canucks today

Earlier today, Jannick Hansen was sent down to the Manitoba Moose. Like many from the rowdy crowd at the Canucks Forums, I was shocked to see Hansen had been sent down. He quickly became a fan favourite in training camp, with many calling him a regular next to Burrows and Kesler, providing gritty play and a big body that gets to the net. Names like Jaffrey, Bolduc, Brown, Raymond, and even last year’s regular Taylor Pyatt have been suggested instead of the big Dane to leave a spot for the Great Mats Sundin.

However, upon further review, it appears to of good reason. First of all, Brown, Raymond, and Pyatt all have to clear waivers to be sent down, while Hansen does not. Even though he left a memorable mark to many in the 2006 playoffs, he is still considered a rookie. More importantly though, he has quietly gone 9 games without a point and 10 games without a goal. Gillis has repeated from day one that the best players will play. As hard as it is for me to say, Jaffrey has been producing for the whales and Hansen has not. Granted, we must give Hansen credit for his solid play on the penalty kill but this is a wake up call more than anything. Bolduc will join Hansen in Manitoba soon enough once our 5th string goalie Ryan Johnson comes back.

I also believe that this is a temporary move to shake things up. Remember, Hansen was at his best when fighting for a spot through training camp. The move to Manitoba gets him playing big minutes for the struggling Moose and allows him to get back on his A game.

Finally, this move gives me the same “What the ___” feeling I got when Gillis signed Kyle Wellwood, and when he offered Mats Sundin a $20M contract, both of which have proven to have been great moves in hindsight. I consider Sundin’s offer to be a great move because first of all - we got him, and more importantly, he didn’t take the anywhere close to the 20M anyways so we might as well have offered him $100M. Even if Sundin proves to be a bust, its a big deal to every NHL player out there that we are serious about winning, and sending Hansen down (temporary) is just another example.