Canucks put Shane O'Brien and Darcy Hordichuk on waivers

With the Canucks preseason officially over, GM Mike Gillis began his quest of forming his team's opening night roster; a roster which likely won't include both Shane O'Brien and Darcy Hordichuk. The two veterans were placed on waivers early Saturday morning, meaning all other 29 teams will have a chance to claim either player within 48 hours.

If they get claimed, the team that claims them will take on their contract outright, and if they don't get claimed, they will get assigned to Vancouver's AHL affiliate in Manitoba. If they go unclaimed and get sent to Manitoba, the Canucks will have to pay them their full salary, but their salary will not go towards Vancouver's salary cap.

O'Brien, I would imagine, has a good chance of getting claimed as many NHL teams are looking for depth on defense. He has the tools to be an effective NHL defenseman, but his off-ice antics (apparently he enjoys his booze), and his questionable attitude (has publically called out his coach and GM), along with his very average preseason play have made him the odd man out in Vancouver.

His inevitable departure means the Canucks will keep both Andrew Alberts and Aaron Rome as the team's 6th and 7th defenseman heading into the regular season.

Hordichuk will likely go unclaimed, unless there's a team out there looking for a below-average enforcer with zero puck skills. He will most likely get assigned to Manitoba, or loaned to Europe or another league.

The Canucks still have a number of roster decisions to make, including whether to keep Cody Hodgson on the roster or send him to Manitoba to get some seasoning.

Brendan Morrison and Peter Schaefer are both on tryouts, and a decision will have to be made whether to sign them or let them walk as free agents.

Also, Jeff Tambellini, Victor Oreskovich, Guillaume Desbiens, Alexander Bolduc and Joel Perrault are all still in the mix fighting for one or two spots on the 4th line. Expect Vancouver to announce their decisions in the coming days.

The Canucks don't start their regular season until next Saturday (Oct.9th), but will likely name their opening night roster sooner than later.

Stay tuned to Canuck City for all the latest news and roster decisions.

Canucks resume preseason at home against the Sharks; Hodgson centering top line

The Canucks look to improve to 6-0 tonight at GM place as they host the San Jose Sharks. However, the big story isn't if they can stay undefeated, but rather that top prospect Cody Hodgson will be centering Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler on Vancouver's top line. The Canucks lineup is extremely thin of veterans tonight (see lineup below), meaning they will rely heavily on that first line to produce. Clearly, coach Alain Vigneault is putting Hodgson in a position to succeed, and is looking to see what he can bring to the table in a starring role.

As per the Vancouver Sun

Burrows - Hodgson - Kesler

Hordichuk - Scatchard - Hansen

Raymond - Bolduc - Pope

Glass - Bliznak - Bernier

Funk - Edler

Oberg - Lukowich

Sauve - Bieksa

Luongo (Full game)

Raycroft?

Ferriero-Thornton-Setoguchi

Marleau-Pavelski-Clowe

McLaren-Malhotra-Ortmeyer

Shelley-Nichol-Staubitz

Murray-Demers

Joslin-Blake

Huskins-Callahan

Nabokov

Greiss

The Sharks on the otherhand are expected to ice a strong lineup, although Danny Heatley will NOT be in the lineup for the San Jose. Evgeni Nabokov and Tomas Greiss are expected to share the duties in net. Puck drops at 7pm. Check back in following the game for a complete review and analysis of the matchup.

Our take: Everyone is expecting big things from Hodgson tonight, and the pressure is definitely on him to succeed. With the thin lineup the Canucks are icing tonight, it's pretty evident remaining undefeated is not overly important to them. Many players in Vancouver's lineup are on the bubble and this may be the last chance for many of them to make an impression. Cuts are expected on Friday, a day after the Canucks host the Ducks.

Canucks training camp - day 1

Some news, notes and observations from day 1 of training camp.

Firstly, no Cody Hodgson, which is discouraging considering the doctors figured he would be ready to go by now. This worries me a bit considering he is so young, and already having back problems. Clearly, he will NOT PLAY against the Islanders in Terrace Monday night.

Here are some observations on some of the players.

P.C Labrie - This guy is so awful it's almost amusing. He couldn't receive or make a pass, his skating is god awful, and he never hit the net on his shot. Hate to be so negative to anyone, but in this case it is certainly warranted.

Shirokov - This guy has CRAZY puck handling skills. Very shifty and quick, but not fast. Was maybe the best player on the ice.

Grabner - He has a great shot and great speed, but even in practice he shies away from the physical play. Was almost scared to go into the corners, even against his own teammates in a practice.

Hansen - Looked really good. Has a very good shot, quick and hard. Worked hard too, definitely looked determined and looked like a player that knows he has to impress bigtime in camp to make the roster.

Oberg and Walsky - Both were very average and were pretty much invisible, even though I was watching out for them.

O'Brien - He was goofing off out there alot. For a guy that needs to play extremely well this pre-season to ensure a spot on the team, I thought he should have been a little more serious. Got danced around a couple times in the drills. Keep in mind however that he is a guy that needs to play physical in order to be effective, and in camp you aren't really trying to punish anyone.

Wellwood - Looks slim, almost tough to recognize him. He looked good out there.

C. Schneider - Looked really good. Made some incredible recovery saves on rebounds. Played hard like he has something to prove.

Raycroft - Looked gross. Has no confidence and he often was yelling at himself after he got beat (which was often).

Didn't stick around for long at the 2nd group's practice, mainly because I realized it wasn't the type of practice that you can judge too much from. A few minor observations though.


- Bernier looks slim and seemed to be skating better.

- Kesler's shot was insane. Never really noticed that before so maybe it has improved?

- No Tochkin, Rai and a number of other young guys. Sounds like they are keeping them around for the experience, but won't be using them in camp.