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R & R: Everyone loves Canucks skate logo, trades, tanking, and Ballard's hip checks

DH Vancouver Staff
DH Vancouver Staff
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Dec 20 2017, 3:02 am
R & R: Everyone loves Canucks skate logo, trades, tanking, and Ballard's hip checks

After a lengthy hiatus, Rumours & Revelations is back with a vengeance! Just like the skate logo!

Let’s get right into it.

Trades

If the Canucks continue to struggle, you have to think that GM Jim Benning will pull the trigger on a trade of some magnitude.

From Elliotte Friedman’s popular 30 Thoughts column:

Canucks GM Jim Benning mentioned to Dan Murphy during a broadcast last week that he looked around after Brandon Sutter underwent surgery. It doesn’t sound like there was anything even remotely close, though.

Friedman later went on to mention how unprecedented this season has been with regards to trades. We’re getting into mid-December and not a single player has been traded that is currently on an NHL roster.

Trading for the sake of plugging a relatively short-term hole isn’t advisable, in my view. Injuries happen. If your team can’t survive a middle-6 centre, then you might as well tank it.

 

Give the people what they want

Speaking of tanking, I believe the vast majority of Canucks fans are in favour of it.

Many hardcore fans have been in favour of tanking for a few years now, but the view has become mainstream.

I only have anecdotal evidence of course, but the general sentiment I get is: get a bunch of young guys in here, trade all the old guys (apart from the Sedins), and look to the future. Losses be damned.

Case in point: I wrote an article about trading Radim Vrbata one day after he scored a hat trick against the Sabres. Vrbata is a classy player, popular with fans, and perhaps the team’s best pure goal scorer. My experience has been that suggesting that a player like him should be traded is to be met with venom for yours truly.

Remarkably, that wasn’t the case.

Most of the responses were very thoughtful. These are not bandwagon fans, speaking out of frustration with the team. They’re people that are looking at the Canucks’ situation with realism. I was impressed with many fans’ forward-thinking view.

Here’s one from our Facebook Page from Peter:

I absolutely agree he’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year and there are lots of teams that could use a proven goalscorer and if they’d be willing to give up a 1st or 2nd round draft pick for him. if you are rebuilding for the future he’s not part of it.

Here’s another from Steve-o:

Trade him….. since the Canucks aren’t going to the playoffs. So no fight for playoffs just for Auston Matthews.

 

I don’t think the Canucks should do a full-on tank, because I think they should reload for one more shot at the Cup before the Sedins retire.

Clear out anyone of value who isn’t going to be productive in 2-3 years, and acquire assets. Even if you don’t score big with an Auston Matthews, you’ll improve your prospect pool and that will help the franchise immensely long term.

While it’s true that draft picks can take 3-4 years before they materialize into everyday NHL players, keep in mind that they are often parlayed in trades, which can help in the short term. Draft, develop, trade. That’s the ticket to reloading in two years.

 

Skate jersey

I love the skate jersey. You love the skate jersey. Everyone loves the skate jersey.

The Canucks will be wearing them again for one game this season, against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 13th.

You know what’s coming: “they should wear those full-time”. It’s going to happen, and I’m completely against it.

The skate jersey looks cool right now, because it’s trendy. When they wore them in the 90s, they weren’t especially popular. The retro stick/rink logo was all the rage for a while, as was the Johnny Canuck logo.

My opinion: it’s great to bring it back for one game, but don’t make a drastic change to their home and away jerseys. The Canucks need to quit messing with the logo and the jersey colours.

I like the fact that Bertuzzi, Naslund, and Morrison returned to Rogers Arena on Monday and I saw clips of them wearing the same Orca that the current team wears. I wish they were wearing blue and green as well. Keep it the same, it’s the only way the franchise can get a classic look.

But until then, these will sell like hot cakes:

Keith Ballard Retires

Former Canucks defenceman, Keith Ballard, has retired. He’s walking away from the game due to post-concussion syndrome.

He’s the second Canucks defenceman from the 2011 run that had to retire due to a brain injury (Andrew Alberts had to walk away after a hit from Brian McGrattan in 2013).

Ballard says his headaches are getting better, but he gave some insight into what post-concussion syndrome is like in an interview with Michael Russo:

“The last time I had them really bad was in August. I didn’t do any real physical activity in the summer other than going for walks, but nothing close to summer hockey training. One day, we were playing tag with the kids outside and I started getting real dizzy and bad headaches. I had to lay down and that seemed to trigger other things.

Keith Ballard was a disappointment for most of his time in Vancouver, with the exception of his hip checks. I don’t know if we’ll ever see a d-man deliver as many of them, especially those of the spectacular variety.

This was probably his best:

 

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