Demitra Not the Answer in Vancouver?

Vancouver Province write Ed Willes is not impressed with the recent signing of Demitra, labeling him a "complimentary offensive player" and likening him to an also declining Markus Naslund.

Demitra, at best, is a complementary offensive player. He turns 34 in November. Over his last four NHL seasons he's recorded 58, 62, 64 and 54 points and he's six years removed from his most productive campaign with the Blues.

This doesn't mean he isn't a useful player. But, as of this writing, the Canucks' offseason rebuilding plan is based on Demitra and Steve Bernier. And the notion that Mats Sundin would spurn offers from Montreal, Toronto and New York to play with this revamped powerhouse is absurd.

Though Demitra does have some fine offensive skills, he likely can't carry a team, especially one like the Vancouver Canucks, who may struggle to score. He should be a valuable addition to the power-play, where he should mesh well with the Sedins.

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.

Are the Canucks any better?

From Iain McIntyre of the Vancouver Sun:

Demitra and Steve Bernier, last week's key acquisition, replace Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund on the Canucks' roster. That makes Vancouver different -- bigger, younger, slightly more physical -- but not necessarily any more offensive. Or does a potential second-line of Demitra-Kyle Wellwood-Mason Raymond really get your heart pumping?

Read more from One-Timers here.

McIntyre's point is well taken. The Canucks need to make another move or two before heading into the season. Obviously their number one need is scoring up-front.

Canucks officially sign Pavol Demitra

From Elliot Pap of the Vancouver Sun:

"VANCOUVER - Vancouver Canuck rookie general manager Mike Gillis made his first big-name free-agent acquistion today when he signed veteran forward Pavol Demitra to a two-year contract worth $8 million."

Read the article here.

Things are starting to turn around for the Vancouver Canucks, who were rejected by Mats Sundin and his agent J.P. Barry earlier this week worse than Screech on Saved by the Bell. Demitra is a career point-a-game scorer who struggled at times last season (15 goals) with countrymen Marian Gaborik in Minnesota, but nonetheless he will instantly make the Canucks anemic offense better. Demitra is a 9-time 20 goal scorer who will look very nice on a Power Play unit alongside the crafty Sedin Twins.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

Demitra Labels the Canucks His #1 Choice

TSN is reporting that UFA Centre Pavol Demitra is expected to sign with the Vancouver Canucks.

In an interview with Vancouver radio station CKNW, free agent forward Pavol Demitra confirmed that the Canucks are his preferred destination and expects to sign with the team.

"I think there is a good chance," Demitra said.

"[Current Canucks GM Mike Gillis] used to be my agent for a long time. We are very good friends. I am very interested in playing for [the Canucks]."

Given the current climate, in which many NHL GM's seem reluctant to deal with Vancouver, signing Demitra might be the one shot the Canucks get at a proven scorer. He is still a talented player, and should help provide some offense.

Looking at the remaining free agents

From Kevin Allen of USA Today:

Jaromir Jagr is going to Russia. Marian Hossa left $50 million on the table from other suitors to play one season for the Detroit Red Wings for $7.45 million. The Tampa Bay Lightning have changed a third of their roster.

The league has changed dramatically since the start of free agent signing season, but there still are desirable players:

•Pavol Demitra: At 33, he is a proven scorer who can play center and wing. He's going to produce points, and he has several teams bidding for him. "We are weighing a couple of different situations," said his agent, Matt Keator. "Like with all veteran free agents, winning, style of play and his family come into play."

Read the entire article here.

Almost all the significant free agents remaining are veteran players who have been through the wringer over the years. A couple of them may still be game-changers (Sakic, Selanne, Sundin), but most will be solid players who provide more "name recognition" than actual on-ice value.

Pre-Game Report

Here are some news and notes heading into tonight's games:

• Pavol Demitra (leg) is in the line up tonight for the Wild.
• Pierre-Marc Bouchard (flu) will return to the team's line up tonight.
• Jean-Sebastien Gigure (head) is out tonight for the Ducks.
• Ryan Getzlaf (shoulder) is also out for Anaheim.
• Erik Ersberg will start in between the pipes tonight for Los Angeles.
• Scott Thornton (upper-body) is out tonight for the Kings.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Morning Musings

Here are the morning papers:

• Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun is reporting that Peter Forsberg may make a decision on his future by November 15 and that the Senators are one of the teams that the superstar is interested in coming to.


• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star tells readers which people are really to blame for the Leafs' seemingly endless struggles. In other Leafs' news, coach Paul Maurice appeared to have a heart-to-heart with a number of Leaf veterans at center ice after practice on Monday.


• The Bruins were riding high until they played in Montreal last night and got humbled by a score of 6-1. Marc Savard only lost two draws last night, unfortunately for the Bruins, both lost draws resulted in immediate goals for the Habs. While, Manny Fernandez was given the opportunity to start back-to-back games and flopped.


• In Detroit, Igor Grigorenko was recalled from the AHL because Dallas Drake is currently injured, however, Ken Holland said it is unlikely that the youngster wins a roster spot because, "he hasn't wowed us."


• Kings' coach Marc Crawford says there is nothing to the rumors that L.A. is looking to trade either Alexander Frolov or Dustin Brown for a netminder.


• It is unclear whether Wild winger Pavol Demitra will be healthy enough to dress in the team's first game of a three game road trip Wednesday at Calgary.


• The struggling Predators are going to attempt to end their losing skid by trying new line combinations tonight. Michael Cass of the Tennessean has more news on the sale of the Predators.


• Flyers' winger Scottie Upshall thinks he is about 9-10 days away from returning to the lineup from a wrist injury suffered in the preseason. Coach John Stevens was happy with the results of his Mike Knuble/Joffrey Lupul line swap.


• The Penguins are looking to make it three wins in a row tonight on national television versus the high-powered Rangers. After yesterday's practice in which he took a high stick to the face, Jordan Staal now looks like a real hockey player.


• Chris Pronger hardly has any ties to the St. Louis area anymore writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.


• As Tarik El-Bashir tells us, Chris Clark will be returning to Alexander Ovechkin's line for tonight's game and maybe beyond.


• Ducks' coach Randy Carlyle doesn't want to hear any more excuses because he knows his team can succeed on the road. Meanwhile, Dan Wood of the Orange County Register informs us that former Duck Paul Kariya has no hard feelings towards his former organization.


• It looks like the Thrashers are going to split up the combination of Slava Kozlov and Marian Hossa for tonight's game.


• Flames' coach Mike Keenan gave Miikka Kiprusoff the hook near the end of the second period of last night's game 4-1 loss to San Jose. It wasn't all bad news for the Flames last night as veteran Owen Nolan played in his 1,000th NHL game. Forward David Moss did not play in last night's contest due to a concussion he suffered at the hands of Raffi Torres on Saturday night.


• The Hurricanes were impressive in their 3-1 victory over the visiting Canucks last night.


• Brad Zeimer of the Vancouver Sun opines that the Canucks need to stay out of the penalty box if they want to turn their ship around and get above the .500 level. Markus Naslund was visibly frustrated after last night's game, so much so that he questioned the Canucks' offensive system.


• Rocky Wirtz is doing what his dad refused to do and that is putting home games on television in the Chicago market. (Writer's note: It's about time!)


• Ryan Smyth admits he will probably breakdown tonight in his return to Edmonton, the only place he knew as home in the NHL until the end of last season.


• Smyth told the Edmonton media yesterday that are no hard feelings against his former club. Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal says the team has yet to replace Smyth with a new face of the franchise. The Oilers are going to try to avoid distraction tonight and keep their attention on the task at hand and that's maintaining a winning record at home.


• The Blue Jackets need to improve their five-on-five goal output writes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch. Here are the Blue Jackets' line combinations for tonight's contest versus Chicago.


• The new NHL crackdown has significantly benefited Stars' center Mike Ribiero; Bill Nichols of the Dallas Morning News has the story.


• With injuries abound in Florida, expect a lot of lineup shuffling come game time tonight says Panthers' coach Jacques Martin


• Although the 6-1 score was lopsided for the Habs, it may not have been so had Cristobal Huet not turned aside all the Bruins' chances in the first period writes Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette. Owen Nolan wasn't the only NHL player to play in his 1000th game last night as Bryan Smolinski joined him in achieving this relatively rare feat.


• Brent Sutter has challenged his two big star forwards , Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta, to up the quality of their play writes Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger.


• Rangers' superstar Jaromir Jagr is not sure why his team is struggling. Jagr's teammate Brendan Shanahan thinks he has the answer to the Rangers' problems so far this season and that's that the team is too selfless.


• Islanders' captain Bill Guerin thinks Long Island is a perfect fit for him writes Mark Herrmann of Newsday.


• According to coach Wayne Gretzky, Derek Morris has been "unreal" for the Coyotes this season.


• Coach John Tortorella doesn't think Vinny Prospal's upcoming free agency has anything to do with his production so far this season. Carter Gaddis of the Tampa Tribune profiles the Bolts' equipment manager Ray Thill.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.