Bieksa doesn't see himself leaving Canucks

Dan Hamhuis didn’t want to contemplate the question. Neither did Kevin Bieksa.
So the two Vancouver Canucks defencemen sidestepped the issue of whether they would agree to waive their no-trade clauses if asked by general manager Jim Benning.
“That’s something I never really thought of,” said Hamhuis as all Canuck players met with reporters Monday following their elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs over the weekend. “I’m not really prepared to give an answer on that. It’s something I’ll probably think about if it ever happens.”
Bieksa offered a slightly more elaborate response, but still made his feelings clear. He is not looking to go anywhere after the Canucks lost in 4-2 in their opening-round playoff series with the Calgary Flames.
“I’ve never had to cross that bridge before,” said Bieksa. “I haven’t heard it brought up by anybody in the organization. I know you guys are poking around. It’s your job. But that’s not something I really even need to respond to.”
Bieksa and Hamhuis came under criticism after the Canucks fell 7-4 in Saturday’s decisive sixth game. The two blue-liners and others were blasted for allowing the Flames to overcome a 3-0 lead. Bieksa, who has spent his entire NHL career with the Canucks, said he has never been asked to waive his no-trade clause.
“My loyalty has always been to this organization and this city,” he said. “I love playing here. I don’t see anything else changing.”
The questions came up as critics called for the Canucks, who returned to the playoffs this season after missing out in 2013-14, to get younger in order to keep up with the Flames and other Western Conference rivals in the chase for a championship. But Bieksa and others said getting younger is not the sole solution to contending for the Stanley Cup.
“I don’t think you have to rebuild anymore,” said Bieksa. “I think you’re able to be competitive every year. I don’t think youth is always the answer. I don’t think making the team younger is going to help us get over the hump. You need the best players, regardless of how old they are.”
Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who were among the NHL’s top scorers in the regular season, echoed his sentiments as the issue of their ice time continued to come up. Last week, coach Willie Desjardins was blasted for not playing them enough. Monday, skeptics suggested the club might benefit if younger players get more action and increased offensive responsibilities.
But the twins tried to put the season in perspective despite Saturday’s disappointing loss. The Canucks finished second in the Pacific Division after sitting on the sidelines during the 2013-14 post-season.
“It’s a small step but a good step in the right direction,” said Henrik Sedin.
“As disappointing as it is, I think people should be excited about the future,” added Daniel Sedin.
They also dismissed the notion that the Canucks core, which was criticized by former coach John Tortorella last year as being stale, no longer has the skills needed to win the Stanley Cup within the next few seasons.
“We have no plans of getting any worse,” said Henrik Sedin. “We’re not young anymore, but we showed this year we can still be a big part of the group. We can play well, and I don’t see that changing in the next couple of years.”
In other words, the Canucks need more than just a fountain of youth to help them win their first NHL title since entering the league in 1970.
Henrik Sedin is calling for the Canucks to use a mix of youth and veteran savvy to get closer to a Stanley Cup title.
“There’s different ways to mature," he said. "If you look at teams that won, they brought the young guys up and the young guys made a difference.”
“We’re not getting younger, but I think we can still play, and I think we showed it this year,” added Daniel Sedin.
He and his brother praised Desjardins, Benning and president of hockey operations as a long-term solution that can bring Vancouver a long-sought championship. Some changes are inevitable, though.
Goaltender Eddie Lack’s future is in question because of the presence of veteran Ryan Miller, who has two years to go on a contract that pays him $6 million annually. Lack is due to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2015-16 season, and the Canucks will likely want to get some assets in return rather than risk losing him for nothing. Forwards Brad Richardson and Shawn Matthias will become unrestricted free agents this summer, and it appears likely that Matthias, who had a career year, will sign for a higher salary elsewhere.
Richardson will spend the summer recovering from ankle surgery, and it also appears that his days in Vancouver are numbered following an injury-plagued season.
Many of the adjustments will occur around the time of the NHL draft and the opening of free agency in late June and early July.
“I think Jim (Benning) and Trevor (Linden) have a clear plan with what they want do with this team, and we have a lot of confidence in the management in that department,” said Daniel Sedin.
Henrik Sedin said people have to understand how tough it is to make the playoffs now, noting talented Los Angeles, San Jose, Dallas and Colorado teams missed this year’s post-season. So the Canucks must continue to improve. The Sedins said they are aware of Benning and Linden’s plan for improving the club, but it was up to the managers to discuss it.
“They know what they need to do, and we have confidence in what they’re going to do to make us better,” said Henrik Sedin.

Kevin Bieksa welcomes NHL's three-on-three overtime plan

Kevin Bieksa peered into his crystal ball Thursday and liked what he saw.
The Vancouver Canucks defenceman has a vision of how things will develop if the NHL adopts three-on-three overtime next season.
“I think it’ll be the two-on-one fest,” said Bieksa.
General managers recommended this week, during meetings in Florida, that the league adopt three-on-three overtime in 2015-16. The plan comes as a result of concerns about the number of shootouts that determine wins and losses.
Bieksa said three-on-three O.T. could lead to many new tactics on the ice.
“It’ll be interesting to see how the strategies develop three-on-three, whether: If you’re the home team and you get last (line) change and the other team puts three forwards on, maybe, you put your three defencemen on against them and then you come back with your three top forwards," he said. "Who knows? There could be a lot of strategies developed."
The GMs' recommendation must still be approved by the competition committee, which includes representatives from the NHL Players Association. There is no guarantee of that happening; however, Bieksa is one player who likes the idea.
“It’ll add to the game," he said. "I think it’ll be more exciting. I think the shootout was brought in not only to decide games, but to bring some excitement to the game, much like a soccer game at the end. I think this will have the same effect."
Some fans who like the shootout might argue that three-on-three overtime won't generate the same moves as the one that Calgary defenceman David Schlemko as he scored the winning goal, in the eight round of the shootout, against the Boston Bruins earlier this month. The inside-out move was reminiscent of the one that Peter Forsberg made on Corey Hirsch as Sweden beat Canada in the 1994 Olympic gold-medal game.
But Bieksa said the shootout has "plateaued" and fallen out of favour.
"It’s a good way to decide the outcome, but a lot of people aren’t the biggest fans of it," he said. "The three-one-three will be another way to decide the game, and it’ll be the new thing – and I think it’ll be entertaining.”

Canucks showing signs of improved health

The Vancouver Canucks have endured injuries to key players for several weeks, but they are about to get some reinforcements.
Centre Brad Richardson, winger Chris Higgins and defencemen Kevin Bieksa and Yannick Weber could return for Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I can’t confirm that they’ll be in the lineup, but I think they’re real close, and I think we just have to make a choice,” said coach Willie Desjardins. “I don’t think they’re 100 per cent (healthy), but this time of year a lot of guys aren’t 100 per cent. We just have to make a choice on the lineup. At least they’re healthy enough that they’re into that discussion.”
The Canucks are looking to regroup after a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. Richardson is especially eager to play after being out since Jan. 16 with a foot and ankle issue that was expected to take much less time to heal. The extended stay in sick bay frustrated both him and Desjardins.
“I tried to play in Tampa,” said Richardson. “It was two weeks later, so I took a break, and I thought I’d be back for sure after that. I just couldn’t. It was really bad and then we had to get it checked some more and it just needed time.”
Richardson will be particularly handy in third-line and penalty-killing roles.
Some soreness lingers, but he will soldier through it as the Canucks, third in the Pacific Division, seek to hold on to a playoff spot with Calgary and Los Angeles applying pressure.
“I’m going to have to fight through it, but it’s pretty good, and it has to be tested in battle and all that kind of stuff,” Richardson said. “But it’s definitely something that’s going to bother me for a little bit. I wouldn’t be coming back if I didn’t think I could. There’s no point coming back if you can’t play your role.”
Bieksa, one of the team’s top defencemen, is on the verge of returning after suffering a broken hand while blocking a shot Jan. 27 against Tampa Bay. His presence will shore up an injury-riddled blue-line corps and lighten the load of Alex Edler and Dan Hamhuis, who have played extended minutes.
“I’m in that range right now for a return and, like I said, I’ve been feeling good the last couple of days,” Bieksa said. “Sometimes it takes just a little push to get over that hump, and I feel like I’m right there.”
The Grimsby, Ont., native is not taking any special meaning from possibly coming back against the team that he grew up watching.
“To be honest, no,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter. It’s nice to play in Toronto. Playing against them outside is not really a big deal for me personally. It’s the time of the year, though, where points are so crucial right now. When you look at the standings, it’s just so tight.
“When you’re out (injured), you get a chance to watch a few more games (involving) other teams.
It doesn’t seem like Calgary is going to lose too many games, or not get a point in too many games, and L.A., obviously, they showed (Thursday) night that they’re going to be a top team down the stretch. So we have to get points every game we can, so I want to help out as much as I can. … I want to be out there helping my teammates. It’s hard to sit back and watch – really hard, actually.”
Higgins is slated to return after missing three games with an undisclosed injury suffered in a practice following a win over Arizona.
“It was just a little (lower-body) strain, so it was nothing too serious,” he said. “I was hoping to get back earlier than that, but the coach gave me three games (off.)”
Higgins will be a candidate for second-line duty when he returns. Weber is close to returning after missing two games.
Higgins hopes the Canucks can show their full potential after missing several players at different times since Christmas. The Smithtown, N.Y., native and his teammates are also anxious to avoid a letdown against a struggling Toronto club that is playing out the string before wide-scale changes in the off-season.
“We can’t afford to have two or three games to get back in the groove,” Higgins said. “Guys that have been out, they need to chip in right away.”
“It doesn’t matter who (the other team) is,” said Richardson. “We just need the win.”
The Canucks have a habit of playing down to lower-level opposition. They have lost to weaker teams like Buffalo and Arizona while needing critical points to improve their post-season chances.
The Leafs shape up as another visiting club that could again steal the show in Vancouver. Richardson warned that they are desperate to win as they fight for jobs and new contracts in advance of next season.
Goaltender Eddie Lack said the Canucks should be wary, based on past performance against also-rans.
“We’ve been playing bad against teams below us in the standings, so we’ve gotta come out with lots of energy (Saturday) and get the crowd with us from the start,” said Lack.
He and captain Henrik Sedin expect the Leafs, who always draw a strong legion of fans clad in blue and white in Vancouver, to give the Canucks a jolt of emotion just by their presence at Rogers Arena.
“It’s always fun when the crowd gets into it,” said Lack. “It’ll probably be a crowd battle or something … in the stands. I was on the bench last year when we played the Leafs, but it was a great atmosphere and a fun game. So, hopefully, we’ll have a similar atmosphere (Saturday).”
Sedin said the Canucks must make sure they get off to a good start.
"The first five minutes, we've gotta come out and show we're not gonna let this one slip away, and not give Toronto any life," he said.

Tortorella calls for Canucks to improve on their lack of depth

It’s time for the Vancouver Canucks to stop dwelling on their 2011 Stanley Cup finals appearance and start retooling for the future, says coach John Tortorella.
“This is a group that’s been together for a long time,” he said Monday, a day after the Canucks’ 2013-14 season ended. “It’s stale. It needs youth. It needs a change – it needs a change – and I felt that from day one.
“We’re not in 2011. We have to stop talking about 2011. The team needs to be retooled, and that’s where change is. It is a young man’s game. It’s certainly not a criticism of them. We need to surround them with some enthusiasm.”
But he also called for changes to “some of the team’s core” as part of the “evolution” that’s necessary. He does not want to see massive changes, but noted "there is a heartbeat of a team, and it needs to be surrounded.”
Tortorella made his comments less than 24 hours after the Canucks missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, knowing that he might not be around next season. In other words, even with his job on the line, nobody could accuse him of trying to be politically correct.
And, he wasn’t about to try to spin things as he prepares to discuss his future with new team president Trevor Linden.
“I don’t coach to keep my job,” said Tortorella. “I’m not going to go into any meeting trying to save my job. I just don’t do it that way. I am going to tell him what I think. Trevor is very efficient and, from what I understand, he is on top of everything as far as the interviews and what he’s doing. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. I loved him as a player and, (in) just a short time I’ve seen him here, you’re in good hands. The team is in good hands. But I’m not going to be rehearsed.”
The Canucks finished 12th in the Western Conference with a 36-35-11 record for 83 points. Only the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers finished behind them in the conference. The Winnipeg Jets, who fired their coach in mid-season, finished with one more point than Vancouver.
Tortorella said his biggest regret was not staying on top of his team to keep it playing well after a strong first half. But he contended that he did not know how his six-game suspension for storming the Calgary Flames dressing room area Jan. 18 affected his team, which battled numerous injuries that he and players contend forced it to play a different way, which they have described as less aggressive, more conservative and defensive-oriented.
But in addition to the injuries and inconsistency, Tortorella pointed to an obvious fact that was at the root of their woes: A lack of depth. While he has come under criticism for over-playing Daniel and Henrik Sedin at times, Tortorella said that when the outcome of a 2-1 game was on the line with six or seven minutes to go, he did not feel comfortable putting out other players.
“I did the things I needed to do to try to win games, because sometimes I looked down (the bench) and guys just weren’t ready, some other guys in our lineup” he said. “We lack depth, and that’s where we’re at. That isn’t being critical. It’s the truth.”
Well, it’s also an indictment of former general manager Mike Gillis’ poor drafting and trade records. The recently fired GM’s legacy will likely be botched trades involving goaltenders Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider, whose deals did not appear to bring back suitable asset returns. But Tortorella was not pointing a finger at him intentionally.
Tortorella also contended that, contrary to public perception, he gets along well with centre Ryan Kesler, whose future with the team is uncertain, although the Livonia, Mich., native said Monday that he never asked for a trade and hopes to stay.
“Kes and I have a tremendous relationship,” said Tortorella. “You guys think we hate one another (and) we don’t speak, but we have a tremendous relationship. We have a very honest relationship. I think he has stood in there and played hard every night.”
Kesler led the team in goals with 25 after a turnaround season following two seasons derailed by injuries. But Tortorella criticized himself for not getting through to defenceman Alex Edler, who is clearly Vancouver’s most gifted rearguard but finished minus-39.
(One of these years, a coach might realize that he just needs to let Edler play his game and not let him over-think it, which he admitted Monday that he does. But that realization might not come in Vancouver, if Edler agrees to waive a no-trade clause and gets moved.)
Kesler lamented the loss of what he thought would be a good season after former coach Alain Vigneault was fired last summer and all players felt they had something to prove after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year.
“We’re all flabbergasted right now that we’re sitting up here talking about the year that we just had. Going into this year, I would never think that we’d be sitting here in this situation,” said Kesler.
He agreed with Daniel Sedin’s contention that players, not the team’s system, were to blame for the club’s woes.
“It’s not like Torts is in there telling us not to play offence,” said Kesler. ‘He wants us to score. He wants us to produce.”
Added defenceman Kevin Bieksa: “Having a coach let go last year and a GM a (week) ago, it’s not a good feeling right now, especially (for) the four guys up here,” said Bieksa. “We feel responsible for it. The bottom line is, we win more games and guys don’t lose their jobs.”
With Gillis fired and Tortorella’s job anything but certain, players know that they are next in line to face the team’s revolving door.
“With Torts’ future in question, it’s a tough time for everybody,” said Bieksa. “We’ll see what decisions are made. But, right now, we look at ourselves first and foremost … and think: We could have been better. We should have been better. There are people that are suffering because of it.”
Notes_Daniel Sedin, who left Sunday’s season finale on a stretcher after Paul Byron sent him into the boards head-first, said he did not suffer a concussion or any other serious injuries. He was placed on the stretcher for “precautionary reasons” only. … Vancouver winger Alex Burrows will play for Canada in the upcoming world championships. … Edler does not plan to play for Sweden at the worlds. Lack said he is willing, but has not yet heard from Team Sweden.