Status quo Canucks return to face Avs
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 | 11:15 AM PT
CBC Sports
Fans at GM Place on Wednesday night will watch a Vancouver Canucks team remarkably similar to the one before the trade deadline take on division rivals the Colorado Avalanche.
Vancouver general manager David Nonis struck one deal by Tuesday's deadline, acquiring Matt Pettinger of Victoria from Washington for longtime Canuck Matt Cooke.
The Canucks did not trade Ryan Kesler (right), who scored two goals in the team's last game.
(Mark Humphrey/Associated Press)
Pettinger is two years younger than Cooke and has one year remaining on his contract.
Nonis said the club was in the running for some of the big names available and put together competitive bids that were ultimately not accepted.
As far as role players, Nonis said he and coach Alain Vigneault had little interest.
"We could've added four or five guys in the last hour easily that became available and that weren't going to be expensive, but you look at your lineup and say they're not better than what you have," said Nonis.
"So you're trying to force people into your lineup where there's some guys [on our team] that work pretty hard in that room and deserve to carry the ball the rest of the way. When you start adding players that aren't necessarily going to be an upgrade, I think you've done your team a great disservice."
The brain trust has good reason to like their team in recent days, with Vancouver in the midst of a 5-0-1 span that has pushed them to seventh in the Western Conference.
Vancouver (32-22-8) last played Saturday, downing Detroit 4-1. Ryan Kesler, a forward Nonis was unwilling to part with in a trade, scored two goals while Daniel Sedin added a pair of assists.
Colorado is fresh off a 3-2 overtime win in Calgary, with Paul Stastny scoring the winner.
It was Stastny's second tally in three games since recovering from an appendectomy and groin injury.
Stastny, Milan Hejduk and Ryan Smyth each finished with a goal and an assist for the Avalanche. Smyth and Joe Sakic have also recently returned from long injury layoffs as the team reloads for a playoff push.
Jose Theodore turned aside 27 of 29 shots in the win against the Flames.
Surprise move
The Avalanche were slightly busier than the Canucks on deadline day, acquiring defenceman Ruslan Salei and Adam Foote for Karlis Skrastins.
Foote played for the franchise between 1991 and 2004, including its two Stanley Cup wins during that span.
He joined the Avalanche players on the bench during the first period in Calgary.
Earlier in the week, the Avalanche surprised most hockey observers by bringing back another former player, Peter Forsberg. The Swede, who played for the team from 1994 to 2004, is coming back after nearly a year off if his troublesome right ankle holds up.
He had given indications earlier in the month that he wasn't going to pursue an NHL opportunity this season.
Forsberg, 34, may join the team in Vancouver but is not likely to play until next week at the earliest, although pinning down his exact movements has always been a mug's game.
Colorado (32-26-6) is two points behind the Canucks in the standings. The teams have split four games this season, with the Avalanche picking up an extra point with an overtime loss.
