Canucks send Jannik Hansen to Manitoba

The Canucks have reassigned Jannik Hansen to the Moose today.
Wonder what that says about the chances of Sundin playing. Or maybe Ryan Johnson.
Hansen has not scored a goal for a long time. He started the season very strong, and currently has 4 goals and 17 points in 37 games but seems to be struggling. I thought he played well in a checking role though.
This also says a lot about what Jason Jaffray has done recently, which is play like he's a man possessed. This is great to see. I have been backing Jaffray for a few years now.

T Tags: Canucks+send+Jannik+Hansen+to+Manitoba January+2009

Sundin could play Wednesday against Oilers / Schneider sent down

A fan at the CDC forums heard on Team 1040:

Tom Larscheid just said that AV is gonna run with

Raymond Sundin Wellwood
Sedin Demitra Sedin
hansen Kesler burrows
Hordi bernier Jaffrey

Just listening to him on team 1040 , Thats gonna be the Lineup Against Edmonton.

Can't always trust forums, right? OK, so let's see what Brad Ziemer from the Vancouver Sun just wrote:

Mats Sundin will travel to Edmonton with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, but won’t decide until after Wednesday morning’s game-day skate whether he will play that night against the Oilers.


Sundin participated in his first full practice with the Canucks late this morning and will work out with the team again Tuesday before travelling with the Canucks later in the day to the Alberta capital.


“We talked about it today and it looks like I am going to go either way,” Sundin said.

Sundin was non-committal when asked if he thought he would make his Canuck debut Wednesday night against the Oilers

“I don’t know,” he said. “I think after another practice tomorrow we’ll see. It felt good today skating. It’s how you feel tomorrow morning and how you feel maybe Wednesday morning and see how the body reacts when you skate at this pace. We’ll see.”

So don't bank on him playing in Edmonton just yet.
Mats practiced on a line with Wellwood and Raymond today.
What he said about Wellwood:

“Kyle is a very smart player as you guys have seen here,” Sundin said. “To me, he has got that hockey sense that comes natural to him. He understands the game, he understands where players are on the ice around him and understands where to go to get goals and assists and so forth.”

What he said about Raymond:

“He was flying out there today. I really enjoy his energy and his skating. He made some great plays out there. It was nice to have some young fresh legs out there, too.”

Demitra missed practice with a sore groin but will play against the Oilers.

---

From the same Sun article: Cory Schneider was sent back down to the Moose today. It looks as though Curtis Sanford is back. That being said, Jason Labarbera will start in his 4th straight game against the Oilers Wednesday. Good to see Alain Vigneault stick with the hot goalie.

T Tags: Sundin+may+play+Wednesday+against+Oilers Cory+Schneider+sent+down+to+Manitoba Curtis+Sanford+returns

Canucks recall Alexandre Bolduc

Calling up a spare center, huh? I wonder if there is any secret injury/illness going around.
Bolduc stats can be found here.

Canucks recall Cory Schneider and re-assign Nolan Baumgartner

We know Luongo will miss some time. It's just a matter of "how much". In lieu of that the Canucks have called up super-Moose goalie Cory Schneider. From Canucks.com:

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that goaltender Cory Schneider has been recalled from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

The club also announced they have re-assigned defenceman Nolan Baumgartner to Manitoba.

Schnieder, 22, has posted a record of 10 wins and one loss, with one shutout in 11 games played this season with Manitoba. In addition his 1.37 GAA is the lowest in the AHL and his .945 save percentage places him second in that category as well. Schneider has led the Moose to an AHL best 28 points with a club record of 14-3-0 and first place in the AHL's North Division. His 10 wins are tied for the most in the League.

Those are impressive stats. But that is the AHL. How well will he perform in the NHL? He played weel in preseason I remember, but that is different as well. I am looking forward to seeing him strut his stuff. Basically, Schneider will try to prove that he can backup Luongo or be a Canucks starting goalie in the future. What more motivation does he need?
The way the Canucks are rallying around Curtis Sanford lately, I'd say it's a safe bet The Sandman will get the majority of the starts in Luongo's absence. But anything can happen.
Like I've said elsewhere online, I am not worried about the Canucks without Luongo. This is a huge opportunity for Sanford and Schneider.

T Tags: Luongo+injured Canucks+recall+Cory+Schneider Canucks+re-assign+Nolan+Baumgartner+to+Manitoba

Manitoba Moose Update

I don't watch many Manitoba Moose games, so what I am doing here is giving you a visual update of them. As you can see they are the best team in the West. Stan Smyl has them playing well!
-Look at the OTL number: 7. Remind you of the big club a little?
-Jason Jaffray's 75 points puts him in 6th spot in the AHL in scoring.
-The only games that the Moose have lost in March were back-to-back games against the Houston Aeros.
-The Moose came back from a 3-0 deficit and beat the Grand Rapids Griffins in the shootout last night.

All stats are from the Manitoba Moose home page.