The Boys Are Back in Town, and this time they can afford housing in Vancouver. The city was in a tizzy about how no free agents wanted to play in Vancouver, so the team said they ONLY wanted players who wanted to play in Vancouver. What happened next may not surprise you.
It started early, with Derek Forbort getting his one-year deal at the beginning of the month. Forbort's typically described as "an honest player", which is the veteran defenceman's equivalent of the forward who's called a "wily veteran". And it's a good signing, a solid anchor for a penalty kill that was one of the Canucks' few bright spots last season.
But the fun stuff happened up front. The arrival of Evander Kane is certainly a choice, with management hoping his time in Edmonton is a more accurate display of his maturity than, well, the rest of his career. Sure, he's part of the NHL investigation on misusing the Injured Reserve list, but at least he worked WITH the team instead of against it. That's teamwork, right?
The big question was how he was expected to replace Brock Boeser? The long-serving veteran winger who has been such a reliable scorer was obviously on his way out, after all. A team that had difficulty scoring was hoping a player who missed the entire regular season would catch fire? Yeow. Seems like a desperate move to us. Except.
Amazingly, Boeser and general manager Patrik Allvin put aside their differences and found something of a middle ground. The team got a cut on the average value, and Boeser got to stay as long as he wanted. A seven-year deal is a lot longer than Vancouver wanted, but he's also taking $750,000 a year less for each of those seven years. That's a lot of money to give up so you don't have to pack.
Now, when I say Boeser's a reliable scorer, I mean for those games he's in. He scores 30 goals for every 82 games played like clockwork. It's just a matter of how many games he'll play in any given season. His injury history is well known to Canucks fans, but the good news is that he's been reasonably healthy lately. In the past four seasons, he's played 71, 74, 81, and 75 games.
Another complaint is his lack of speed, but frankly, that's never been his game. He's in trouble if he loses the puck in deep, but that doesn't happen often. Brock has an underrated game on the boards and as a defensive player. He's not exactly a first-pair penalty killer, but he's reliable - which is more than enough for a 25-30 goal scorer.
Whenever Conor Garland's career ends, he has a job in Abbotsford for life. A toque and a suspenders and the man is set. But that won't be for another six years after Garland's new 6 x $6 million contract. One of Vancouver's few play drivers and a general pain in the ass to play against, Garland has a lot going for him. He should be welcomed back, because win or lose, he's a frikkin' blast to watch.
He's not the usual type of player who wears a letter, but he should be. He's gone from playing in a bubble of his own to figuring out how to use and support his linemates. Pairing him with Dakota Joshua was a revelation for both players, but that doesn't show up in Garland's scoring. He was the lynchpin of one of the best middle-six lines in hockey, and the team blossomed because of it.
No quit, no stop, and a welcome sight.
Okay, okay. Deep breath, and repeat after me:
- "I must not fear.
- Fear is the mind-killer.
- Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
- I will face my fear.
- I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
- And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
- Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
So, we good?
In what had to be the most awkward negotiation in Canucks history, neither Thatcher Demko nor Canucks management have any idea what's coming. Demko, of course, has an injury that's so rare no other hockey player has had it. He's recovered, but has had to change how he plays net to reduce the stress on his popliteus muscle.
Demko is a smart player who thinks through his position. He knows how to work around his injury, but he was limited to just 23 games last season. An injury late in his second major comeback of the season kept him from finishing the year out. It was a year of chaos, reflecting the team perfectly. It wasn't a year to base a three-year, $8.5 million contract extension off of.
Fortunately for him, they didn't. They added the year before, where he finished second for the Vezina Trophy and played 51 mostly excellent games. That isn't going to be expected of him this time around, because he has the very capable Kevin Lankinen backing him up. Which is good, because no one knows how long Demko's repaired knee will last.
Excuse me. I have a litany to go repeat.
Arshdeep Bains, Max Sasson, Aatu Räty, and the apparently immortal Guilliaume Brisebois have all signed back on for one or two seasons. I expect all of them to get a few games in Vancouver. Sasson and Räty could well start with the big club, depending on what other trades happen between now and October. Sasson has the tougher route, if only because he's still waiver-exempt.
Nils Åman is almost certainly anchoring the fourth line, with a few options to flank him. Drew O'Connor and Sasson or Räty can all work there, but those details are for September's pondering.
All in all, a busy day. Just not how we expected.
