Vancouver Canucks Skate: Cross Check to Head, Sen’s Preview, Sid Out

Feelers are out for an update with a person close to contract negotiations between the Vancouver Canucks and the agency (CAA) for centre Elias Pettersson and defenceman Quinn Hughes. I’ll pass along whatever I hear. Training camp, albeit just off-ice evaluations, begins tomorrow (Wednesday). In the meantime …

Let’s Skate! …

Former Carolina Hurricanes and NBC Sports TV play-by-play man John Forslund, now the voice of the Seattle Kraken on the telly, will be joining us a little later this morning for a conversation about the Vancouver Canucks newest and closest rival. I’ll post the zoom interview asap.

— It’s a bit hard to spot because it happens very early in the video, but Nick Robertson of the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up a game misconduct after regulation time expired in a rookie tournament game Monday against Columbus in Traverse City, Michigan. Robertson, the Leafs 2nd-round draft pick in 2019 who’s played in six NHL games, cross checked a Blue Jackets prospect in the head during a line scrum. The Jackets scored on the ensuing five-minute power play and won the game in overtime.

— Sticking with the TSN peeps, here’s a look at a Canadian team that’s $3-million short of the NHL salary cap floor, the Ottawa Senators. They’ll be fine of course, once they sign 22-year-old franchise forward Brady Tkachuk. What’s weird with all of this is that before the club traded him to Vegas, it was paying winger Evgenii Dadonov $5-million to play on the third line, maybe because they had so many young forwards on entry-level deals. Then this summer, one year after they acquired him and with two years left on his deal, they dumped him, his mediocre play, and his salary. Ahhh, the Sen’s.

— Are you excited yet? C’mon, get excited! Sportsnet via the Associated Press says the Arizona Coyotes are looking at land in Tempe for a new rink. Why, you ask? Great question. I understand Hamilton and Markham, Ontario are lovely this time of year. (Crap, that would mean realignment.)

— The Penguins are an interesting club at the moment with Sid Crosby and Geno Malkin both starting the season out of the line-up. The Stanley Cup champs from 2016 and 2017 are seeing their Sid and Geno Cup-contender window gradually closing and are making what they think are the necessary moves to keep it open. Of course, former Vancouver Canucks General Manager Brian Burke is in charge of hockey op’s there. Pittsburgh Hockey Now posted this Penguins potpourri Monday night.

Talk to you again from Vancouver Canucks training camp in Abottsford. Enjoy the Hockey Action!