Itās time for āStick in Linkā, the feature where we just plug in a bunch of stuff written by others! Featuring a smattering of links from around the Smylosphere and beyond every Tuesday and Thursday. Warning: our links are so hyper, they change colour when exposed to heat. (Have something for us to share in the next edition? E-mail us at [email protected] or tweet us @passittobulis. Or tell us some other way. The point is: we'll probably link it if we know about it.)
- Biggest news yesterday was the announcement that Derek Dorsett will undergo cervical fusion surgery, which sounds terrifying. The Canucks expect a full recovery, but have given no timeline for Dorsettās return, likely because anytime you mess with the discs in the neck, there can be all sorts of complications. Itās entirely possible that his season is done. []
- According to Willie Desjardins, Dorsett has been dealing with this injury for āfive or six years,ā which makes you wonder just how long Jim Benning and the Canucks have known about it and whether it was given any consideration when they signed him to a four-year, $10.6 million contract. []
- Jason Botchford thinks Dorsettās long-term absence opens the door for Jake Virtanen to return to the NHL. Considering Virtanen has just one goal in the AHL, Iām willing to let him stay in Utica a little while longer. []
- Speaking of Virtanenās goal, it was a beauty, the type of goal we expect to see from Virtanen: breaking up the ice with his speed, looking pass to keep the shooting lane open, then firing a wristshot through a hole.
Jake Virtanen with his first goal to give the a 2-0 lead.
ā AHL (@TheAHL)
- Though Virtanen has struggled to score, Jim Benning says heās happy with how heās developing in Utica and that his overall two-way game is improving. Virtanen is playing on the top line with Darren Archibald and Curtis Valk. []
- A trip to New Jersey means itās time to look back at the Bo Horvat/Cory Schneider trade. Jason Botchford suggests that the trade itself is part of the reason Horvat has developed so quickly, as the expectations drive him to be a better player. [±ÕĢż
- This Reddit user dispels three myths about the Canucks, though Iām unsure that anyone actually thought Michael Chaput was the Canucks second-line centre. Good points about Troy Stecher and Brandon Sutter with the Sedins, though. [±ÕĢż
- Olli Juolevi hasnāt been lighting the OHL on fire and is on the second pairing in his first post-draft season, but Jackson McDonald suggests thereās no cause for concern. [±ÕĢż
- Hereās an interesting take from USA Today: if the NHL doesnāt go to the 2018 Olympics, could Brock Boeser be the face of Team USA? Iām sure the Canucks would rather he was playing in the NHL by then. [±ÕĢż
- Speaking of Boeser, he has been named to the preliminary roster for Team USA at the World Junior Championships, which is no surprise. Likewise, Olli Juolevi has been named to Team Finland. [±ÕĢż
- File this under āThings I want Werner Herzog to narrateā: R2-D2 visiting the Canucks locker room. Featuring Ryan Miller and Luca Sbisa inexplicably trying to give Artoo a fist-bump, some brief and goofy dancing from Ben Hutton, and shirtless Erik Gudbranson for fans of torsos and/or tattoos.
Ģż
