Game 82 for the Vancouver Canucks takes place in Tempe, Arizona against a bad hockey team in a very unusual venue. A fitting conclusion to a disastrous Canucks season in so many ways. The franchise managed to embarrass itself on and off the ice.
Despite that, many believe the accumulation of personnel over recent months has the club headed in the right direction for next season. It’s a generalization, but that would include the emergence of Andrei Kuzmenko as a scorer and the hopeful impact of injured D-man acquisition Filip Hronek. Not unexpected; Elias Pettersson is a superstar.
“Hockey Night in Canada” and Sportsnet analyst Cassie Campbell Pascall takes it one step further on “Simmer’s Morning Skate” ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights and Kraken game in Seattle.
CCP talks Canucks, Flames and Kraken. Her husband, Brad Pascall, along with the other assistant GM’s of the Flames, signed two-year contract extensions this past season that kick in this summer. Their boss, General Manager Brad Treliving, does not have a new contract. Campbell Pascall breaks it down.
She also tells the funny story of predicting on national TV in January that the Kraken would not make the playoffs, keeping in mind that Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol was part of her wedding party when she and Brad got married.
As we point out, no reason to apologize.
As expected from one of the best in the business, we get good story-telling and breakdowns from Campbell-Pascall.
Canucks Wrap
We should see Collin Delia in net this evening for Vancouver against Karel Vejmelka for the Coyotes.
Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced Thursday that defenceman Noah Juulsen was placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Abbotsford Canucks. The AHLers begin the Calder Cup playoffs next week.
Delia and defenceman Kyle Burroughs are unrestricted free agents this summer. Juulsen and Ethan Bear are restricted free agents with arbitration rights. Akito Hirose is a 24-year-old D-man who falls into a special category of free agency, without arbitration rights and not subject to an offer sheet. Travis Dermott’s contract comes off the books as an RFA as well.
For Canucks fans curious how the Pacific Division standings and playoff seeds will shake out, the game in Seattle between the Kraken and the Golden Knights will play a big part in determining the outcomes.
Here’s Cassie …
