sleddy2008
03-03-2010, 11:33 PM
C/P from Montreal Gazette
Canucks fiddle with roster at trade deadline, but no major moves
VANCOUVER The Canucks made a couple of moves ahead of the noon NHL trade deadline, although none was earth-shaking.
In what was GM Mike Gillis' major move of the day, the Canucks acquired big and physical defenceman Andrew Alberts from the Carolina Hurricanes for a third-round draft pick in this June's NHL draft.
Alberts, 27, a No. 5 or No. 6 D-man in Carolina, will give the Canucks more toughness on their back end and fill out the numbers of NHL-ready defencemen when there is uncertainty if Willie Mitchell (concussion) will be back this year.
When I heard the news, I was a little bit shocked, but it's also exciting to see the team you're going to - one of the top teams in the West, said Alberts, reached by The Province in Raliegh, S.C. I've played in Vancouver just a couple of times. It seems like a great place to play, so I'm excited.
Gillis said he likes the package the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Andrews brings and the fact he's under contract through next season.
It wasn't a rental, said Gillis. He's a big defenceman who averages about 15 minutes (per game), he's a plus player in Carolina, he's a defensive defenceman who can play against the other team's top lines. With the concussion that Willie (Mitchell) has, it's difficult to say when he'll return. Clearly we'll err on the side of caution and give him as much time as possible. We felt we needed this kind of depth to move forward in case we had any further injuries.
Alberts is under contract for $1.05 million for the rest of this season and next, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent. He's expected to join the Canucks for practice on Thursday in Chicago and play his first game with his new teammates on Friday against the Blackhawks.
Earlier, the Canucks picked up centre Yan Stastny from St. Louis in an exchange of minor leaguers for Pierre-Cedric Labrie.
The other deal saw disgruntled veteran defenceman Mathieu Schneider going to Phoenix for a conditional sixth-round pick and minor league D-man Sean Zimmerman. Schneider had been playing with the Manitoba Moose.
The Stastny deal is interesting, in that the son of NHL great Peter and older brother of Colorado's Paul is finishing up a one-year, one-way deal making $500,000.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Stastny has played 91 NHL career games, scoring 6-10-16. Labrie is not close to playing in the NHL.
Stastny, 27, who will report to the Canucks' minor-league team in Winnipeg, has played just four games with the Blues this season, producing one goal.
Zimmerman, 22, has collected seven points (2-5-7) and 75 penalty minutes in 54 games with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. The Denver native won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2007 World Junior Championships.
As for Schneider, the much-travelled veteran is joining his 10th NHL club in Phoenix, which earlier picked up Derek Morris from Boston in a revamping of their defence.
The trade deadline passed at noon Pacific time with several mid-level deals across the league, but no blockbusters.
Canucks fiddle with roster at trade deadline, but no major moves
VANCOUVER The Canucks made a couple of moves ahead of the noon NHL trade deadline, although none was earth-shaking.
In what was GM Mike Gillis' major move of the day, the Canucks acquired big and physical defenceman Andrew Alberts from the Carolina Hurricanes for a third-round draft pick in this June's NHL draft.
Alberts, 27, a No. 5 or No. 6 D-man in Carolina, will give the Canucks more toughness on their back end and fill out the numbers of NHL-ready defencemen when there is uncertainty if Willie Mitchell (concussion) will be back this year.
When I heard the news, I was a little bit shocked, but it's also exciting to see the team you're going to - one of the top teams in the West, said Alberts, reached by The Province in Raliegh, S.C. I've played in Vancouver just a couple of times. It seems like a great place to play, so I'm excited.
Gillis said he likes the package the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Andrews brings and the fact he's under contract through next season.
It wasn't a rental, said Gillis. He's a big defenceman who averages about 15 minutes (per game), he's a plus player in Carolina, he's a defensive defenceman who can play against the other team's top lines. With the concussion that Willie (Mitchell) has, it's difficult to say when he'll return. Clearly we'll err on the side of caution and give him as much time as possible. We felt we needed this kind of depth to move forward in case we had any further injuries.
Alberts is under contract for $1.05 million for the rest of this season and next, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent. He's expected to join the Canucks for practice on Thursday in Chicago and play his first game with his new teammates on Friday against the Blackhawks.
Earlier, the Canucks picked up centre Yan Stastny from St. Louis in an exchange of minor leaguers for Pierre-Cedric Labrie.
The other deal saw disgruntled veteran defenceman Mathieu Schneider going to Phoenix for a conditional sixth-round pick and minor league D-man Sean Zimmerman. Schneider had been playing with the Manitoba Moose.
The Stastny deal is interesting, in that the son of NHL great Peter and older brother of Colorado's Paul is finishing up a one-year, one-way deal making $500,000.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Stastny has played 91 NHL career games, scoring 6-10-16. Labrie is not close to playing in the NHL.
Stastny, 27, who will report to the Canucks' minor-league team in Winnipeg, has played just four games with the Blues this season, producing one goal.
Zimmerman, 22, has collected seven points (2-5-7) and 75 penalty minutes in 54 games with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. The Denver native won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2007 World Junior Championships.
As for Schneider, the much-travelled veteran is joining his 10th NHL club in Phoenix, which earlier picked up Derek Morris from Boston in a revamping of their defence.
The trade deadline passed at noon Pacific time with several mid-level deals across the league, but no blockbusters.