Shirokov Solid in Moose Debut

To help distract you from the distinct possibility that the Canucks could be without Daniel Sedin for a bit of time, let's focus on the Moose.

With a record of 1-1, the Moose hosted the Chicago Wolves last night (and later on today) and Sergei Shirokov made his AHL debut. The Moose won 4-1 but the bigger story is how did it go for our plucky Ruskie?

Demoted by Vancouver on Thursday, Shirokov was easily the best player on the ice last night, settling for a goal and an assist on a night where he should have had at least one more assist, and maybe more, if only his minor league teammates could have converted his major league passes.

By night's end, what was clear is that while Shirokov may have looked out of place the past 10 days in a Canucks uniform, he looks even more out of place in a Moose uniform.

Sure it's just the AHL, but seeing Shirokov produce immediately is a welcoming sign. Other notable demotions chimed in on the win as well: Michael Grabner (two goals), Michael Funk (one goal) and Cory Schneider (35 saves). Funk is actually tied with Marco Rosa for the team lead in points (4).

And speaking of demotions, I'd hate to not point out this part at the end of the article:

The rich are getting richer as the Wolves are set to add G Manny Legace and D Chris Chelios. The 47-year-old Chelios is hoping to catch on with another NHL team after the Detroit Red Wings decided to not bring him back this season, while Legace is also hoping to land NHL employment after going to training camp on a tryout basis with the Atlanta Thrashers.

See? Once you wiped your tears of laughter away, you already forgot Daniel is injured. You're welcome.