Lukowich To Join Canucks Monday
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 12:15 PM PST
in Incessant Bitching
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PrintBack in mid-September Brad Lukowich, the Cranbrook B.C. native told Canucks nation that it was his dream and goal all along to play for the Canucks. He was quoted saying: "The first team we always called anytime I was a free agent was Vancouver, unfortunately they had a lot of D back then as well and it just wasn’t in the works for me." He also said: "I take care of my own end first, do everything defensively, and if anything offensive happens, that’s a bonus for me. I take care of my end first and it’s not a glorifying job but the wins are very glorifying for me."
He then played a few games for the Canucks in preseason and did what he said he'd do: playing defensively sound hockey and bringing a physical presence to the Canucks' blue line. The only problem was that his $1.8 million salary brought some strain to the Canucks' cap situation, and he would be an expensive player to have sit on the bench, as Shane O'Brien was chosen as the 6th D-man.
He also suffered a minor head injury in the preseason process, only a few days before he was waived on September 30. He went unclaimed, and was loaned to the Texas Rangers.
Now, with Kevin Bieksa expected to miss months because of a cut above his ankle, the Canucks go back to the well and recall Lukowich, who then clears the waiver wire again. I'm a little confused. Is his salary too much for most teams to handle? I suppose $1.8 million is a tad steep for a stay-at-home defenceman... or is it? It depends on perception and cap space available. Neither works all that much in Lukowich's favor right now. After all, nobody claimed him either time when given the chance. Not even at half the price on re-entry waivers! He is a 5th-7th defenceman on many teams. He'll only play about 15:00 per game in Vancouver. But still...
I lean towards sentimentality and favortism towards him. He has 2 Stanley Cup rings. He's a BC boy. He followed the Canucks even when he played on other NHL teams. He brings leadership. He brings stability to the blue line. He craves playing for this team! What's not to like about this guy?
I think it's clear what Mike Gillis thinks about him. He has only recalled Luko because he had to. With unsuccessful attempts at landing Forsberg earlier in the year and now Bieksa's long-term injury freeing up cap space, Gillis can now afford Lukowich's salary, and he is the only logical choice to be called up. For all I know, Brad's time here is limited, with Pavol Demitra returning soon and/or Kevin Bieksa most likely returning prior to the playoffs. It's unfortunate. I'd rather have Lukowich on our roster than Shane O'Brien or Aaron Rome, especially in a potential playoff run.
He'll have to prove his worth any chance he gets now, and it will have to be stellar in order for him to stick with the Canucks. Even that may not be enough.
It's just not likely in the Canucks' cap world.
It's just me voicing my admiration for the play and character of a guy named Lukowich. Am I missing something?
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I think the fact that lukowich is a local guy, has 2 stanley cup rings and that he loves the canucks should be enough of a factor to have him on the team. His experience will be very valuable not to mention he will be happy playing here. I’d like to find a way to keep him on the team
by kiyotok on Jan 3, 2010 12:32 PM PST via mobile reply actions
I don’t know how they are going to do it. You’d think Grabner will get another shot and with Demo coming back…
Luko looks like trade bait to me, unless another top 6 d-man gets hurt.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 12:57 PM PST up reply actions
Trade SOB?
There’s that option too. He’s playing great and could get a decent return.
I never thought I’d say this but I don’t want SOB to leave.
I don’t either. But I’d rather have Lukowich in than SOB. I don’t think the Canucks will part with SOB though. However, he does become an RFA at the end of the year. What kind of $$ is he going to want?
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 1:17 PM PST up reply actions
Luko’s a UFA next year and loves Vancouver. if he plays well, then why not just re-sign him in the off-season at a lesser rate?
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
That is a big possibility, if Gillis likes him or if Luko is willing.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 2:12 PM PST up reply actions
I just don’t want him to get flogged. I only care about right now. My $$$ is on Luko being more consistent defensively than SOB. I think we’ll see this pretty quickly.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 2:31 PM PST up reply actions
Luko got slipped thru on New year’s Day, which helped, but I wonder if his well-known desire to play for Vancouver gave some GMs pause for thought, as well. Would you want to take on a player who might resent you for ruining his boyhood dream? Would you wanna make a decision like that on short notice on a holiday when it’s tough to even get hold of your staff (and maybe your owner) to discuss it?
From a purely matter-of-fact pt of view, absent the two factors above, it still seems like it shouldda been a no-brainer to grab the guy; he’s steady, experienced, got rings, and wouldda cost under $1m cap hit and maybe only $450k or so in actual salary. A guy like that should be in demand this time of year. I think we pulled off a minor coup in getting him back up.
And I’m not convinced Gillis doesn’t like him, I think it was purely a cap hit and numbers game that got him sent down the first time, predicated on expectations that Schneider was worth a shot cuz Ehrhoff was still unproven here.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
Nope…they are just MEAT in that regard.
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
Wasn’t schneider’s hit 1.75 million? Then how would luko’s 1.8 make much of a diference? If we already had schneider on the team making 250k less than luko, isn’t it possible to keep luko? Or were we going to have get rid of someone either way when demo returns?
by kiyotok on Jan 3, 2010 2:06 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Or were we going to have get rid of someone either way when demo returns?
That’s what I think is going to happen.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 2:12 PM PST up reply actions
When we discussed this in the past we concluded that, absent a trade, Welly and SOB (replaced by Rome) were the most likely to go in order to make cap room for Demo. But if SOB is playing better now, then who knows? While Bieksa is out it can be a moot point, but eventually we’ll have to face it, presuming Bieksa’s not lost for the entire season.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
Luko got slipped thru on New year’s Day, which helped,
I just don’t think that was an issue. To say 29 teams were “napping” on January 1 is silly. No right mind in a management role sleeps on any day of the year.
True, Schneider was the choice over Lukowich. I forgot to mention that.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 2:10 PM PST up reply actions
I think the New Year’s Day ruse helped, actually. Perhaps it was just a small thumb on a large scale, but … enough to make the diff? Dunno. Didn’t hurt, tho, and we did get Luko back up.
I also wonder about other owners. Not everyone has an owner like ours who seems content to spend money trying things. Heck, SJ couldda parked Luko in the minors themselves, but they didn’t, so I presume their ownership was unwilling to pay the freight on the off chance that they might be able to use him in the future. What percentage of the other GMs have to deal with owners like that and get approval beforehand … on New Year’s Day? :)
Every little bit helps.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
What percentage of the other GMs have to deal with owners like that and get approval beforehand … on New Year’s Day? :)
I see where you are going with that but I disagree.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 2:37 PM PST up reply actions
Oh it's
just so freakin constant with that guy, you’d think he was Gillisgan’s boyfriend the way he goes on and on spinning everything he does into “hindsight” homespun “genius”
Go ahead, ask him how Gillis wipes his ass, he’ll go on for 3 paragraphs about the sheer brilliance of his tenchnique and how no GM in the league wipes their ass like the great Gillisgod..
Not actually
just look at the two posts of his above (out of many such bootlicking examples).
I mean who refers to a waiver call-up as a “ruse” or a “coup”?
Laughable.
While I may not agree that Gillis is amazing you can’t really say he has been terrible. He hasn’t really been here that long to really gauge him yet. You can’t expect Gillis to bring in a Luongo type player just because previous GM’s have done it. He did bring in Ehrhoff which has been a help and you have to agree that was a good move.
I do
agree, I have said so repeatedly.
But I do not agree that he hasn’t been bad, all you have to do is list the moves he’s made and ask yourself if they were good or bad results, it’s that simple for me.
But that isn’t the point, point is he’s certainly done nothing to be deserving of the constant lauding and spinning of every little thing he does as some form of brilliance, it’s so pathetically defensive it’s comical.
You have a point.
I was just getting the feeling that you thought everything he did was wrong. Obviously he has made some moves that didn’t work out. Probably most GM’s have. It could be worse though. At least we don’t have Mike Milbury.
no
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
Using New Year’s Day was indeed a ruse, or a trick, or whatever else you wanna call it. And it worked. Getting back a D-man like Luko where the rules allowed any other team to grab him at half-priceand half-cap, yeah, that is indeed a bit of a coup. Can you name a similar defender who ever – ever! – made it back up thru recall waivers? We await your answer.
Just burning ya, isn’t it, that Gillis pulled it off? Get over it, he did. It was part skill and part luck but you gotta be good to be lucky and lucky to be good.
p.s. If you’re gonna quote me, you need to quote accurately, not make it up. I have never called Gillis a “genius,” a term I don’t really believe in (my inner Zen guy and all that). I did call him a famed negotiator, but that part is easily verifiable and is no more controversial than calling Luongo a fine goaltender or Mason Raymond a fast skater.
So please, learn to use quote marks correctly; it’s really not that hard.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
lol
yeah you’re right, this waiver call-up will surely go down in the annals of hockey history as a true example of management dominance!
Right up there with offering to make a 37 y/o Swede who just wanted to retire, the highest paid player in the game, and in the process decimate his own roster.
Yes I’m sure you can spin that one into “genius” as well, you can anything the great Gillisgod does.
I bet he could wipe forward and you’d find a way to call it “groundbreaking”…
Holy hell, casual, that Gillis article was insane! Stupid fucking Rangers!
Nice background on Gillis. Thanks for that.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 5:44 PM PST up reply actions
I found that article a while ago, near the start of the year, cuz I like to know the “players,” so to speak, in the game. It’s pretty telling, and there are others as well along those lines. We’ve got a very interesting fellow as our GM, one who knows the ins and outs of the league and its personalities quite well.
A while back, you might recall, an Ottawa writer made a snide comment re trades about “knowing Gillis, he’ll want too much.” We thought at the time he was just jealous that Vancouver had done so much better in their dealings w/SJ than Ottawa had.
Maybe. But maybe, along with that, he was familiar with Gillis’ background negotiating contracts. Dig around a bit and when you look at the deals – much like Holik’s – that really pushed the NHL to a salary cap, Gillis was as much the agent behind that as anyone else.
In other words, he negotiated so effectively that the league had to put in a rule against it. I like having that skill set on our side.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
spin
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
Totally awesome! Before I read through all the comments, just wanna quickly say that gillis must be some kind of genius to pull off a coup like this. Man he’s amaaaaaazing!
by Beantown Canuck on Jan 3, 2010 5:58 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Uh oh… Maybe should have read the comments first… Yikes…
by Beantown Canuck on Jan 3, 2010 5:59 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Nice to see Schneider joining his little brother on the Moose. Schneider was a top defense man once upon a time but was soft as a Canuck. He got the minutes he deserved here. I hope he finds his form with the Moose.
It’s great to see Lukowich back we need another solid stay at home d man with some grit who won’t blow gasket if we need to sit him few games. I thought it was a mistake that he did not make the team at the start of the season (it was a close call I am sure) – but the cream always rises to the top.
At the time, I would have picked Mathieu Schneider over Luko. I remember thinking that.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 9:02 PM PST up reply actions
This is funny. I am convinced yoata just takes that position because he likes to get people going.
There is no way that he is that dense on this guy and seemingly knowledgeable about other areas of the game.
I enjoy reading your rants there yoats…don’t ever change. It used to get me going, but I have gotten over that. Because a reaction is all you are looking for. The only reaction I have now is LOL. Keep the fun coming…we need more laughter in the world today!
Here’s one for you, Gillis is the best GM we have had since Pat Quinn. Burke and Nonis are bums compared to him. Sure, they made some good moves….but they did nothing about team building, character, or all those other things.
They never even thought of such forward thinking things as sleep studies and tracking fatigue. Never even thought of it. Just that alone has shown in the team being better on the road in the third period this year.
One more thing…who is the coach with the best winning percentage in the history of the team?
Thats right…Vigneault.
OK…we now return you to a rant from Nonis’s ex-boyfriend.
Be gentle with him, he still hasn’t gotten over the breakup!
Peace.
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
who is the coach with the best winning percentage in the history of the team?
Thats right…Vigneault.
Ah can I get me an “amen?”
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 9:21 PM PST up reply actions
Amen!
He’s been better lately about not having the team go into so much of a shelll, either, esp after they get the lead.
If andy murray had made the same change, he’d still be coachinf the blues.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
by casual on Jan 3, 2010 9:26 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
That and/or the players hung him out to dry.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 9:43 PM PST up reply actions
that factors into previous management’s inability to get a premier goalie. Thanks, Nonis. But also thanks Gillis for extending him for so long.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 3, 2010 11:55 PM PST up reply actions
We'll see
If we never make a final in the next 4-5 years and we’re still stuck with that contract are you still saying “thanks” ?
Now don’t be so pessimistic about the future’s possibilities. If Luongo is a big reason for the Canucks not getting there of course I won’t say thanks.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 4, 2010 3:20 PM PST up reply actions
Not pessimistic
just not counting any chickens just yet, imo if Lu doesn’t get the Nucks at least that far in the next several years, even if he has to do it himself, the contract is crap.
BLINDERS!
big time.
Again, all you talk about is “intangibles” because that’s all there is with Gilisgan, the only acquisition anyone can point to as a success with a straight face is Ehroff, that ain’t a very good record after a year and a half, esp since he’s made quite a few acquisitions in that time.
That ain’t dense that’s the facts, sorry, I know you all love to love the man in charge but you will likely find out eventually that it wasn’t him you were in love with, just the idea of him.
Come on dan be objective for once, you seriously think this injury call-up can in any way be considered a “coup” ? It’s a fucking injury call-up ffs!
Is there really a need to make a big move for Gillis though. Burke and Nonis may have got the players initially and Gillis made sure they stay here. Nonis may have been a good GM but he’s obviously really good friends with Burke so if Burke is no longer part of our team it makes no sense to keep Nonis around. Nonis followed Burke to Anaheim and when Burke left there so did Nonis.
Because Nonis just follows Burke around and does what he says. Now they’re both in Toronto. Seems to me like Burke needs his yes man with him wherever he goes.
And that’s a good thing? Burke happens to put together a championship team while we miss the playoffs twice. Hmmm…..
Don't change
the subject, fact is they kept Nonis, and they only got rid of him because he had the bad luck of running into a record injuries to his D corps that year.
Did I say it was a coup? Read…what did I say?
No one…“loves” the man any more or less than is rational.
What everyone is politely trying to tell you, in various ways and on various threads, is that your continual attacks on the man are irrational and not backed up by the actual facts.
I am far more objective on the subject than you are, my man. Every time anyone posts anything even remotely complimentary about Gillis, or AV, we know that as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow that we will see a pithy little dig at the man. Some cutesy nickname…some little bit of negativity from you.
Again…why? You can’t honestly think its because what you actually know more about hockey than everyone else here, and you are educating us, can you? It can’t be because being negative is a good thing, because it is most certainly not.
You can dislike the man, AV, and whatever you like. But you can’t keep insulting people like casual and myself just because we disagree. The “wiping his ass” stuff above is beneath you yoata…I thought you were better than that…remember?
It adds nothing to the discourse we all come here for. Thats all I am saying.
And having Luongo in net is only part of the reason AV is a good coach. Rewarding players that work hard with more ice time and a chance is what makes him a great coach. Yes, even Welly. His role is different than Hansen, who I know you are going to proclaim is not getting a fair chance.
Its not AV’s fault that Gillis is so good at his job that, together with AV, they have too many good players. Proof of that is the way the team keeps playing well with an injury list that is continual and deep. Because now that he has had some time to TRULY make the team his own, Gillis has given the coach enough good players to plug the holes.
Its a good thing. Though…go ahead and tell us why Hansen deserves PP time ahead of Welly or Bernier.
Enquiring minds want to know…!
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
Dan,
I think what’s really burning him is that, had the call-up failed, he would have finally had an unassailable argument against Gillis, no room for ambiguity, cuz there would have been no doubt that a failed call-up would have been a mistake: we’d have lost Luko plus taken a cap hit, and gotten nothing in return.
Joy! He couldda bitched about it constantly, the rest of the year in fact, but instead … nothing happened; the New Year’s day call-up worked and the team is now stronger for it.
Oh well, too fucking bad for yoata, but good for the team; I’m cool with that.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
If I have to tell you
why Hanses deserves it over those two (again) then it’s pointless really, come on already.
Sorry but you are defending casual who did exactly that, so by default you are defending what he said. And again, my “attacks” on Gillis are very much objective and backed up by facts, how many times do I have to say, just look at his acquisitions and ask yourself if they’ve improved the team, esp those that were supposedly replacements for those he let go and don’t forget to factor in what they are paid, if you do that you will see that aside from Erhoff, Gillis has made a pile of not very good moves and it is balancing all the nauseating worship of him and everything he does here that I do by pointing that out.
Then you add in what he did with Hodgson and what he did with the schedule this year and all the “headcases” that have popped up since his arrival and a pattern of incompetence emerges.
Actually, I never called Gillis a genius. That was you, yoata, falsely attributing it to me and even using quote marks as part of your pretend game, wholly fabricated.
But if you wanna google your little furry butt off and try to prove me wrong, fill your boots. We’ll wait. I always back up my quotes with links and everything. Your turn.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
You mean the same Jannick Hansen that you previously deemed a borderline NHL’er, at best a 4th liner?
Johnson
Hordichuk
Rypien
Raymond
Hansen
Wellwood
Bernier
Shirokov
To me, each of those guys has either not yet earned the title of bonafide NHLer, or has as much a chance of being a 4th liner as anything else, and for me that defines borderline NHLer.
Mind you, in the same thread you also deemed him better than Mason Raymond (did that make Raymond a 5th liner in your mind?)
Hansen
Has way more upside imo.
Hansen had better numbers with less opportunity than Raymond or Wellwood last year, and he’s younger, bigger, and cheaper.
Cover all the bases with yoata!
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
Hello? Yoata? Still googling your furry little butt off? I thought so; have fun.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
Argument Over !!!
Next time, don’t make up fake quotes, yoata.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
Yes, forged quotes always are, esp when the forgeries are exposed.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
OKAY, THAT'S IT!!!!
both of you take a break!
check out my blog at canuckpuckbunny.blogspot.com
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler."
GO CANUCKS GO!
I would say getting the Sedins and Luongo locked up for the amount of years he did at the cap hit he did were pretty important moves, which is quite a big deal under the current CBA. Trades almost never happen any more (which makes the Ehrhoff steal all the more impressive), and signing free agents from other teams is more often than not a bust across the league. This off season he got Rome, Glass, Schneider, Raycroft, and Sammuelsson. I would say that the only bust there is Schneider. The other four are filling their roles adequately (and quite well in some circumstances). So I think his record this offseason is pretty solid.
by Beantown Canuck on Jan 4, 2010 7:26 AM PST up reply actions
So tell me
were you all such big fans of the great and wonderful Gillis before he was Nuck GM, or is it just all the great moves his made since that have won you over? Or is it maybe just a whole lot of cognitive dissonance…
It some of the moves he’s made, the contract extensions, his extensive work in scouting and his commitment to building a team with character.
by Sean Zandberg on Jan 5, 2010 1:36 AM PST up reply actions
Contract extensions?
Seriously? That’s the only thing tangible anyone can point to?
Nonis extended Lu and the twins too.
Nonis never appeared to me as if he were in charge. I like to think that after Burke left and Nonis took over, I viewed Nonis not as an extension of Burke, but as his own man. Still, he was never dynamic to me. More to the point he gave me the impression of befudlement. He often seemed during interviews as a deer caught in headlights. His one coup, getting Lu, as culture-altering as it was, always appeared to me as something that fell into his lap as a result of Bert’s inability to remain a Canuck and Keenan’s immense ego seemed to propel the trade more than some cunning on Nonis’ part. He simply never impressed me as a take charge manager. My verdict on Gillis is still out and I feel we should give him until the end of next season in order to make a full assessment of his job. Burke’s style irked me but I have to call his orchestration and direction of drafting the Sedins “brilliant.” Still, I’m happier that MG is here rather than his predecesors and I agree with Sean above on some of the reasons.
Not to mention
Nonis matched the at-the-time drastic overpayment offer-sheet to Kesler instead of taking the pick for a guy who up until then had not shown much as an NHLer.
Say what you want about Burke and Nonis, but they are responsible for almost the entire core of the team we enjoy today.
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