David Booth A Healthy Scratch Against Panthers

David Booth will be a healthy scratch tonight as the Canucks face the Panthers, Booth's former team. According to the Vancouver Sun, Booth is having skating issues after suffering groin and ankle injuries.

"My explosiveness isn't where it was in the past. That extra step, that's really the strength in my game. Without a doubt I can get it back. I've had other leg injuries and it comes back with time. It's just been a little bit longer this time than in the past.

"Obviously I would have really liked to play tonight. It's a game that I was looking forward to at the start of the year. It shows that you can look forward to things and then things happen."

This is the second time this season Booth has been a healthy scratch. Booth has 1 goal and 2 assists in 13 games this season, and 2 goals and 4 assists in his last 25 games, and 3 goals and 5 assists in his last 41 games played. You have to wonder if his tenure here is almost over, even though that $4.25 million is an ALBATROSS.

Well, John Tortorella is not giving up on him:

“I think sometimes with knee injuries and groin injuries and he has an ankle injury also, you have to fight through it mentally before it’s a natural thing and you  let yourself go,” said Tortorella. “I don’t think he’s let himself go yet. I still think we’re in the middle of that process.

“He’s a really good player. It’s still there. He’s got to help us, we have to help him try to find it somewhere. It will make our team a better team.”

The Sun also mentioned that the lines in practice today were:

Sedin - Sedin - Burrows

Higgins - Santorelli - Kesler (like it)

Hansen - Richardson - Kassian

Weise - Welsh - Sestito

Here is Tortorella's presser from today: