Canucks NHL Daily: Could Matthews Pull a Gaudreau? Trades to Report

VHN has hit you with a lot of Vancouver Canucks material lately and occasionally we’ll provide a little recap off the top so that you can catch up on something you maybe didn’t want to miss.

Plenty of fans who commented disparagingly on defenceman Elias Pettersson’s shift on our Simmerpuck Youtube channel didn’t realize the shift occurred after he dinged his knee on Monday. It was a Thursday scrimmage and he clearly didn’t have his normal stride, the one we saw the first half of Monday. A couple samples of his healthy stride are also on youtube.

Here’s the story behind the knee incident and why he looked the way he did. The Vancouver Canucks development coaches actually complimented him on his overwhelming desire to suck it up and take part. It’s not considered a long-term problem.

In and Around Camp

Three other stories involved camp, recent signings, and, whatayaknow, recent signings at camp.

— The two Swedes who stood out.

— An unfair but eventually tantalizing poll about the three Vancouver Canucks Russians.

— The deepening battle in the Canucks creases.

Oh, by the way, what are the Vancouver Canucks doing as it relates to potential trades, the salary cap, and their D-corps? Does something have to give soon?

Trades!

Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ron Hextall appeared to be the busiest man in hockey on Saturday. His first trade was a nifty salary dump. John Marino and his $4.4 million to New Jersey for 2018 first-round pick Ty Smith, who struggled in his second year. Penguins trade story.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now Dave Molinari dug deeper to find out why the 22-year-old Smith was available on the NHL trade block.

A bigger one came next. The Penguins finally landed Jeff Petry, costing them Mike Matheson. Here are the full details of the Penguins trade haul.

National Hockey Now

Montreal Hockey Now: Could the Canadiens actually flip Kirby Dach, who they swiped from the Chicago Blackhawks at the NHL draft, for a better centre? Montreal Canadiens trade rumors.

Toronto Sun: Ontario hockey watchers wonder if Auston Matthews will do the same thing that Johnny Gaudreau did and bolt the great white north. Could Matthews leave Toronto via free agency in 2024?

Calgary Hockey Now. The Flames are dealing with the loss of Gaudreau, but Steve Macfarlane wisely looked ahead. Lock up Matthew Tkachuk!

Canucks Near Future Plans

The market seems to be coming around to the theory VHN expressed at the end of June, one the Vancouver Canucks have now professed regularly. Barring a gold mine, they’re in no hurry. We’ll see.

Enjoy your Sunday!