Game 1 Chicago at Vancouver  is Wednesday night, April 13, 7PM PST

Game 2 Chicago at Vancouver is Friday night, April 15, 7PM PST

Game 3 Vancouver at Chicago  is Sunday night, April 17, 5PM PST

Game 4 Vancouver at Chicago is Tuesday night, April 19, 5PM PST

*Games 5-7 if necessary*

Game 5 Chicago at Vancouver is Thursday night, April 21, 7PM PST

Game 6 Vancouver at Chicago is Sunday afternoon, April 24, 4:30PM PST

Game 7 Chicago at Vancouver is Tuesday night, April 26, TBA

All games can be viewed on your local CBC television station. If you don’t have HDTV at home then we highly recommend going to your nearest TV watching establishment and marvel at the beauty of HDTV that they have set-up. You’ll be glad you went!

Now before I get any Phlyer fans jumping on my back about the Finals not being decided yet, I just want to reiterate that Chicago’s momentum through the last six games is quite noteworthy.  Though none of the Hawks would admit it, I’m sure they breathed a sigh of relief that they were able to topple the Canucks and their gold-medal winning goaltender.  As difficult as it might be to accept any consolation prizes, I still believe firmly that the Canucks game them the best fight thus far.  After the Canucks’ Game 1 thumping, they most surely were not taking them so lightly, I assure you.    All I’m trying to point out is that, if you’re going to bow out of the tournament, the sting is lessened when you have to concede to the eventual Champions.   Two more wins in the next 5 games for the Blackhawks, and that’s the boat Canucks fans are in, like it or like it not.

Rest up, Roberto, next season is another year, and there are new goals in sight

As promised, there are still personnel issues to investigate for the upcoming Free Agency.  Probably the single largest question mark is whether or not Willie Mitchell will be wearing the blue and teal next season.  If you browse some of the comment forums on TSN or Canucks.com, it appears a slight majority believe he’s gone.  Prior to the 2007/08 season, Willie signed a 4 year, $3.5 m (per) contract that has recently expired.

Willie Mitchell, scoring his last goal of the season, would be concussed in this game January 16, 2010 (all photos courtesy of Yardbarker)

It’s my belief, though, that it’s not quite time to turn the page yet.  Ultimately, it will boil down to what both parties intend to do, and how his kind of money would fit into their cap structure.  According to nhlnumbers.com, the Canucks have 8 defensemen under contract for the 2010/11 season, with a combined salary of $16.238 m.  In addition, Shane O’Brien and Michael Funk are Restricted Free Agents (RFA), meaning other clubs can tender Offer Sheets to them, with the caveat that the Canucks have the right to match that offer.  If they chose not to, then the offering team has to pay Vancouver compensation in the form of draft picks, according to a chart value.  In most cases, the chart value for RFA’s is quite high, prohibitive.

We'd sure miss Willie and his long reach and his shutdown capabilities

Simply put, though, I would think Mitchell to have some ‘unfinished business’ as far as the Canucks are concerned.  The mechanics of being an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) are intricate, and the Canucks will no doubt not be alone in their pursuit of Mitchell.  But Willie grew up in Port McNeil on Vancouver Island, and seemed quite at home playing 3 years with the Canucks.  Who knew January 16th that he would be out the rest of the regular season and the playoffs with post-concussion syndrome?  He wasn’t alone in voicing the opinion that Vancouver had a lot of pieces to the puzzle in pursuit of a championship.  It’s hard to imagine that he feels any differently now, and has set up a nice life in Vancouver.   Even if he were looking for additional money on a new contract, or be slanted in favor of a longer-term deal, surely Vancouver is still a strong possibility.  Many on the forums say that the Canucks should shake hands, move on, and spend the money elsewhere.  But replacing what Mitchell brings to the table will be a difficult task, and though this summers crop of (defensive) Free Agents isn’t slim pickings, it’s far from bountiful.

Shane O'Brien grew as a player last season, and his new contract should reflect that

As mentioned, Shane O’Brien and Mason Raymond are two noteworthy RFA’s.  The playoffs proved that players with speed, grit, and determination are best suited to succeed.  O’Brien’s Irish heart brims with grit, while Raymond’s speed and flash have surely caught others’ attention.  Of the two, Raymond is most likely to receive an offer sheet from another club, a la Ryan Kesler and the Philadelphia Flyers (Bobby Clarke).  The Canucks matched the $1.75 m contract offer that some scoffed at during the time, but with Kesler’s production and growth, they soon realized $1.75 m was bargain basement.  If Raymond receives an offer, it would probably be around that mark ($2 m or so).  The other mitigating factor is how badly another club would want to bring on Raymond’s goal-scoring capability.  They know they’d pay dearly for it, with a possible first round pick, and potentially another 2nd round pick leaving for compensation, depending on the size of contract.  The new NHL puts a premium on young talent; whatever the case, the $760,000 Raymond made last season will look like a down payment on the new contract he signs, whichever team that might be.   Below I’ve included the 2009 table for compensation upon signing a Restricted Free Agent.

2009 Compensation

• $994,433 or below – None
• $994,433 to $1,506,716 – 3rd round pick
• $1,506,716 to $3,013,434 – 2nd round pick
• $3,013,434 to $4,520,150 – 1st and 3rd round pick
• $4,520,150 to $6,026,867 – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick
• $6,026,867 to $7,533,584 – 2 1st round picks, a 2nd and 3rd round pick
• $7,533,584 – 4 1st round picks

So, based on the above scenario, the $1.75 m contract the Flyers offered Ryan Kesler, they would have had to give up a 2nd round pick to the Canucks.  As you can see, $3.014 m is the magical number, whereby a team would have to compensate the club that held that players rights a 1st and 3rd round draft pick.  Again, the team owning the players rights ALWAYS has the option to match.

After Mason Raymond's break-out season, will other NHL teams pony up draft picks to sign him to contract?

So less than a month from now hockey fans will start to feel the flicker of some hockey excitement again, with the NHL Entry Draft descending upon them June 25th.  Shortly after that, July 1st will mark the start of Free Agency, and for a few weeks following, some NHL players will be finding themselves moving to new cities.

Join me June 25th (and of course, weekly before then) as Fansided.com and it’s writers (myself included) prepare not only a Fantasy ‘Mock’ draft live, but also play General Manager for a day and deliberate on who the Vancouver Canucks should select with their 18th pick in the first round, right here on The Canuck Way.

Actor AJ Buckley cheers during Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Canucks and Blackhawks

The poll was a crossover from a recent English poll that suggested that 12 per cent of soccer fans would give up sex for a year if the Three Lions won the World Cup.  Neither of the polls indicated the percentages as broken down by gender, but I assume it’s safe to say that the majority would be male.  Regardless, the number is quite impressive when you think about what’s at stake.  Personally, having followed the Canucks faithfully for 28 years, and hoped, laughed and cried along with them every step of the way, I still don’t know that I would wager a year without sex.  I don’t think my fiance would appreciate me placing that kind of bet either.  It kind of makes me wonder if they’re engaging in the same activity…

Canucks fans at GM Place show their support during Game 3 of the semifinals (All photos courtesy of Yardbarker)

The beauty of polls like this is that no one will be held responsible to carry out the parameters of the wager.  With that in mind, let’s follow through on my promise to take a look at the personnel that will (or will not) help Vancouver reach the Holy Grail.

Fans jested (coach) Vigneault should have let Demitra wear his Slovakian uniform during games to improve his performance

Pavol Demitra:

Age: 35

Cap Hit: $4,000,000

Status: Unrestricted Free Agent

Stats (Games, Goals, Assists, Total points)

28 games      3-13-16    +3 rating

Playoffs:  11 games,  2-4-6    +2 rating

Pavol Demitra turned out to be another Canuck Free Agent experiment  gone awry.  Based on The Province (newspaper) reader response, it’s easy to see that fans are quite unhappy with the return on investment for the streaky Slovak.  Paul from Vancouver wrote: “Don’t answer the $4 -million call from the dreadful Demitra Experiment”.  At least with Mats Sundin, there was a certain level of commitment and grit that was displayed for the monumental amount of cash he received.  But Demitra never really hit his stride in Vancouver, save for the two week period of the Olympics in which he led the tournament for points.  Elvis sightings will be more frequent than Demitra sightings in Vancouver after July 1st, I can assure you of that.

Kyle Wellwood is congratulated by teammates after a second period goal in Game 1

Some Canucks fans have given Kyle the nickname "Charlie Brown" for his interesting facial expressions

Kyle Wellwood:

Age:  27

Cap Hit:  $1,200,000

Status:  Unrestricted Free Agent

Reg. Season:  75 games, 14-11-25   +6 rating

Playoffs:  12 games,  2-5-7   -1 rating

Wellwood showed he knows when to turn up the compete level.  CBC Analyst Jim Hughson commented a couple of times about Wellwood’s speed in the playoffs.  For two years running, the diminutive center has saved his best hockey for the playoffs, and gave the Canucks an additional dimension on their checking line.  With excellent stick-handling abilities, and good vision on the ice, the Canucks will probably make an offer in the same ballpark as the previous one.  The only question is whether he’ll accept or not; may get a longer look from other clubs, which could push his value up somewhat.

Ryan Johnson is stopped by Antti Niemi in Game 5 at the United Center in Chicago

Foot injuries caught up to one of the NHL's bravest shot-blockers, right into the playoffs

Ryan Johnson:

Age: 33

Cap Hit:  $1,150,000

Status: Unrestricted Free Agent

Reg. Season: 58 games,  1-4-5    -4 rating

Playoffs: 4 games,  0-0-0    -2 rating

Having played playoff hockey myself while suffering from a serious injury, my heart really went out to Johnson this post-season.  He was listed as a late May return from his broken foot, but managed 4 games with the Canucks in Round 2.  Probably motivated by the Canucks lack of success on the penalty kill, it was obvious Johnson returned too early.  The Thunder Bay, Ont. product had a tough time being reinserted smack in the middle of the playoffs.  But nobody questions his heart, and though he’s not a shoe-in, one would think the Canucks will try to get him back in the fold for similar money.

Alexandre Bolduc, Class VI Unrestricted Free Agent

Tanner Glass, 25, Restricted Free Agent

In the next Canuck Way installment, we’ll continue our investigation into what the team may look like for the 2010/11 season.  Of particular note, I’ll take stock of the Willie Mitchell situation and potential complications in re-signing Mason Raymond, who is coming off his breakout season.