Canucks president doesn’t rule out acquiring a player with Evander Kane’s type of history

Posted on July 27, 2016 by CanucksBanter

By Jason Brough July 27, 2016 http://nhl.nbcsports.com

Trevor Linden didn’t mention Evander Kane by name, because, well, you know…

But yesterday on the radio, the Vancouver Canucks’ president of hockey operations sure didn’t close the door on acquiring a player with Kane’s type of history.

You can listen to the audio of Linden’s interview with TSN 1040 here. (The Kane discussion starts at around the 3:10 mark.)

The main takeaway is that Linden refused to say that a player with a history of getting into trouble with the police would absolutely not be welcome on the Canucks.

“I think with any situation, they’re all unique to themselves,” Linden said, before warning against the temptation to jump to conclusions prior to knowing all the facts.

“Ultimately we’d prefer not to have that situation arise, certainly with our own players,” he added. “It’s a big world out there. Obviously, the challenges are significant for young guys who make a lot of money and get themselves into spots that they make mistakes.”

The Kane speculation has been kicked into overdrive in Vancouver (where Kane was born and raised and played his junior hockey), despite the absence of any hard evidence that the Canucks are talking seriously with Buffalo about a deal.

It’s been reported that the Sabres’ ability to sign Jimmy Vesey could impact their willingness to trade Kane. Vesey can’t make his decision until Aug. 15, so perhaps we’ll have to wait until then.

But according to Canucks beat writer Jason Botchford (The Province), Kane is definitely on Vancouver’s radar.

“There’s no doubt about it, the Vancouver Canucks are going to be in on Evander Kane,” Botchford told TSN 1040 radio. “Ownership loves Kane. Jim Benning really likes Kane. Trevor? He’s maybe a little bit ambivalent, but he could be won over. They’re going to be in on Evander Kane.”

Source: Canucks president doesn’t rule out acquiring a player with Evander Kane’s type of history

Vancouver Cuts Down Buffalo For 5-2 Victory

Posted on December 8, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff December 7, 2015

CANUCKS END 5 GAME WINLESS STREAK

The Vancouver Canucks (10-11-8) took to the ice at Rogers Place tonight against the Buffalo Sabres (11-14-3), and battled, pushed back for a deserved 5-2 win.

Vancouver received secondary scoring from a line other than the Sedins and Jannick Hansen.

Radim Vrbata, scored three goals; Brandon Prust had a goal and an assist; Canucks defensemen had three helpers by Dan Hamhuis, Ben Hutton and Alex Edler.

Adam Cracknell had two assists, with Chris Higgins and Derek Dorsett each getting a helper each.

The Sedins were not left out of the offensive showing by Vancouver as Daniel had two assists and Henrik scored a power play goal.

Ryan Miller recorded his 3rd win in his last 10 starts, making 32 saves for a .941 SV%.

Vancouver led 2-1 after the first period; 4-1 after the middle period, enroute to their win.

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

The Canucks were 1 for 6 on the power play; and killed all 3 shorthand opportunities they faced tonight.
Vancouver’s penalty kill has not allowed a power play goal against on their 4 game home stand, going 7 for 7 in their last three games; and are 14 for 16 in their last 6 games.
With the five goals tonight Vancouver doubled its’ goal production of the last five games. They now have 10 goals scored in their last 6 games.
Derek Dorsett led all Vancouver players with 5 hits and was +1 in plus/minus.
Derek Dorsett leads all Canucks in hits this season with 70, followed by Adam Cracknell with 57; Matt Bartkowski, 56; and rookie Jake Virtanen has 53 hits.
Radim Vrbata had 6 shots and was a +3 tonight.
Only two Canucks were negative in plus/minus tonight: Jannick Hansen at -2 and Henrik Sedin at -1.
Canuck defensemen had 9 of 10 blocked shots in the game. Alex Burrows was the only forward to block a shot.
In the face-off circle, Adam Cracknell led the team, 9 for 12: 75%; Bo Horvat, 7-12: 58%; Jared McCann, 4 for 11: 36%; Henrik Sedin, 8 for 22: 36%; Derek Dorsett, 1-1:100%; Radim Vrbata, 0-1: 0%. Total: 29 for 59: 49.15%

NEXT GAME UP: NEW YORK RANGERS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS AT A GLANCE

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

Statistics courtesy of the NHl and the Vancouver Canucks, with thanks.

Buffalo Stands In Way Of Canucks’ End To Five Game Winless Streak

Posted on December 7, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff December 7, 2015

CANUCKS NEED TO BATTLE AND PUSH BACK

The Vancouver Canucks (9-11-8) take to the ice at Rogers Place tonight against the Buffalo Sabres (11-13-3).

Tonight marks the second of two meetings between these two teams this season. The two teams previously met in Buffalo on Nov. 7 (2-3 L).

The Canucks are 3-2-0 against the Sabres in the last five games played and 4-1-0 in the last five home outings versus Buffalo.

The game is the third of 4 games on the Canucks home stand, having lost the first two as part of a five game winless streak, in which they have been shutout twice and have less than eighteen shots (16,16,17) in three straight games.

The Canucks currently sit in 5th place in the Pacific division with 26 points, two points ahead of Edmonton and four points in front of Calgary.

Buffalo is currently on a three game Western Canada swing on their current road trip which ends on Thursday against the Calgary Flames.

The Sabres are in 7th place in the Atlantic division with 25 points, two points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Vancouver’s last game was against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night, a 4-0 loss. Jacob Markstrom made 18 saves with an .818 SV% in his latest start. The Canucks are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games, and 3-6-3 at home.

The Canucks lost their fifth straight National Hockey League game Saturday when they dropped a 4-0 decision on home ice to the Boston Bruins. It wasn’t so much that they lost — we’re getting used to that. It was how they lost. The Canucks barely put up a fight in what their coach had called a “must game.”

Source: ‘Frustrated’ Vancouver Canucks, struggling on both offence and defence, looking to ‘get that swagger back’, National Post, December 7, 2015

For the Sabres, they visited Edmonton last night, and lost to the Oilers 4-2. The Sabres are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and 5-5-2 on the road.

FIVE GAME SKID REVIEW: November 26-December 7

During their 5 game winless streak, Vancouver is 0-3-2. Goals For:5. Goals Against: 16. Shots For: 110 (36, 25, 16,16,17) for 4.55 per cent shots turned to goals. Shots Against: 151 (30, 34, 40, 22, 25) for an .894 save percentage.
Their power play is 2 for 18: 11.1 per cent, 23rd best in the NHL.
Penalty kill has allowed 4 goals on 18 times short handed, for 77.8 per cent, 22nd best in the NHL.
Face-off win percentage, the worst in the league at 41.5 per cent.
As for the Plus/Minus (+/-) factor. During their 5 game winless streak, only one Canuck is in the plus, and that is Luca Sbisa at +1:
- There are 13 players in the minus, and 9 players at zero.
- The worst is Radim Vrbata at –6. There are three at –5: Alex Edler, Yannick Weber, and Jared McCann; four players at –4: Alex Burrows, Bo Horvat, Chris Tanev, and Chris Higgins; three players at –2: Derek Dorsett, Dan Hamhuis and Ben Hutton; two players at –1: Ronalds Kenins and Jake Virtanen.

Tickets to Saturday’s blowout against the Boston Bruins were selling for as low as $12 each shortly after the puck dropped. Monday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres is currently being sold as low as $30 a ticket, but that may drop even more closer to game time.

“It’s just the inconsistency,” said Tony Ell of Showtimetickets.com. “People want to get behind a consistent product.”

Traffic inside the Canucks official store was far from crowded on a Sunday a few weeks before Christmas.

Source: Demand for Canucks tickets sink to lowest levels in over a decade-globalnews.ca, December 7, 2015

CANUKS JOTTINGS

Since November 1, the Vancouver Canucks are the worst team in the NHL, with a record of 4-9-4 in 17 games played.
Their wins since November 1, are the least during that time, putting them dead last at 30th in the NHL.
During that time they have 40 goals for, 18th in the NHL; 53 goals against, tied with the Arizona for the second most allowed during that span, with Winnipeg the worst with 56 goals against.
Face-off win percentage during their last 17 games, puts them dead last in the NHL at 43.9 per cent.
Overall for the season, the Canucks face-off win percentage is 46.9 per cent in 28 games, worst in the NHL.
Canucks are 4-1 when Brandon Prust has a fight.
Daniel Sedin has 18 points (8-10-18) in the last 13 games. He recently had a seven game point streak from Nov. 14-27; it was the longest point streak of any Canucks player this season and his longest since a seven game streak from Oct. 22 – Nov. 5/13. He currently leads the team and ranks in the top-10 in the League in points (29), goals (12), ppg (5) and ppp (11).
Henrik Sedin has 17 points (5-12-17) in the last 13 games. He recently had a six game point streak from Nov. 16-27. He also had a five game point streak earlier this season from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7. Last season, the Captain recorded points in three or more consecutive games on 10 different occasions. Henrik ranks in the top-10 in the NHL in points (26), assists (18), and ppp (10).
Alex Edler leads VAN in time on ice (24:22) and has led the team in that category in 24 of 27 games he’s played, including 14 games where he’s led all skaters in TOI. He currently ranks t-17th in the NHL in TOI/GP.
Jake Virtanen ranks t-third on the team and third among NHL rookies in hits with 53.
Chris Tanev leads the team and ranks fifth in the League in blocked shots with 69. His defence partner Alex Edler ranks t-14th in the NHL with 56 blocked shots.
Radim Vrbata is the worst Canuck in plus/minus with -17, closely followed by Bo Horvat at -13.
Jannick Hansen is the best Canuck in plus/minus with +10, followed by Henrik Sedin at +6.
Derek Dorsett missed practice yesterday but is expected to be able to play tonight.
Ryan Miller will get the call in net tonight against his old club, while blue-liner Alex Biega is expected to draw into the line-up as well likely in place of either Yannick Weber or Matt Bartkowski.
Miller will start his 23rd game of the season. He has a 2.59 GAA; .910 SV%; and one shutout.
In his last 9 starts, Ryan Miller has won only 2 games, with a 3.17 GAA and .898 SV%.
The Sabres could go with back-up netminder Linus Ullmark tonight after Chad Johnson went the distance last night. Ullmark is winless in his last five starts but did beat the Canucks back on November 7.

Are the Canucks the worst team in the NHL?

You can certainly make the case without much effort. They’re currently on the worst streak. They have the lowest winning percentage of any NHL team. They can’t score and they’re having trouble defending.

But here’s the most sobering part. Look at the NHL standings and find a team you can point to and confidently say: “The Canucks are better than these guys.”

Source: Willes’ Musings: Are the Canucks the worst team in the NHL?, The Province, December 7, 2015

SEASON SNAPSHOT

“We haven’t come out with some of the games I thought we’d come out with,” coach Willie Desjardins told the Canucks website after practice Sunday. “I like our group, I still do. … We’ve been inconsistent and when you’re inconsistent, guys lose confidence in each other so we have to start at the basics and we have to work through it and we have to get back on track.”

Vancouver has scored five goals in five games.

“I’ve seen this team play some amazing hockey and we have to get back to that, we have to get that swagger back, that confidence back,” forward Brandon Prust said. “We have a great team here.”

Source: canucks.nhl.com

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

SABRES PLAYER STATS

CANUCKS-SABRES AT A GLANCE

Statistics courtesy of the NHL, Vancouver Canucks and SportingCharts, with thanks.

CANUCKS BANTER: Canucks Take On New Jersey Today After Loss To Buffalo

Posted on November 8, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff November 8, 2015

Last Minute Goal Spoils Miller’s Return To Buffalo As Canucks Lose 3-2

The Vancouver Canucks began a tough 7-game road trip after a disappointing 3-2 home loss to Pittsburgh at home, only to lose to the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Saturday afternoon in the final minute of regulation play; the first time this season the Canucks have lost back-to-back games in regulation.

The Canucks are now 1-5 in their last 6-meetings in Buffalo and in their last 18-home games against the Canucks, the Sabres are 14-3-1.

Henrik Sedin with his 3rd goal and Chris Higgins with his 1rst goal of the season scored for the Canucks while Daniel Sedin, with his team leading 7th-assist and rookie Ben Hutton with his 6th-assist also contributed to the score sheet.

Vancouver allowed their first shorthanded goal on the road for the first time this season against Buffalo.

Interesting note: Hutton has 6-assists in 14-games as a rookie. The rookie assists record for a Canucks defenseman is 42-assists set by Dale Tallon in 1970-71.

The 6-4-4 Canucks are in New Jersey to take on ex-Canucks goalie Corey Schneider and the Devils. There is a possibility that the backup goalies for both teams may be in net for each team, as both Richard Bachman for the Canucks and Keith Kincaid for the Devils need playing time.

The Canucks are currently in 2nd-place with 16-point with Los Angeles at the top of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, with 18-points. San Jose, are alone in 3rd-place with 14-points. Vancouver, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim and Edmonton all have a game in-hand on Calgary. Arizona has a game in-hand on Vancouver, San Jose, Los Angeles, Edmonton and Anaheim; two games in-hand on Calgary.

Vancouver is among the top 7-teams in the Western Conference, and have 5th most points in the conference with 16-points. The Dallas Stars are at the top of the conference with 22-points, with St. Louis nipping at their skate blades with 21-points, both teams currently sporting 2-game winning streaks.

Canucks are among the top 14-teams in the NHL, and are tied for the 7th best team in the league with their 16-points. The Montreal Canadians are the top team with 27-points, on 13-wins, 2-losses, and 1-OT; all wins in regulation play. The Dallas Stars and New York Rangers are near with 22-points each.

New Jersey is in 5th-place with 15-points, 7-points behind the New York Rangers who lead the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, with 22-points. Washington and the Pittsburgh Penguins closely follow with 20 and 18-points respectively. The New York Islanders currently occupy 4rth place with 15-points. The Flyers, Panthers, Islanders, Penguins, and Rangers, all have a game in-hand on the Blue Jackets; Washington and New Jersey have two games in-hand on Blue Jackets.

Daniel Sedin leads the Canucks in scoring with 11-points including a team high 7-assists, followed by Henrik Sedin with 9-points; Alex Burrows with 8-points; Brandon Sutter with 7-points. Radim Vrbata, Jannik Hansen, rookies Ben Hutton and Jared McCann, are next with 6-points each. Brandon Prust, and Alex Edler have 5-points each.

Rookie Jared McCann leads the Canucks as the top sniper with 5-goals in 12-games played.

For the Devils, Mike Cammalleri leads Philadelphia with 12-points and a team high 8-assists; followed by Lee Stempniak, Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri with 10-points each. Adam Henrique has 9-points.

Zajac and Henrique are the top goal scorers for New Jersey with 6-goals each.

GAME JOTTINGS

Statistics for Canucks Banter provided with thanks by the NHL, Vancouver Canucks and SportingCharts.

CANUCKS BANTER: Vancouver Visits Buffalo In Early Morning Game At 10am PST Saturday

Posted on November 6, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff November 6, 2015

The Vancouver Canucks begin an intense 7-game road trip after a disappointing 3-2 home loss to Pittsburgh, while the Buffalo Sabres, after being beaten by Tampa Bay for the third time this year 4-1, attempt to get back on the winning track at home after losing both games of a brief 2-game road trip.

The Canucks are 1-4 in their last 5-meetings in Buffalo.

In their last 17-home games against the Canucks, the Sabres are 13-3-1.

The game is the first of two meetings with the Sabres this season. Buffalo visits Vancouver December 7. Vancouver split last season’s two-game series, losing 6-3 in Buffalo and winning 5-2 at Rogers Arena.

Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller will start his first game as a Canucks against his former team, as Vancouver looks for a win to get back on the winning track after splitting their last 6-games.

The Canucks are 4-1 in their last 5-road games and 1-5 in their last 6-Saturday games.

Daniel Sedin has scored 2-goals in his last 3-games; recording 6-points on 2-goals and 4-assists in 5-road games this season.

Henrik Sedin enters the game with a point in each of his last 4-games.

Daniel Sedin leads the Canucks in assists with 6-assists, while rookie Jared McCann is the top sniper with 5-goals.

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

Vancouver is:

12-4 in their last 16 games playing on two days rest

5-2 their last seven vs the Atlantic

Buffalo is:

15-46 in their last 61 games following a loss of three or more goals

14-42 in their last 56 vs. Western Conference

From: http://winnersandwhiners.com

Andrew Phillip Chernoff

The Outer Limits To The Inner Depths

Tag Archives: buffalo sabres

Canucks president doesn’t rule out acquiring a player with Evander Kane’s type of history

Vancouver Cuts Down Buffalo For 5-2 Victory

CANUCKS END 5 GAME WINLESS STREAK

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS AT A GLANCE

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

Buffalo Stands In Way Of Canucks’ End To Five Game Winless Streak

CANUCKS NEED TO BATTLE AND PUSH BACK

FIVE GAME SKID REVIEW: November 26-December 7

CANUKS JOTTINGS

SEASON SNAPSHOT

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

SABRES PLAYER STATS

CANUCKS-SABRES AT A GLANCE

CANUCKS BANTER: Canucks Take On New Jersey Today After Loss To Buffalo

Last Minute Goal Spoils Miller’s Return To Buffalo As Canucks Lose 3-2

GAME JOTTINGS

Statistics for Canucks Banter provided with thanks by the NHL, Vancouver Canucks and SportingCharts.

CANUCKS BANTER: Vancouver Visits Buffalo In Early Morning Game At 10am PST Saturday

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

BUFFALO