 17 assists in just 19 games on the season. With four years left at an $11.5MM cap hit after this season, Karlsson will be incredibly difficult for the Sharks to move even with his historic production, but it just may make doing so possible for the rebuilding San Jose squad. According to Friedman, this also from 32 Thoughts, the Sharks haven’t gotten that far yet in any Karlsson talks. As Friedman says, the belief is that Karlsson has not yet been asked to move his no-movement clause, at least not for any specific team.

Friedman adds that he believes the Sharks are currently trying to determine what other teams are willing to do in regards to the rest of the contract. Of course the Sharks and their potential trade partner will have to work out how much, if any, San Jose retains on the remaining contract and what assets they could get back for Karlsson, which would hinge on how much the Sharks would retain.

One team looking for defense that many want to see on the shortlist to acquire Karlsson would be the Ottawa Senators. Their search for a defenseman in the early part of this season has been well documented and Chychrun has been the number one name associated with them. As reported by Friedman on 32 Thoughts earlier, it is believed Ottawa did try to work on a deal that would have sent Nikita Zaitsev to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Tyler Myers, but the deal did not get far enough for Myers, who has a modified no-trade clause, to be asked for permission. Other pieces would have presumably had to be involved to make the deal work for both sides, but that sort of swap would have benefitted Vancouver to the tune of $1.5MM in cap savings while giving Ottawa the defenseman they’ve been looking for and allowing them to get out from under the Zaitsev contract.

Toronto's Interest In Tyler Myers Believed To Be Lukewarm

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With the Maple Leafs set to miss Jake Muzzin for several more months and perhaps longer, it has led to some speculation that they could look to acquire a veteran rearguard in his place.  To that end, some have suggested that Canucks blueliner Tyler Myers could be a fit but Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston reports that Toronto’s interest is believed to be lukewarm at most.  Myers is signed through next season with a $6MM AAV and has logged over 20 minutes a night throughout his career.  However, his production has fallen off over the past few seasons as he has only scored once in his last 97 games.

Canucks Activate Curtis Lazar, Assign Will Lockwood To AHL

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The Canucks are set to welcome back one of their centers in advance of tonight’s game against Los Angeles as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated Curtis Lazar off injured reserve.  To make room for him on the roster, Vancouver re-assigned winger Will Lockwood to AHL Abbotsford.

Lazar signed a three-year contract with the Canucks on the opening day of free agency back in July and was expected to anchor their fourth line, the role he held for a lot of his time with Boston previously.  He got into seven games last month but was shut down late in October after it was revealed that he was playing through an undisclosed injury.  Lazar had a goal and 17 hits in those contests while logging just shy of 12 minutes per game.

As for Lockwood, his second NHL stint of the season lasted longer than the first but that’s not saying much as he was only brought up on Tuesday and lasted just one extra day this time.  However, he did make his first NHL appearance of the season on this recall, picking up an assist against Buffalo on Tuesday.  Lockwood has been productive in the minors this season with five goals and two assists in ten appearances down there which will keep him at or near the top of the recall list whenever another recall is needed.

Vancouver Canucks Loan Karel Plasek To HC Olomouc

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Last month, the Vancouver Canucks activated Karel Plasek from the season-opening injured reserve and sent him to the minor leagues. In the time since he hasn’t played a single game for the Abbotsford Canucks. Now, the team has announced that Plasek will be loaned to HC Olomouc of the Czech league for the rest of the season.

Plasek, 22, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team in 2021 and has just eight games played in North America – with zero points. He missed almost all of last season due to injury and is now heading back overseas. That makes for a tough few years since being a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft, though perhaps with increased ice time at home he’ll be able to get his development back on track.

Selected 175th overall, it was somewhat surprising that Plasek even earned an entry-level deal with the Canucks, given how little he showed at the professional level in Czechia. The forward had just ten points in 44 games during his final season with Brno Kometa and hasn’t stood out at either of the World Juniors that he took part in. While offensive production isn’t everything, there’s a long way to go before he’s pushing for a spot with the Canucks at this point.

Signed through 2023-24, perhaps he’ll be back with Abbotsford next season. For now, he can focus on getting back in game shape overseas.

Canucks Notes: Schenn, Dermott, Brunette

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The Vancouver Canucks won last night against the Buffalo Sabres, hanging on for a 5-4 win despite being outshot 15-5 in the third period. While Bo Horvat led the way again with three points, it was Luke Schenn who received the team’s victory belt in the dressing room. Today, when speaking about the veteran defenseman, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV explained that he expects the Canucks to get plenty of calls about Schenn as the trade deadline approaches.

The Canucks could talk with Schenn’s agent along with a trade partner to see if he’s a rental or a re-signing. Don’t believe they’ve talked to his agent yet about a new deal. Last year’s deadline, the Canucks got a ton of calls on Schenn. They’re going to get a ton of calls on Schenn again, this is a player that is coveted. I’m already hearing about Schenn and some teams. 

The 33-year-old defenseman leads the league in hits by a wide margin, racking up 76 through 17 games while logging over 17 minutes of ice time for the Canucks each night. No Vancouver player has seen the ice more while short-handed, and as a right-shot defenseman with Stanley Cup experience, it’s easy to see why he might be valued by contenders. The fact that he makes just $850K against the cap only helps.

  • While Schenn’s leadership in the room might not be what the Canucks want to give up, they do have a bit of a roster crunch coming. As Dhaliwal goes on to say, Travis Dermott will be returning at some point – potentially in the near future – giving the team nine NHL defensemen. Already the Canucks are scratching names like Riley Stillman and Jack Rathbone, meaning a trade might end up making sense much sooner than the deadline.
  • Even though they did win, there’s still plenty of speculation on the future of head coach Bruce Boudreau. This morning, Darren Dreger of TSN reported that the Canucks spoke with Andrew Brunette before he joined the New Jersey Devils as an assistant this summer. Interestingly, he also pointed out that Brunette actually has a clause in his current deal that would allow him to “entertain outside interest for head coaching vacancies.” Brunette went 51-18-6 with the Florida Panthers as a first-time head coach after Joel Quenneville resigned.

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