Afternoon Headshots: April 1st

Still the best thing via SealCat.

Busy day at your third favorite Canucks blog today as we wrote a couple of different things about Vancouver’s purchase of the Peoria Rivermen, rated five trade deadline target defenseman on the Weinrich-to-Brown meter, five top-six forwards on the Rucinsky-to-Gelinas meter and five depth forwards on the Pettinger-to-Higgins meter and also previewed tonight’s Canucks game in San Jose.

More links and Canucks news after the jump!

Mike Gillis talks to Iain Macintyre about the teams purchase of the Peoria Rivermen and how it will help Vancouver develop NHLers. A money quote from Mac’s take: "The Canucks will relocate the American Hockey League team from Illinois to an as-yet determined city nearer Vancouver." Fascinating. [Vancouver Sun]

Ben Kuzma chats with Ryane Clowe who is rumoured to be on the trade block and has nice things to say about Alain Vigneault. So he’s already replaced Mason Raymond as the shap crew’s most hated player. [The White Towel]

Dan Hamhuis’ slick toe save on R.J. Umberger from last week qualifies as Nucksmisconduct’s Play of the Week. [Nucksmisconduct]

Mike Gillis told TSN that the Canucks are talking to four teams about a possible Roberto Luongo trade with "varying levels of activity and various proposals." So pretty much it’s not going to go down before the deadline. [The Score]

Harrison Mooney reports that Daniel Sedin and his brother Henrik are having trouble in paradise and are getting divorced as line-mates on a permanent basis. April Fools (I think…)! [Pass it to Bulis]

As Nicklas Jensen – Mike Gillis’ fourth draft pick in five drafts as Canucks GM to play in an NHL game for the Canucks – prepares to make his big league debut this evening, Cam Cole has some fun with hindsight regarding Vancouver’s average drafting. Not the strongest angle, but he does use the word obstreporous so at least he earns bonus points. [Vancouver Sun]

Cam Charron marvels at James Reimer and concludes that a Luongo trade would be a mistake for the Leafs. I generally disagree for the simplest reason imaginable. Basically Luongo is nails and if you have a chance to add a player and person of his quality for thirty cents on the dollar, you should almost always do so. [The Leafs Nation]

Cancel the trade deadline, here’s some great news from Farhan Lalji:

Needless to say, getting Kesler back is better than anything Gillis and co. will find on the market at the deadline…

Let’s end this post off with this oddly post-modern photo of Roberto Luongo dashing through the rainy streets. What even?!