Halak Does Not Want To Be Traded
- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jaroslav Halak has been clear that he doesn’t want to be traded, according to Elliotte Friedman who joined Rick Dhaliwal on CHEK TV today. While Halak’s name continues to be in the rumor mill, the goaltender holds full control of his future with a no-movement clause and will not be traded without his approval. The 36-year-old has a .903 save percentage in ten appearances and will earn a substantial performance bonus for his next start.
Travis Hamonic Activated From Injured Reserve
The Vancouver Canucks have officially activated Travis Hamonic from injured reserve, adding him back to the roster for the first time since partway through December.
Hamonic, 31, has played in just nine games this season between the injury and his earlier inability to travel with the team due to vaccination status. His last appearance was on December 8 against the Boston Bruins, meaning he has only barely even played for head coach Bruce Boudreau, who took over a few days earlier.
Signed to a two-year contract in the offseason that carries a cap hit of $3MM, Hamonic is going to be needed if the Canucks are going to make any kind of second-half noise in the Pacific Division. The physical stay-at-home defenseman is coming up on 700 games in his NHL career and at his best, he can be a stabilizing force on any blue line. The Canucks haven’t seen much of that best though, with Hamonic playing just 47 games total since the start of 2020-21.
Halak Still Hasn't Hit Performance Bonus Threshold
- There was a misunderstanding in the performance bonus clause for Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jaroslav Halak, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. It was widely reported that Halak had reached the 10-game threshold to earn a $1.25MM bonus the other night but that clause is actually for 10 starts not appearances. Halak has started just nine games so far this season.
Brad Malone, Justin Dowling Clear Waivers
Feb 11: Malone and Dowling have both cleared, according to Friedman. They can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
Feb 10: The waiver wire has two players on it today, as Brad Malone of the Edmonton Oilers and Justin Dowling of the Vancouver Canucks are both available for claim according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If Malone’s name surprises you, it should; the veteran forward had been playing on an AHL contract but has now signed a one-year, two-way, NHL deal with the Oilers. In order to return to Bakersfield for the time being, he needs to clear waivers after signing the new deal.
Malone, 32, is the captain of the Condors, meaning he likely has a close relationship with Jay Woodcroft, who is now taking over as head coach of the Oilers after Dave Tippett was let go earlier today. That isn’t necessarily the reason for this contract though, as reports had surfaced much earlier in the year that Edmonton wanted to sign Malone to an NHL deal but couldn’t for salary cap reasons. Still, Woodcroft’s promotion could certainly mean that there is a bit of NHL playing time in Malone’s future, depending on what happens with the rest of the roster.
If he does come back up at some point, it certainly wouldn’t be a new experience. Malone has more than 200 NHL games under his belt to this point, including some playoff contests back when he was with the Colorado Avalanche organization. He played 16 games with the Oilers in 2018-19, his last appearance in the NHL.
Dowling meanwhile has played in 22 games with the Canucks this season, including last night’s loss against the New York Islanders. He has just two goals and four points in those matches, while usually seeing less than ten minutes of ice time. Because he’s in just the first season of a two-year, one-way contract, it seems unlikely that another team would claim him unless they feel he can make an immediate impact in the lineup. The 31-year-old has just 18 points in 98 career regular season games.
Vancouver Canucks Hires Cammi Granato As Assistant GM
Feb 10: The Canucks have made it official, adding Granato to the front office as AGM. Rutherford released a lengthy statement explaining the hire:
Cammi is a tremendous leader and has earned the respect of the hockey world. She has a great mind for the game and experience and influence at all levels. In her role, Cammi will oversee our player development department and our amateur and pro scouting department. Cammi’s input will also be included in all areas of hockey operations as we leverage the diverse opinions and experience of our new leadership group to build a winning team.
Feb 9: Jim Rutherford and the Vancouver Canucks are about to make another game-changing addition to the front office. After naming Patrik Allvin as GM, making him the first Swedish-born GM in the NHL and just the second European GM in the league, and adding Emilie Castonguay as the first female Assistant GM in league history, the Canucks are adding the second female AGM and a Hockey Hall of Famer to boot. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Cammi Granato is expected to be named Assistant GM in Vancouver with an announcement anticipated in the coming days.
Granato, 50, is no stranger to NHL hockey operations. She is currently a scout for the nearby Seattle Kraken and has been since the team was announced back in 2019. Granato’s husband, Ray Ferraro, played 18 years and over 1,200 games in the league, while brother Tony Granato played and coached in the league and brother Don Granato is the current head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.
Of course, Granato has plenty of playing experience of her own to draw upon as well. The decorated American forward appeared in two Olympics and nine World Championships, taking home two gold medals and nine silver medals. Granato also starred for Providence College and played two seasons of professional women’s hockey. A talented skater and scorer, Granato’s knowledge of the game will be put to good use in the new-look Vancouver front office.
Halak To Start, Earn Performance Bonus
The Vancouver Canucks have confirmed that Jaroslav Halak will start this evening against the New York Islanders, meaning a $1.25MM performance bonus will be triggered for playing in his tenth game of the season. In normal circumstances that wouldn’t be much of a concern but the Canucks are one of the many teams using long-term injured reserve this season to put together their current roster. If they can’t fit that $1.25MM in by the end of the season, whatever is left would be carried over to next season.
Poolman Placed On Injured Reserve; Experiencing Headaches
- Tucker Poolman has been moved to injured reserve as he continues to deal with an ailment that has kept him out since January 27. Unfortunately, Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic that the defenseman’s absence is related to “headaches and migraines.” There is no clear timetable for his return to this point, but with Quinn Hughes also missing due to COVID protocol, the team has activated Kyle Burroughs from injured reserve.
Vancouver Canucks Place Quinn Hughes In COVID Protocol
Another high-profile name is unavailable as teams return from the All-Star break, as the Vancouver Canucks have placed Quinn Hughes in the COVID protocol. Players were due for one more round of testing as they rejoined teammates regardless of symptoms, and now Hughes has joined the likes of his brother Jack Hughes, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Evgeni Malkin in the protocol.
General manager Jim Rutherford has already confirmed to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV that Hughes will miss the next three games at least, and the team hopes to have him back on February 17 against the San Jose Sharks.
Despite the Canucks struggles for most of this season, Hughes is having another outstanding offensive campaign with 34 points in 45 games. Incredibly, he’s averaging more than 25 minutes a night for the club and even set a high of 31:07 in an overtime game against the Calgary Flames. The smooth-skating defenseman is the most important skater on the team and will be desperately missed over the next week.
Vancouver is back in action tomorrow night against the Arizona Coyotes as they try to climb their way back into the Pacific Division playoff picture. Currently sitting at 20-20-6, decisions will soon have to be made on what to do with several trade candidates.
Rutherford: Goal Is Still To Make Playoffs This Season
While there has been plenty of trade speculation surrounding several of their veterans, Canucks president Jim Rutherford told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger that their immediate goal is to get to the playoffs this season. Center J.T. Miller, winger Conor Garland, and goaltender Jaroslav Halak have all been mentioned as candidates to be moved but it would stand to reason that Rutherford’s preference is to give his current group more time together if he wants to see Vancouver get back into the postseason picture. The Canucks currently are seventh in the Pacific Division and are nine points out of the last divisional seed and six points behind Calgary for the final Wild Card seed although the Flames have four games in hand.
Canucks Considering Keeping J.T. Miller
- J.T. Miller has been the focus of trade speculation for the last few weeks as the Vancouver Canucks march toward the deadline, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet may have thrown some cold water on that in his latest 32 Thoughts column. He starts it by explaining that the Canucks have investigated the idea of re-signing Miller, not trading him, and notes that that could be one of the reasons why a name like Conor Garland has surfaced in recent days. The Canucks need to clear cap space and Miller’s $5.25MM hit is the fourth-highest among Vancouver forwards, but he’s also been the team’s most reliable and productive player this season. He would not be eligible for an extension until July 13 when free agency opens and he officially enters the final year of his current contract.