He was one of the heart and soul guys for this team the last couple years, and his efforts have paid off with a nice new contract. Let's focus on this instead of whatever the hell that trade with Edmonton was, please?

With the draft kicking off tonight, and free agency starting on Tuesday, we're going to get a glimpse of what the braintrust is going to be able to put together to bring the Vancouver Canucks back into playoff contention in the upcoming season. Yesterday they nailed down a pretty important piece, as they gave Conor Garland a 6 year/6 Million dollar contract extension.

While Garland's play the first couple seasons in Vancouver was very hit and miss, he has developed into a fantastic two player who generates a lot of offensive push for the Canucks. He's been remarkably consistent over that time (52, 46,47, and 50 points), while fine tuning a lot of the non-scoreboard aspects of his game.

It might seem like a lot for a guy like Garland, but honestly, I hate to think where the Canucks would have been without him last season. One of the few guys who showed up night after night and gave a shit, especially during some of the most dreary parts of the last season.

*Sighs heavily*

Evander Kane? Really? Forget helping the Oilers out of a big time cap crunch. Why on earth, after all of the internal turmoil from last season, would you bring in the universally recognized worst guy in ANY NHL dressing room to be part of this team? He is 34 years old, at a cost of $5 Million per, and missed the entire regular season due to injury. Sure, there's the local connection, but you know what? I want a team that's going to win, and I just cannot see that happening when the focus inevitably turns on strife in the room again next season. This deal absolutely reeks of Francesco Aqualini's meddling in hockey operations, more proof that this team will never succeed as long as he and his family are the owners.

Anyway, looking ahead to tonight... Round one of the draft goes tonight from the LA Live Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The Canucks have the 15th pick overall, and have two picks in the top 50 this year, but with the need to bring in a top 6 centre as well as defensive help (still), don't be shocked if they try to move it. We'll be monitoring the draft to let you know about the Canucks picks as well as any deals they make.