Canucks and Kraken
1) The Vancouver Canucks traded their captain for the second time in 35 months. At the end of January 2023 it was Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders. On Friday it was Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. Of course, in between, they traded their reigning leading scorer and top centre J.T. Miller to the Rangers.
((In classic timing for Miller, like a subconscious jab as all of the Hughes drama was unfolding, he scored the tying goal in the 3rd period and the winning goal in overtime as New York beat the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night 5-4.))
In the latter two cases it appeared obvious the player desperately wanted to get out of Vancouver.
Whether he eventually ends up playing with his younger brothers Jack and Luke in New Jersey or elsewhere or not, Hughes decided he would be better off to finish out the last season-and-a-half of his current contract with anyone other than the Canucks.
2) What did Vancouver receive in return for Hughes? Prospects and a draft pick, just what they want and need for a rebuild.
The key figure coming the other way in the deal is 20-year-old D-man Zeev Buium. He possesses excellent offensive instincts and skating skills, but apparently needs to work on his defensive game.
His first game with the Canucks was magical. He scored a power play goal and added an assist in Vancouver’s 2-1 win over the Devils in New Jersey on Sunday. He wore number-24 and played just short of 20-minutes.
Lars Ohgren, a Swedish, 21-year-old bottom-six winger also jumped into the line-up. He played 11:39 and didn’t factor into the scoring, other than being a minus-1. He wore number-92.
The third player acquisition for “Huggy”, 24-year-old centre Marco Rossi, played 18:16 and managed to block three shots. He also didn’t factor in the scoring in this tight checking affair. He switched from number-23 to number-93 in joining the Canucks.
3) Whether you refer to it as the lower mainland in British Columbia or the Pacific Northwest in Washington state, the NHL fans in the overlapping region have one thing in common. Both of their teams are presently on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
Before the start of NHL play on Sunday, the Kraken were five points out, the Canucks ten.
Good luck with that.
4) Stephen Whyno, the president of the Pro Hockey Writer’s Association, who writes for the Associated Press in the United States, informed me this past week that he was denying my membership in the PHWA this season and that there would be no further discussion.
That last part is wishful thinking, because it’s a disturbing injustice. There is no reason for it. Just ask him. He can’t/won’t give a reason, mainly because there isn’t one.
Ever been accused of something that doesn’t exist, you don’t know what that something is, and the judge and jury find you guilty of that something/nothing. Imagine that. That’s what’s happening. You’ve heard of innocent people going to jail for a crime they didn’t commit? How about going to jail without ever hearing the charges.
By the way, he said it was a “unanimous decision of the board”, which makes it even funnier. Much, much more to come.
5) The Kraken special teams have cost them points in the standings, particularly lately. Their penalty kill is a disaster; dead last in the NHL at an abysmal 66.7%. There’s really no other way to describe it, other than “consistently bad”.
Meanwhile, despite a 3-for-6 night on the power play against the LA Kings midweek, lately the Kraken have slipped in general in that department as well. In their 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Friday, the Kraken had an extensive 5-3 advantage and failed to click. They’ve slipped to 18.7 % on the season after being a couple of percentage points higher for much of the season.
6) Double whammy trivia time:
Canucks: Who was the general manager of the Canucks when they joined the NHL in 1970?
Kraken: Who appeared in goal 48 times for the Kraken during the regular season leading up to their one playoff appearance in 2023?
— Answers at bottom below the article links.
7) Following up on item number-two: Prior to the season I predicted the Canucks would make the playoffs and the Kraken wouldn’t. Wow. Two weeks before Christmas and Vancouver’s season is already over from that standpoint, while the Kraken are still hanging around.
There’s one thing working in Seattle’s favor at this point; if they can take advantage of it. They have at least two games in-hand on every other team in the Western Conference. They’re the only team in the NHL that hasn’t played its 30th game yet.
8) In Women’s hockey news of interest to fans in both markets: The US Women’s National Team completed a four-game sweep of Team Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series. The game was played at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday night.
Canada’s response? Similar things have happened in the past, including with the Americans winning World Championships, only to see Canada bounce back to win Olympic Gold. It’s mostly all that really matters to the women. Italy – Olympics – Gold Medal.
The competition will be fantastic.
9) Along those same lines, the Seattle Torrent’s next game in the PWHL is Wednesday night at Climate Pledge Arena against the Ottawa Charge. The Vancouver Goldeneyes host the Charge the night before at Pacific Coliseum. See if you can pop by one or both of the games.
Enjoy the hockey action!!
Earlier Kraken:
— Fun And Fast, But Kraken Lose To Mammoth 5-3
Earlier Canucks:
— Canucks Management Is A Train Wreck
TRIVIA ANSWERS:
— The Canucks first GM was Hockey Hall of Fame honoured executive Bud Poile, father of David Poile, the first ever GM of the Nashville Predators and also an Honoured Member of the Hall. Bud passed away in 2005 at age 80. David retired in 2023 after running the Pred’s since their inception.
— Martin Jones.
