Should the Canucks give Sundin a deadline?

From Brad Zeimer of the Vancouver Sun:

All this puts Canuck GM Mike Gillis in a tough spot. How long does he give Sundin to make up his mind? At some point Gillis may have to turn to Plan B, which would likely involve trading away one of his defencemen -- maybe Kevin Bieksa -- for some offence from a team that is up against the salary cap. If he hasn't already, Gillis needs to tell Sundin and his agent J.P. Barry that the Canucks' very generous offer of $20 million over two years has a deadline. Give him until the end of the month. If Sundin still hasn't decided by then, the Canucks need to turn the page and move on.

Read the entire post from One-Timers here.

If the Canucks give Sundin a deadline, I'm not so sure how well that would go over. He has already stated his intention to decide which team he wants to play for within the next two weeks. Imposing a team deadline on Sundin would probably eliminate any chance the team has of bringing Sundin to British Columbia.

Looks like Canucks will retain Ron Delorme

From the Vancouver Province:

While it was widely speculated that chief amateur scout Ron Delorme's future was in jeopardy, it has been reported that his 26-year run with the organization as player, scout and department head will be extended in some form under Gillis and that scouts Barry Dean and Mario Marois have not been retained.

The Canucks haven't confirmed the developments and Delorme couldn't be reached for comment, but Gillis has surrounded himself with a staff that could work with the 52-year-old Delorme.

Read the entire article here.

With the Canucks' spotty draft record, Delorme looks to be getting a second chance with Gillis. For someone who thought he was losing his job, I'm sure Delorme is quite happy to return to the fold.

Demitra excited to be with Canucks

From Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province:

"I just have to play with the right guys and I just like to have freedom on the ice. I played my best hockey in St. Louis with guys like [Keith] Tkachuk and [Scott] Mellanby -- guys who always want to be the best. Guys who drive to net and work hard and guys who give me the puck as soon as possible.

"Put the right guys together and everything else will work."

Read the entire article here.

Good signing by Vancouver. Demitra may be 33, but he still has something left in the tank. Plus, he only signed a 2 year pact so the risk isn't very high. If the Canucks can add one more scorer to their top-six forwards, then they could be a very, very dangerous team next season.

Mike Gillis takes the high road

From Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province:

"We have a great deal of respect for the St. Louis Blues, John Davidson, Larry Pleau and their management team," added Gillis. "The offer sheet to Bernier is a clear indication of how highly Steve is thought of in our league."

Read the entire story here.

I'm pretty sure the NHL did its best on both sides to not make this Burke/Lowe II.

Canucks match Bernier offer sheet

From TSN:

One week after the Vancouver Canucks signed restricted free agent forward David Backes to an offer sheet, the St. Louis Blues struck back.

The Blues signed Group II free agent forward Steve Bernier to an offer sheet worth $2.5 million for next season, which the Canucks were quick to match. If they didn't, Vancouver would have received St. Louis' second round draft choice in 2009.

Read the entire story here.

Wow. I step out for dinner, and this happens. Clearly a counter-punch by the Blues after having the Canucks tender David Backes an offer sheet last week. Obviously the Blues were not happy with the Canucks' move and figured they'd make the Canucks overpay just the way they had to. Regardless, it sure makes for interesting news.

Is Sundin still in Canucks' plans?

From Elliot Pap of the Vancouver Sun:

Another interesting day in Canuck-ville with rookie GM Mike Gillis maintaining he still has a shot at landing Mats Sundin, the 37-year-old reluctant superstar who is mulling a $10-million-a-season offer. Gillis has given Sundin two choices: a one-year deal or two-year deal. Gillis has also been talking directly with Sundin and not just leaving it up to agent J.P. Barry.

Read more from One-Timers here.

I don't think that Sundin will end up on the West Coast but it doesn't hurt for Gillis to keep trying.

Gillis wasn't comfortable courting Naslund

From Matthew Sekeras of the Globe & Mail:

They say friends know when to say "when," and besides being the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, Mike Gillis is also Markus Naslund's former agent and his friend.

That Naslund's 12-year relationship with the NHL team had to end this week was evident to all, a divorce where even the kids agree it's for the best. Gillis knew it, Naslund knew it, and the fans knew it. And so, the Canucks' captain, career leading scorer, and arguably the franchise's best player, leaves for the bright lights of Manhattan with an air of inevitability.

"I don't feel comfortable with it because I like Markus so much and I wish it was different," Gillis said yesterday. "It's unfortunate. Markus is a really good friend of mine."

Read the entire article here.

This had to be an awkward situation for both sides. However, it seems both sides were content with the outcome and will maintain a close friendship.

Canucks love the Beach

From Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun:

Like a small South Pacific island, all roads lead to the Beach. The case for power forward Kyle Beach going to the Vancouver Canucks in today’s National Hockey League draft was strengthened by a third meeting Thursday between the 18-year-old from Kelowna and the Canucks. Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis met Beach for about 40 minutes. According to sources, Beach was the Canucks’ first choice long before the NHL descended upon Ottawa this week and, apparently, nothing here has changed their view.

Read more of One-Timers here.

A third meeting by the two sides is generally a good indication that the Canucks are very, very interested in Beach. If they get the sense he could go before 10, they may make a swap with a team ahead of them to secure his services.

Alain Vigneault returning to Vancouver

New Canucks GM Mike Gillis: ''My first priority when taking over the job was to meet with Alain and ensure we shared the same philosophy about building an elite level team for now and for the future. Alain has done a very good job in his two years in Vancouver and I am confident that will continue.''

Here is the full report courtesy of TSN.

My take: This decision does come as somewhat of a surprise. The Canucks fired Vigneault's assistant coaches yesterday, which is generally a sign that the coach is next. Nonetheless, the Canucks decided to bring back Vigneault for at least the next two seasons. It appears that the new brass believes Vigneault's coaching style was dictated more by his personnel than by his coaching philosophy; as the new Canucks management is looking to get more offensive come next fall.