Simmer's Turbo-9; Kraken, Canucks, PWHL, USA Vs. Canada

Simmer’s efficient, streamlined, brisk 9.

1) That’s what I meant when I wrote turbo 9. As in short, simple and sweet. But since we’re on “Turbo”. The man with that nickname, former Seattle Kraken winger Brandon Tanev, was waived by the Utah Mammoth this past week. He cleared waivers, which means he’ll be sent to play for the Mammoth’s American Hockey League franchise, the Tucson Roadrunners.

One would expect he’ll try to play his way out of the demotion, rather than retire or head to Europe. He could ask for a trade. The 34-year-old is still owed $2.5-million the next two seasons. He’d be a dum-dum to pass that up. By sending him down, the Mammoth save about half of that number on their salary cap hit. Tanev played 56 games for the Mammoth last season with zero goals, three assists, and a minus-15 rating.

So much for turbo, as in, let’s speed this up.

2) The Canucks are one of 10 NHL teams opening the season on Thursday night. That’s in three days, as I write this. The first game of the evening will be the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Florida Panthers. The pregame ceremony will involve hoisting their brand new Stanley Cup banner.

The Canucks open on the road against the Edmonton Oilers later that night. The same two teams play again at Rogers Arena on October 1st. It’s the start of a three-game homestand for Vancouver, with the Canucks hosting the Calgary Flames on the 3rd and the Vegas Golden Knights on the 4th.

3) Good luck with all of that. The same could be said for the Seattle Kraken, who open on the road in Calgary on the 1st, then play the Oilers in Edmonton on the 3rd, before hosting the Flames the very next evening. The Kraken went 2-and-0 against the Flames in the preseason, but as you know, that means nothing.

The Vegas Golden Knights visit Climate Pledge Arena on the 6th.

4) Seattle’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, lost their lone preseason game 2-1 in a shoot-out to the Ontario (California) Reign, farm club of the Los Angeles Kings. Defenseman Tyson Jugnauth, who looked good last week at Kraken training camps, scored the lone goal for CV. Now age-22, he had a 45-point effort last season for the Firebirds. He was a 4th-round pick of Seattle at the 2022 NHL Draft.

5) The PWHL, the professional women’s league, announced on Monday that their season opening weekend is scheduled for December 5th and 6th.

6) Trivia Time!! A) The late Gino Odjick is first all-time in Canucks penalty minutes with 2,127 PIM’s. Which player is 2nd all-time?

B) Who is the Seattle Kraken’s all-time leader in penalty minutes?

7) The US college hockey preseason rankings were released on Monday with Denver University on top, the University of Michigan 2nd, and Michigan State 3rd. Should be some dandy rivalry games this season between the Wolverines and Spartans.

8) Back to women’s hockey where there’s been a lot of media hype and planning already for the next set of cross-border battles. In a precursor to the Women’s World Championships, Team USA will take on Team Canada in two warm-up matches. The first game on October 28th will be played at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario, and the 2nd one at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, on the 30th.

Feel free to take the Ambassador Bridge or the new Gordie Howe Bridge across the Detroit River to get from one game to the next. Of course, there’s always the tunnel.

9) Sorry to see the Thatcher Demko drama plodding along. His injury woes have been devastating, frustrating, and disappointing. And that’s for him!! Fans can be bothered by it, but it’s his life and career and we should all empathize. There are no guarantees in life, even when things are looking rosie at one point or another.

The Canucks will rely on Kevin Lankinen in the meantime, and likely for the long term.

TRIVIA ANSWERS:

A) Garth Butcher is 2nd all-time in Canucks penalty minutes with 1,668.

B) Current Kraken D-man Vince Dunn can add to his franchise leading total this season. He’s at 283 PIM’s with the 2026-’27 season set to begin.