Many are wondering whether Chris Higgins can remain in the
NHL next season – but he isn’t.
The Vancouver Canucks winger adopted a let-things-be
approach Monday after a season in which he battled injuries and a demotion to
the minors.
“I’m not worried about this (season) being a wake-up call or
really dwelling on anything,” said Higgins as Canuck players cleaned out their
lockers after missing the playoffs. “It’s a good time of year. I’ll take some
time off and relax. That’s what I’ll take it as.”
Higgins was recalled to the injury-riddled Canucks from
Utica of the AHL in late March after he revived his game and the Canucks needed
bodies as a result of several injuries. Both the demotion and promotion were
unexpected, considering that Higgins had been a staple of the Canucks core
since arriving in a trade from the Florida Panthers during Vancouver’s Stanley
Cup final run in 2011.
“I believed I had a really good summer and I had a good
camp, and then I got injured,” said Higgins. “(The injury) took its toll,
physically as well as mentally, just because I trained so hard over the summer.
Then I was playing catch-up the rest of the season. Obviously, it was
disappointing to get sent down to Utica. But, as most people know, I had a lot
of fun playing down there. It was a great group of guys. I was surprised to get
the call back up here, but it’s certainly been nice to be part of this team
again and spend time with my family.”
Higgins, who missed the last four games of Vancouver’s season
with a reported knee injury, has a year remaining on his contract, but it
appears the Canucks will attempt to buy him out after trade attempts were unsuccessful. However, the 32-year-old
Smithtown, N.Y., native, who recorded three goals and one assist in 33 with the Canucks this season, is confident that he can still compete in the NHL.
“For sure, I still believe in myself,” said Higgins.
No comments:
Post a Comment