Outlook for Morrison: He just might

Transcription

1 Outlook for Morrison: He just might He turned to Vancouver in the belief the team can win the Stanley Cup By Ben Kuzma, The Province For weeks, Brendan Morrison was telling anyone within earshot what any unemployed and seasoned veteran would say when the topic of accepting an NHL professional tryout was broached. No way. Too many dues had been paid. Too much stature in the game had been gained. Well, that all changed Thursday when the Vancouver Canucks confirmed that their former centre will be at main camp in Penticton this weekend. For weeks, Morrison's agent Kurt Overhardt claimed that three teams were in the mix for the unrestricted free agent, and the Pitt Meadows native admitted that there had been some discussions with Phoenix. The Coyotes then signed UFA centre Eric Belanger to a one-year, $750,000 US deal on Tuesday. Now Morrison, 35, and Peter Schaefer, 33, -- another former Canucks forward -- will try to beat PTO roster odds on a team that's already over the salary cap. But belief in his game and uncertainty of alignments may have something to do with Morrison's mission to play wing on the third line or supplant the departed Ryan Johnson as the fourth-line centre. Easier said than done. There are a host of candidates to play wing and Joel Perrault is going to get a long look on the fourth line. Morrison knows that. "To be honest, the main reason I wanted to come back to Vancouver over other teams is I believe the team has a chance to win the Stanley Cup," said Morrison. "It's really that simple. I'm confident I can make the team. If I didn't think that, then I wouldn't be here. "I don't know exactly where I'll fit in, but what I will bring is depth and versatility. I have played the wing with [Nicklas] Backstrom and [Alex] Ovechkin, so it's not completely foreign to me. I see myself as a guy who can fit on any line, and any role they present me with is one that I'm willing to take on." This is the new reality of the collective bargaining agreement. Those with lots of miles on the odometer aren't landing deals as teams wrestle to pay their stars and

2 stay under the cap. And sitting on the sidelines and waiting for injuries wasn't palatable to Morrison. "There's always the possibility of something going wrong and being injured in camp, but I didn't want to wait because you never know how long that wait could be," he admitted. Morrison earned $1.5 million last season with the Washington Capitals. He had 42 points (12-30) in 74 games, his highest point total since the season with the Canucks. More importantly, he has been healthy the past two seasons after sports-hernia, hipflexor, knee and wrist injuries curtailed his effectiveness. He has 547 points in 829 career games with the Capitals, Canucks, Stars and Ducks, but fell off the radar in Washington. Morrison was playing at nearly a point-a-game clip last season until Christmas. Tomas Fleischmann then got healthy and was worked into the lineup, and the arrival of centre Belanger at the trade deadline saw Morrison sink to a roster option. "I was part of a group rotating in and out of the lineup on a nightly basis from the deadline on," said Morrison. "I don't know if that's the healthiest situation, having guys do the job all season long and all of sudden find themselves out of the lineup for no other reason than we have too many guys." Morrison knows Manny Malhotra is pencilled in as the third-line centre. He was signed to a three-year, $7.5-million deal because he was 62.5 per cent in the faceoff circle in the regular season and 60.7 in the postseason last season in San Jose. He also plays hard and should help the ailing penalty kill, too. Morrison was 51.2 per cent in the circle in the regular season and 56.1 in the postseason, is also good on the penalty kill and can chip in offensively. With Alex Burrows (shoulder) and Cody Hodgson (back) sidelined, the Great Debate will be how all the lines will actually look for the Oct. 9 regular-season opener. And who said the preseason is boring? This one will be revealing for the Canucks and for Morrison. "I'm definitely surprised that it has come to this situation," said Morrison, who has 393 points in 543 games as a Canuck. "I thought I'd have a deal in place." He just might. It's all up to him. Versatility will help veteran centre, but his size won't By Jason Botchford, The Province

3 With the memories, the toothless grin, and his Pitt Meadows background, Brendan Morrison is a great story and a great guy. Whether he is a great fit with the Vancouver Canucks has yet to be determined. Vancouver is bringing Morrison in on a tryout and Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said it's not just a courtesy call. With questions about the readiness of Cody Hodgson, and other Canucks prospects, Gillis suggested Morrison has a significant opportunity. But if the Canucks view him as a valuable asset who could play anywhere in the lineup, including centring a fourth line, why didn't they sign him to a contract; why wait until Eric Belanger signed with Phoenix and Morrison was stuck at last call at the last chance saloon? "The biggest thing with a player at 35 is whether they can keep their speed up and play at the pace that's required," Gillis said. "He's had a couple years with a lot of injuries, but he's been working really hard this summer. He's skated with our guys for most of the summer. We felt it was a good chance to see if he could play." The Canucks know just about everything when it comes to Morrison. At his best, he's versatile, good in the faceoff circle and can kill penalties. He can do a lot of things. But what he can't do is grow. Lacking in size, the team will have to weigh carefully the benefits of adding another small forward to the mix. Do they think there is a chance it could work? "I do, but again, this is going to be a really good lineup, we think, it's going to be difficult to make this team for a lot of players," Gillis said. The Canucks were rolled in the second round of the playoffs, picked on and bullied by the Chicago Blackhawks. In the wake of the pounding, could Vancouver now turn to Morrison to centre a fourth line? It could work if he has the right wingers, Gillis said. "I think that's how it may shape out -- but you never know, with injuries and stuff," Gillis said.

4 Roberts regime reviving Hodgson Former NHLer has top draft pick in gruelling training, on strict diet By Jim Jamieson, The Province The enforced silence surrounding Cody Hodgson's year-long health saga has led to innuendo, speculation and, in some cases, urban myth regarding the Canucks' prospect. Some of it has not been flattering. But if some Canucks fans are questioning the NHL club's top draft pick two years ago (10th overall) -- the former Canadian major junior player of the year and the leading scorer at the 2009 world junior tournament -- conditioning guru Gary Roberts has a message for them: Just give the kid some time. "He's close to being healthy and where he needs to be," said Roberts, who worked with Hodgson, with the blessing of the Canucks, beginning in May. "I want people to know he's an outstanding kid who's finally getting ready to play in the NHL. He's had a really tough year." Hodgson, if you haven't been following, injured his back in dryland training in July of He suffered a herniated disc, but played through the discomfort through six preseason games a year ago. After being returned to junior, he missed four months as the problem was rehabbed. In the spring, it was discovered that Hodgson's back issues were further complicated by a torn lower-back muscle, which has now healed. He was held out of Canucks prospects camp this week and wasn't cleared to participate in informal practices with the vets at Rogers Arena. He will travel to Penticton for this weekend's veterans' camp, but his status there is still uncertain. Roberts, 44, a former NHL player who now does summer training with NHL players and top juniors at his Uxbridge, Ont., in-home facility, confirmed that Hodgson did rehab work with him through May, June and July but only began hard training at the beginning of August. "It's about the volume of hours in training that he really needs to get to before he's ready," said Roberts. "Vancouver is being smart by keeping him out of games and practices, by giving him some time."

5 Roberts -- who's aware that Hodgson has been beaten up by some in Canucks Nation -- also can't say enough about the 20-year-old's character, commitment and work ethic. "He's an outstanding individual," said Roberts. "I really think a lot of him. Every day he was here he sat in the kitchen and had lunch with my four-year-old son, Noah." Roberts said the only challenge of working with Hodgson was making sure he was taking scheduled days off from training. "This kid wants it as bad as anyone I've ever seen," he said. "He's determined and committed and wants to prove he belongs. "I want people to realize what kind of person he is. I know from working with him he's going to be that outstanding player the Canucks thought he would be." Roberts, who had to fight back from a serious neck injury that forced him to reinvent his own conditioning regimen in the middle of his 22-year NHL career, has put Hodgson on a strict organic diet. Hodgson embraced the diet and lost 2.5 per cent of his body fat after the first six weeks. Roberts said some of the players that work with him take all summer to lose three-per-cent body fat. Roberts, who's also known for his gruelling workouts, has hired a local organic food store to deliver meals directly to his gym for his trainees. "If you learn to eat healthy at 20 years old, you are going to be way ahead," said Roberts. "It took me until I was 30 to figure it out." Roberts worked with 10 NHL players on conditioning the past offseason -- including former Tampa Bay Lightning teammate and the past season's Rocket Richard Trophy co-winner Steven Stamkos-- as well as 15 others from the OHL ON THE WEB: LIVE CHATTERS ROUND ON NANAIMO 'TINFOILER' OVER CODY RUMOURS It was looking like another mildly entertaining Canucks live chat Thursday when "Mike in Nanaimo" -- a Province Sports reader and huge Canucks fan -- logged in and weighed in. "It's pretty obvious, or should be obvious to everyone now, that Mr. Cody Hodgson has asked for a trade and the Canucks are trying to accommodate Mr. Hodgson. He came in, passed a physical and is now awaiting his destination. This is a real, real shame for the Canuck fans as Mr. Hodgson will not fetch more than a second-rounder, unfortunately." Mike went at it all hour, and reaction was swift and dramatic. BuzMeg: "Nanaimo pharmacies must be out of lithium today."

6 Ben Kuzma: "Is there a boil-water advisory in Nanaimo? What are you drinking?" Jim Jamieson: "I don't think he'd be here if he were asking for a trade." Steve_May: "It's the 'Mike in Nanaimo' types that really piss me off. Nothing but tinfoilhat comments with no basis in fact. I've found that people that are 'absolutely sure' of their opinions and facts are talking out of an orifice that isn't their mouth. Sarah Palin comes to mind." AK: "Man, this is just fuel for the tinfoilers. Year after year. 'Luongo won't stay here, his wife is from Florida and I heard he likes the oranges there.'" jonnymac68: "There have been some tough recent winters for the Florida oranges, AK, which is why Lou decided to stay here. Vastly underreported!" Gordon McIntyre: "Mike, I've got some blood-pressure pills you could use." Finally, Mike was warned. He could only post three more Hodgson-related comments. Wrote TimD: "Trust me, Mike, he means business. I had the very same limit on my Ines Sainz picture requests. Next thing you know, no pics posted." Jordan must 'be better than this' By Jason Botchford, The Province Claude Noel has seen Jordan Schroeder play three games this week. He's seen him start rusty and hesitant in the first and finish dynamic and confident in the third. It wasn't enough to leave him impressed. He's either hard to please or Schroeder has lots to work on. "I think Schroeder was OK, but I think he can play at another level and has to probably get himself to a level where he is going to have to be better than this," said Noel, who coached the Canucks' 2009 top pick during prospects tournament this week. "But it's early. "He has an opportunity to do well [in main camp] but he also has the opportunity to be exposed." The assessment was direct and harsh, especially from Noel who would be Schroeder's head coach in Manitoba. But it's always been unreasonable and unfair to believe Schroeder can make the Vancouver Canucks. He's too young, too inexperienced and the Canucks are too good. It's counter-intuitive to push a highly creative but under-sized forward on to a well-rounded Stanley Cup contender. But you can understand why people want it to happen.

7 You could see it Thursday from the stands, if not from Noel's perch on the bench. In a 5-4 win over Calgary, Schroeder unfurled his remarkable skill set in a series of outstanding shifts lined with Prab Rai. He made Rai better. He made the game better. He manufactured both space and scoring chances but managed no goals. He used his speed and quickness and remained elusive. All of it was encouraging in a tournament where none of the superstar offensive players stood out, including Taylor Hall and his cast of can't-miss compadres. Hall played the Canucks in the first game and was as much a non-factor as Schroeder. What do you read into that? This was not the stage for future stars to shine. "It can get choppy out there, guys want to make a point and there's a lot of hitting and a lot of fights," Schroeder said. "It will be good to play with the older guys now. They are more my style and more my speed, and skill. "[Thursday's] game was up and down the ice and you could tell I was in the action a lot and moving my feet." He's right. He was in the play and effective, too. He was as good in the Canucks' fourth game as Bill Sweatt was in their third. "I thought it was probably my best game even though [all I got] was a second assist there," Schroeder said. "I made plays. I worked my bag off. It was unfortunate not to put one in but I thought [Thursday] was my best day. "I had my legs under me. I was moving out there. I was making plays, making passes, making some hits. I thought it was my best showing." It wasn't enough for Noel, who maybe understands the talent infused in that 5-foot-9 frame. Then again, this could be one long year for Schroeder in Manitoba under a coach he may struggle to win over. "There are some areas that I'd like to see him do better," Noel said. "Intensity, pace, he wants to play the one-on-one game a lot and the higher you go the less you can really play that one-on-one game. "You have to be quick, evasive, move your feet, hard on pucks, give-and-goes, that stuff. It's less this one-on-one. I think he can be a good player, but he has to elevate his pace for me. We'll see if this pace he played at is going to be enough in the big camp. You can get exposed in these things." Put Schroeder with better players, highly skilled playmakers, and his game will elevate. It's a sound theory, but not one Noel was quick to accept.

8 "The benefit is that he'll have people who can think at the same level as him and therefore maybe create more," Noel said. "But they can also shut you down pretty quickly. "He has the opportunity to do well and he has an opportunity to be exposed, just like a lot of young guys. That's part of the process. It's early in his career so I think he has an opportunity to do well and be good." Hordichuk brings some tough love to Vancouver Giants practice Canucks enforcer gives junior players a lesson in how to protect themselves By Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun Vancouver Giants coach Don Hay does not require any lessons in hockey toughness. As a member of Ernie McLean's New Westminster Bruins, Hay lived toughness every day. It was the era of Philadelphia's Broad Street Bullies in the NHL and the Big Bad Bruins in the Western Hockey League. Hay collected 174 penalty minutes in 68 games playing for McLean. He also had 65 points, proving he wasn't just a knuckledragging thug, but he had to be tough. "Oh yeah, I had a few fights," said Hay, a little smile creeping across his countenance. "It was different then. Oh boy, it was different. I don't know if some of these kids today could play in that era. It was pretty ugly then. It's a better era now." Better, maybe, but you can never go unprepared. So on Thursday, Vancouver Canuck enforcer Darcy Hordichuk was a guest at the Giants practice in Ladner, there to give the teenagers a little tutorial in protecting themselves. The appearance was arranged by player agent Ritch Winter, whose Edmonton-based firm represents Hordichuk as well as Giants David Musil, Marek Tvrdon, Brendan Gallagher and Luke Fenske. "The team thought it would be beneficial," Hordichuk explained. "At this age, it's a developmental point for a lot of players, even if you're a skill player. I think it's something everybody has to do to stay in the lineup. It's good to have it in your back pocket for confidence."

9 Hordichuk's visit may have come a week too late. Last Saturday in Chilliwack, the Giants and Bruins engaged in a line brawl that resulted in one-game suspensions to Hay and Chilliwack counterpart Marc Habscheid. Line brawls are frowned upon by the league, especially in the pre-season where tryout players might instigate things to make an impression. In the WHL pre-season, any fight is accompanied by a game misconduct. (In the regular season, the automatic ejection is not in effect.) Hay insisted the Chilliwack line brawl -- there were four separate fights -- was spontaneous. He'll miss the Giants final pre-season game Saturday, 7:30 p.m. versus the Everett Silvertips, at the Ladner Leisure Centre. "I don't think there was anything premeditated," Hay said. "It was just the emotion of the game. Everybody started squaring off at the same time. Neither coach, I don't think, could have prevented that but the rules are the rules and so we have to pay the price with suspensions. We don't want that happening in our league. "I don't think the coaches want it happening and I don't think the players want it happening. We want to see players show their skill and hockey sense. But sometimes things happen that you don't want." Line brawl aside, Hay isn't certain this year's edition of the Giants has the required toughness to sustain it through the long WHL season. "I think we're still trying to find that out," he admitted. "Our league, like other leagues, has taken away a lot of the confrontations but you're still looking for people to be competitive in different areas of the ice, and that's usually in the corners and in front of the net." Brett Lyon, the Giants' 19-year-old left-winger, appears to be the leader of the team's toughness element. He was one of the four players involved in the Chilliwack line brawl. Musil, Wes Vannieuwenhuizen and Dalton Sward were the others. "I have no problem sticking up for my teammates but there are lots of guys in the room who have no problem sticking up for a teammate," Lyon said. "It was good to see everyone in there protecting themselves in Chilliwack. It's important we were all in. It ended up all right." All right, except maybe for Hay who will be banished from the building an hour before game time Saturday and won't be allowed back in until one hour after the final buzzer. GIANT BITS: The Giants received two forwards back from NHL tryouts Thursday -- James Henry (Canucks) and Matt Mac-Kay (Wild) -- and made two deals. They acquired 19-year-old defenceman Tanner Sohn from Medicine Hat for a 2012 sixth-

10 round bantam pick and sent the rights to 17-year-old winger Brandon Scholten, who was not in their camp, to Prince George for a fifth-rounder in Coach challenges Schroeder to up the ante No. 1 pick wasn't among the players who really impressed at team's prospects camp By Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun PENTICTON Jordan Schroeder called it his best game of the Young Stars tournament and it probably was. But Claude Noel hopes Schroeder has more to give as the Vancouver Canucks' 2009 first-round draft pick heads to the team's main training camp this weekend. Noel, the new Manitoba Moose coach who ran the Canuck prospects' camp this week at the South Okanagan Events Centre, sounded very much underwhelmed by Schroeder's performance. "I think that Schroeder was okay, but I think he can play at another level and has to probably get himself to a level where he is going to have to be better than this," Noel said Thursday after the Canucks finished their four-game tournament with a 5-4 win over the Calgary Flames. "But it's early. It's rookie camp and we'll see how he does in the main camp and go from there." With Cody Hodgson absent because of injury, the focus was clearly on Schroeder at the Young Stars tourney and Noel seemed concerned with several facets of the soonto-be 20-yearold's game. "There are some areas that I'd like to see him do better," Noel said. "Intensity, pace, he wants to play the one-on-one game a lot and the higher you go the less you can really play that one-on-one game. "You have to be quick, evasive, move your feet, hard on pucks, give-and-goes, that stuff. It's less this one-on-one. I think he can be a good player, but he has to elevate his pace for me, just the pace of things. We'll see if this pace he played at is going to be enough in the big camp. You can get exposed in these things."

11 Schroeder appeared in three of Vancouver's four games this week and officially did not register a point. But he appeared to deserve at least one assist on Thursday when he played on an effective line with wingers Prab Rai and Matt Fraser. His first two games this week were fight-filled affairs with little flow. On Thursday, the Canucks and Flames stuck to hockey and Schroeder said he felt more at home. "Today was up and down the ice. You could tell I was in the action more and was moving my feet," Schroeder said. "I thought this was a lot better. I had my legs under me, I was moving up there making passes, making plays, making some hits, so I thought this was my best showing." Schroeder thinks the Canucks' main training camp might be a better opportunity for him to show his stuff. "It can get choppy out there," he said, referring to this week's rookie games. "There's a lot of hitting, a lot of fights, that type of thing. I get to play with the older guys now, more my style, more my speed and skill type of players. Noel agreed that Schroeder could benefit from playing with higher skilled and more experienced players at main camp. "The benefit is that he'll have people who can think at the same level as him and, therefore, maybe create more. But they can also shut you down pretty quickly. "He has the opportunity to do well and he has an opportunity to be exposed, just like a lot of young guys. That's part of the process. It's early in his career so I think he has an opportunity to do well and be good." Good doesn't begin to describe Swedish goalie Eddie (The Stork) Lack, who was Vancouver's best player at the tournament. The six-foot-five 22-year-old turned aside 45 shots to help the Canucks steal a win over Calgary on Thursday. "It is going to be pretty good to have a day off tomorrow," said an exhausted Lack. He was rock solid in his three appearances this week and Noel has no doubts he'll be a big help to his AHL Moose team this season. "I don't see anything that would alarm me and make me say maybe," Noel said. "There's not too many maybes in my world with him. He has been real good." If Lack was Vancouver's best player Thursday, Rai was a close second. He scored a goal and set up another to cap what was a strong week.

12 "I liked Prab," Noel said. "I have liked him the whole camp." Sixteen of the 25 players who attended rookie camp will go to Vancouver's main camp, which begins here Saturday. Those not making the trip include forwards Dan Gendur, who was assigned to the Moose, and Kellan Tochkin, who was returned to his junior team in Everett, Wash. Released outright were forwards Kevin Clark, Tayler Jordan, James Henry and Brad Smith, defencemen David Fischer and Kris Fredheim and goalie Michael Houser. Former Vancouver Giants defence-man Kevin Connauton, who had a solid week, can't wait for main camp. "Obviously it's going to be a little faster, guys are going to be stronger, bigger, quicker," Connauton said. "It's building blocks. You have to take each step and try to get better and learn from the older guys and work off them. And just enjoy the experience." ICE CHIPS: The Canucks finished the tournament with two wins and two losses. Canucks GM Mike Gillis called the tournament a success and suggested the team might try it again in future seasons: "We'd definitely consider doing it again," Gillis said. "I think it works because you have fans in the rink so that these kids aren't just playing in front of a lot of scouts and an empty building. I think it works because we put in rules about ages and different things so it doesn't disintegrate into a fight-filled kind of atmosphere. I think it works because it gives young guys an opportunity to play against other young guys who are similarly situated for the most part and gives them an interim step before jumping headfirst into main camp." bziemer@vancouversun.com STANDOUTS A LIST OF THOSE WHO STOOD OUT AT THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS PROSPECTS CAMP IN PENTIC TON Bill Sweatt Pierre-Olivier Kevin Connauton Chris Tanev Pierre-Olivier Morin, Pierre-Olivier Morin

13 MVP Goalie Eddie Lack. The Stork delivered. The 22-year-old Swede played great in his three appearances at the Young Stars tourney, including Thursday's finale when he made 45 saves in Vancouver's win over Calgary. It will be interesting to see how he fares against NHL competition in the pre-season. FASTEST Bill Sweatt. It's a good thing Toronto GM Brian Burke wasn't here to see Sweatt turn on the afterburners. The guy has some serious wheels and lots of skill. His signing by the Canucks, at the expense of the Leafs, could turn out to be a real coup. TOP DEFENCEMEN We'll pick two players. Kevin Connauton and Chris Tanev both had solid camps. Connauton, the former Vancouver Giant, came in highly touted and didn't disappoint. Tanev, signed after one year of college, was more of an unknown quantity. He impressed with his puck-moving skills and made one end-to-end rush that set up a goal and brought the fans out of their seats. MOST SURPRISING Pierre-Olivier Morin. Undrafted 19-year-old from Quebec was here on a tryout and made himself noticed. He has a nose for the net and showed a willingness to get to the scoring areas despite being only 160 pounds and change. MOST DISAPPOINTING Jordan Schroeder. Perhaps disappointing is too strong a word, but the No. 1 pick wasn't the dominant player the Canucks hoped he would be at the Young Stars tourney. Doesn't look like he's quite ready for prime time, but maybe that will change at next week's main camp.