The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed Mason Raymond to a 2-year deal that will pay the speedy winger 2.5 million this season and 2.6 million in 2011-12. The deal happened right before both sides were going to present their case in Raymond’s arbitration hearing. Had the hearing gone on as planned, many believe that Raymond would’ve been awarded 3-3.5 million per year and that would’ve made it difficult for the Canucks to re-sign him considering their current cap situation.

Here’s what the two sides wanted, according to Jason Botchford:

Canucks: $2 million a year, similar to the deals that Ryan Callahan ($2.3m with NY Rangers) and Eric Fehr ($2.2m with Washington Capitals) received.

Raymond’s camp: $3.5 million a year, like Ryane Clowe ($3.6m from San Jose) and Travis Zajac ($3.8m from New Jersey) got in their deals.

Both sides were very happy to get the deal done without going to arbitration. While this pushed the team over the salary cap, there is still plenty of time for Mike Gillis to get that straightened out. Raymond took less money to stay with the Canucks and this is a great sign from the fan perspective. Management has continued to show their dedication and commitment to building a championship team (without tanking it several season to get high draft picks like Pittsburgh and Chicago did) and players want to play in Vancouver.

With players like Pavol Demitra, Michael Grabner, Kyle Wellwood, and Steve Bernier departing in the off-season and Alex Burrows (most likely) beginning the season on IR, Raymond will get a chance to get off to a great start and prove he’s worth the money he signed for. Let’s hope he has a great follow-up season and continues to improve on last years numbers.

Of course at the end of the day the Canucks could also trade him, since he’s now signed for 2 years and has a very reasonable contract for a player with so much potential.

Read the official Press Release from the Canucks

I-5 Canucks
NHLHS Canucks Correspondents
Hipcheck44@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @Hipcheck44 and @WCE71944

The Canucks made their first selection in the 2010 NHL Entry draft in round 4, taking Patrick McNally, a mobile defensemen, from Milton Academy in Massachusetts.  With good size at 6’2” and 180 lbs, the Long Island, NY native had 35 points (14-21–35) in 28 games to lead his team last season. He has one more season of high school hockey then it’s on to Harvard University in the fall of 2011.

Along with leading his team in scoring last year he was named the New England Prep School Defenseman of the Year, U.S. Hockey Report’s Prep Defenseman of the Year and was a First Team All-New England selection.

Here’s what his coach and Gary Eggleston of NHL Central Scouting had to say about him:

Milton Academy head coach Paul Cannata
“He created a lot of offense from the blue line and provided a lot of spark.  He (McNally) is a great student, a good kid and a pleasure to coach. He loves to play hockey, carry the puck, skate, and make plays. There’s a freshness to his game that is really enjoyable. You don’t want to coach that out of him.”

NHL Central Scouting’s Gary Eggleston
“Pat is an offensive defenseman whose strength is in rushing the puck and putting constant pressure on the defense. He is a very good skater with mobility, speed and quickness. His skating skills and quick hands allow him to escape trouble and move the puck quickly out of danger. In the defensive zone he has very good lateral mobility and closes quickly on the puck carrier, forcing him into quick decisions or mistakes. He is an excellent passer whose passes are accurate and proper for the situation. Doesn’t play a physical game, but relies on quick stick and smarts to gain puck possession.”

Unlike a first-round pick, players selected in the later rounds are chosen based on their potential and future needs of the organization. A team picks a player that will “hopefully” make an impact years down the road. This is definitely the case with McNally and the Canucks were pleased that he was available when they made him the 115^th overall selection in this year’s draft.

The selection was even more important as the Canucks had traded their first round pick to Florida (along with Michael Grabner and Steve Bernier) for Keith Ballard and Victor Oreskovich. Their 2^nd round selection went to Columbus (via Buffalo) in the deal that ironically brought Bernier to Vancouver a few years ago. They gave up their 3^rd round pick last year in a deadline deal that brought defenseman Andrew Alberts from Carolina. (Don’t ask Canuck fans how the Alberts deal turned out – we’re all hoping he finds his groove this season.)

In selecting McNally the Canucks were obviously looking towards the future. Hopefully he will continue to develop his skills in the ECAC and develop into a future NHLer with the Canucks. If not, a mobile puck-moving defenseman is always in demand.

I-5 Canucks
NHLHS Canucks Correspondents
Hipcheck44@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @Hipcheck44 and @WCE71944

With the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Vancouver Canucks select…

Alexander Petrovic

For a team that does not have a solid depth chart on the blue line and picks later in the first round, Petrovic comes in at 6’4″ tall and 192 pounds he still needs to fill into his body, but with physical maturing that will happen.

He is a gifted player with offensive ability and can control the blue line well. The only key here is development.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS New York Islanders Correspondent
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuys_AC

We got your fix right here.

We go live tomorrow with our 2009-2010 NHL season wrap-up show.

Be sure to tune in live with us tomorrow from 1-3 p.m. EST.

The Hockey Guys on Blog Talk Radio – link for show tomorrow. Chat room will open approximately 5 minutes prior to show’s puck drop.

Last night for the Vancouver Canucks, to quote legendary New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, it was deja vu…all over again.

The Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, and in dishonorable fashion.

 It was exactly one year ago last night, the Chicago Blackhawks sent them home for a second consecutive spring, in the exact amount of games. There were two differences this time: this victory took place in Vancouver and this close-out affair wasn’t even close at all.

The final, in case you missed it, 5-1.

So many questions, so many fingers to point, but one player will get the lion’s share of the criticism.

Roberto Luongo.

The demons have rose from the dead to attack Luongo, yet again, and take the “elite” netminder directly into the post season, of course after cleaning out his locker at GM Place.

Roberto Luongo came undone early and often in the second period. Not all the blame could be heaped upon the face of this franchise, but he once again was unable to lift his team when they letdown in front of him. The Canucks defense, which has been exposed in this round became that much fragile when stalwart blueliner Alex Edler was unable to finish the contest, due to a crushing hit by Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien.

That left Vancouver with five defenders to finish the game, well… sort of. As has been well documented blueliner Sami Salo was playing with an ailment I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Vancouver’s defense was about to be put to the ultimate test and inevitably failed miserably.

Two terrible gaffes led to two quick Chicago strikes early in the second, by British Columbia native Troy Brouwer and Vancouver nightlife loving Kris Versteeg. Neither goal was a soft one, as the Canucks left their leader out to dry on both. But, as evidenced time and time again in the postseason, goaltenders do often bail out their teammates. As we have seen with Luongo, he has often crumbled under the pressure of the being the savior of an organization that has yet to win the Stanley Cup.

It could be a case of running into a team that simply has the Canucks number, especially in GM Place. A venerable house of horrors for opposing teams this season, Vancouver boasted the best regular season home record, in the entire NHL. But for the boys from the ‘Windy City’, they took Vancouver’s comforts of home and turned it against them.

Chicago was un-phased playing in this arena, as they won all three games, by an aggregate score of 17-7. There are going to be a lot of question surrounding these Canucks, as for the second year in a row they are bowing out of the postseason in the second round for the third time in four seasons. Considering the expectations these last two seasons, this can’t be taken lightly, especially when the same old questions about Luongo will be asked.

Is he able to take his team to a championship? Can he be relied on to lead this team, on and off the ice? Can he take his team beyond a second round appearance? How will he respond after another disappointing end to a season?

That man is Ryan Kesler. This off-season’s to do list should have, if the brass know what’s right for the team, naming Kesler captain as number one.  He has leader written all over him and has been apart of this organization for seven seasons.

Being a captain holds a unique responsibility to do a lot of behind the scenes work and hold the team together. Lead by example, on and off the ice. Not everyone can handle this responsibility.

It’s apparent Luongo can’t handle much of anything, especially when his team needs him the most.

All round two discussion and breakdowns of the games played up to showtime.

Tune in, and join us in the live chat as well by visiting:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thehockeyguys/2010/05/01/the-hockey-guys

We hope to see you all live with us in the chat room. And feel free to call in.

~THG

• Great defense.  The Blackhawks have what is widely considered one of the best top blue line pairing in the NHL in Brent Seabrook and Norris Trophy finalist Duncan Keith.  If these two play like they are capable of, there is a good chance that Vancouver’s top line could have a difficult time finding the score sheet.  Add to that the impressive performances from Chicago’s favorite meatball Niklas Hjalmarsson and cagey veteran Brent Sopel in the first round, the edge definitely favors the higher seed here.
• Special Teams. The Blackhawks penalty kill was near perfect against Nashville allowing only one goal in 27 chances.  The two heroes here unquestionably rookie netminder Antti Niemi and Sopel who acted as a mid-zone goaltender blocking everything that came near him.  Add to that Vancouver’s schizophrenic penalty kill against the Los Angeles Kings and the Hawks should look to feast on mental mistakes made by the Canucks.
• Depth.  Troy Brouwer leads all Chicago forwards with two goals against Vancouver this season, and the Blackhawks third and fourth lines are more productive than most teams in the league. Being up against the weaker defensive pairings of Vancouver could have them licking their chops.
• Psychological edge.  Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien and the rest of the Blackhawks really got inside Roberto Luongo‘s head last year and took him way off his game.  If they can stir up that insecurity again it could be a long series for the Canucks’ netminder.
• Home-ice advantage. This seems to be much more important in the Western Conference this year than in the East, and the intense environment of the United Center often leads to a quick start for the home team and everyone knows how important scoring the first goal can be in the playoffs.

• Penalties.  While the penalty kill sparkled against Nashville, the Canucks provide a much tougher test with the man advantage.  The Hawks averaged more than four penalties per game in the first round, and they’ll have to be more disciplined in what promises to be a much more physical series against the Canucks.  The team that stays away from dumb retaliation penalties will most likely find themselves in the driver’s seat and likely advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
• Canucks potent offense and come-from-behind tendencies.  Vancouver had six players with at least 25 goals in the regular season.  Not to mention Mikael Samuelsson‘s 7-tally goal-gasm against the Kings, there’s no question the Canucks can light the lamp, especially in the third period.  The Blackhawks have been prone to taking period-long naps recently cannot take any shifts off if they have a lead late.
• Untested goaltending.  Although Niemi recorded a pair of no-no’s en route to winning his first ever playoff series, he still has yet to really feel the heat of the playoffs.  He seemed to shake off the flukey goal in game one, and he’ll have to continue to demonstrate that kind of maturity to take the Blackhawks deep in the playoffs.
• Roberto Luongo.  This guy can win games and series if he finds his groove.  This makes net presence and gaining the psychological advantage so crucial for the Blackhawks.

Vancouver Canucks by I-5 Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks will look to redeem themselves as they get a rematch with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that sent them home early in last years playoffs. But much has changed since last season. For one, the Canucks have a lot more offensive firepower than they did last season.  Led by Mikael Samuelsson’s 7 goals in the first round (he had 5 in each of the previous playoff runs with Detroit) and Hart Trophy candidate Henrik Sedin the Canucks haven’t had many nights where they were held off the scoreboard. Add that to the fact they have now won 13 games when behind after 2 periods and no lead is safe against the boys in blue this season.

The penalty kill is still a concern for the Canucks after being brutal in the first round series against the Los Angeles Kings. On the bright side, it greatly improved as the series wore on and was one of the keys to beating the Kings in the series.  While the Kings scored at will on the power play, the Canucks were clearly the better team at 5-on-5. They will need more of that against Chicago in this round. The Canucks defensive coverage was also suspect on more than one occasion. Without Willie Mitchell (concussion) the Canucks will have to rely on Andrew Alberts to step up to handle the forwards of the Blackhawks. In last year’s playoffs the Hawks physical play frustrated the Canucks at times, but the two main agitators for Chicago have been riding the pine so far as they try to ice a more skilled team. The Canucks are one of the best teams in the league when they are hitting and if they can play with that intensity and stay out of the penalty box, it’ll go a long way towards winning the series.

Another key for the Canucks is the second line of Ryan Kesler, Mayson Raymond, and Alex Burrows. If they can find their scoring touch again, that’ll give the Canucks 3 lines that can score and will make it tougher for the Blackhawks to matchup defensively. The Canucks will also need to continue to get contributions from the 3rd line, as they did against Los Angeles, to be successful. That line, led by Kyle Wellwood and Steve Bernier had some great shifts for the Canucks in the last series and really helped key the comeback in the series.

And last but not least is Roberto Luongo. Roberto may be the one player on the Canucks roster most anticipating a rematch. The Blackhawks were very physical with him and managed to get into his head on their way to a victory in last year’s series. While it’s widely acknowledged that he hasn’t stolen a game for the Canucks this season, he was more like himself in games 5 and 6 of the L.A. series – robbing Ryan Smyth on a sure goal in the late stages. If ever there was a time for Bobby Lu to wake up out of his funk, this is it.

It should be another fan-tastic series!

Chicago Blackhawks by Ryan Hackett

The Chicago Blackhawks definitely have the advantage at the blue line. While Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith have combined for an even plus/minus this year against the Canucks, if they play the way they are capable, Vancouver’s top lines could have a difficult time finding the score sheet.  Playoff hockey brings an increased emphasis on special teams, and the Canucks converted at a 15% clip against the Hawks this season. Chicago’s penalty kill is rolling right now holding Nashville to 1 goal in 27 chances, but this will be a much more physical series, and the team who stays away from dumb retaliation penalties will have a decided advantage.  The Hawks should also look to feast on Vancouver’s penalty kill which has been schizophrenic of late.

Troy Brouwer leads the Blackhawks with two goals against Vancouver this season, and facing the weaker 2^nd and 3^rd defensive pairings of Vancouver could have him licking his chops.  Dustin Byfuglien got inside Roberto Luongo’s head last year and took him completely off his game.   After spending the first round manning the point for the Hawks, Byfuglien has been moved back to the wing and Luongo’s already been cautioned against embellishing goaltender interference to elicit penalty calls.  The Patrick Show (starring Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp) netted five goals on Luongo last post-season, and those three stirring up that insecurity again it could make things miserable for the Canucks’ netminder.

Even though Roberto Luongo can get rattled, the Canucks’ potent offense features six 25 goal scorers and can pick up the slack at times down the stretch.  The Blackhawks cannot take any shifts off if they have a late lead.  Antti Niemi has looked sharp in recording a pair of no-no’s en route to winning his first playoff series, but has yet to feel the heat of the playoffs.  He shook off the flukey goal in game one and he’ll have to continue to demonstrate that kind of maturity to take the Blackhawks deep.

And Now The Pressures On, The Heat Is Rising… Tonight There’s Something In The Air

Marblehead JohnsonThe Bluetones- The Singles

A thousand times I sat down to write this and a thousand ways it could go. But it is going to be short, simple and sweet. Once again my blog on hockey culture in Los Angeles will wait. It is timeless. It is important but, in the face of tonight, can wait until business is taken care of. I have to, despite whatever rules might exist, also suggest the following reads before tonights epic battle at Staples Center:

We are back to regular programming hours today, which means the show will start live at 2 p.m. EST. To join us live is very simple.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thehockeyguys

Use that link, create a user name, sign in and join us.

Jeff Marek will be joining the guy’s within the first hour of the show.

We hope to see you all there today.

Have a great final day of the weekend.

~THG