Could the 'best backup goalie in hockey' be traded this summer?
Schneider, who turns 26 in six weeks, is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. True, he might be a No. 1 masquerading as a backup. But he'll never get paid his full value in arb because of the small sample size (65 games) of his work.
His value in a trade, on the other hand, would seem to be considerably higher, which brings us to our next intrigue.
Four years ago, then Dallas backup Mike Smith was the centrepiece of a trade with Tampa for Brad Richards. Two summers ago, Montreal dealt Jaro Halak, who was coming off a bravura playoff performance, to St. Louis for former first-rounder Lars Eller.
Canucks looking for gritRaymond is going to hear his name mentioned a lot because he's probably the easiest forward to move.
A team may see in him a similar case to Michael Grabner's, who bloomed when given a different role than the one he had with the top-heavy Canucks.
What the Canucks need is someone like Travis Moen.
Two Hot Mega RumorsHottest rumor around the All-Star break had the Ducks dishing Corey Perry to Vancouver for former Boston College goalie Cory Schneider, Mason Raymond, and the vastly overpaid Keith Ballard. Another one had the Bruins dishing Tim Thomas to Chicago. Perhaps that could be the University of Vermont special, with the Bruins sending their ex-Catamount to the Hawks for former Catamount Viktor Stalberg . . .
Rumour: Corey Perry to Vancouver CanucksSay this about the Canucks’ trade rumours with Anaheim: They are getting better.Last week, it was Vancouver’s supposed interest in George Parros, which was quickly shot down as a possibility. This week it’s a former Stanley Cup and Hart Trophy winner on his way to Vancouver.As the rumour goes, Enrico Ciccone, on the TV show ”Le Match,” said Patrice Brisebois claims a trade is being considered which would send Corey Perry to the Canucks for Cory Schneider, Mason Raymond and Keith Ballard.
'Some day he's going to get it,' Vigneault predicts of MarchandAlain Vigneault and Mike Gillis were hotter than a Florida thermometer on Sunday.
However, even the considerable venom they spewed won't result in Brad Marchand being suspended for more than five games for his low-bridge hit that concussed Sami Salo and resulted in a clipping major and game misconduct on Saturday.
The Boston Bruins winger will have a telephone hearing Monday with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan, which means the supplemental penalty can't be more than a five-game suspension. An in-house hearing would have meant a stiffer sentence. Regardless, the suggestion by Bruins coach Claude Julien that Marchand was trying to protect himself from being hit in the corner boards by Salo late in the second period of a 4-3 Canucks triumph set Vigneault off.
Lack of tough guys not hurting CanucksIf you’re ever going to get the Vancouver Canucks to change the model that’s enabled them to have success in the past year, it’s probably best to try when they aren’t enjoying a 9-1 stretch.
But despite the current run, and a trip to the Stanley Cup final, there are those who still believe the Canucks are doing it wrong. As the story goes, the team’s lack of toughness renders them incapable of self-policing and therefore exposes their best players to undue risk. Opponents who may be prone to taking liberties at the best of times are further emboldened against the Canucks for a few reasons.
Schneider's future with Canucks decidedly murkyCory Schneider's hockey future has more potential twists and turns than a David Baldacci novel.
This we know: Schneider's career goal is to become a clear-cut No. 1 in the NHL and receive the playing time - and contract dollars - that go with it. But as long as Roberto Luongo and his contract and $5.33-million cap hit that runs through 2022 are here, it's not going to hap-pen in Vancouver.
Would the Canucks have won Tuesday with Luongo in net?There was one amusing hypothetical question arising from Vancouver's 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Arena Tuesday night.
Would the Vancouver Canucks have won that game had Roberto Luongo played goal? That question is as unfair as it is unanswerable, but when you consider how well Cory Schneider played again and got a lot of luck he later admitted to in the bargain, you have to be a little dubious about that outcome.
Mason Raymond nears return to Canucks lineupMason Raymond is close to returning from a fractured vertebra in his back.
Very close.
The expectation is the Canucks forward could be back in the lineup for this week's three-game road trip, which begins on Wednesday in Colorado.
