CANUCKS ARMY POST-GAME: 3-2 OT LOSS TO WINGS OVERSHADOWED BY HANSEN TRADE

On a night when the Detroit Red Wings were in town, Canuck fans could be excused if their attention was focused elsewhere. One day into the post-Alex Burrows era, the Canucks continued their rebuilding efforts in earnest by dealing fellow 2011 alumnus Jannik Hansen to the San Jose Sharks for prospect Nikolay Goldobin and a conditional 2017 fourth round draft pick.

The action on the ice was not entirely devoid of excitement, either. After falling down 2-0 early to the visitors from Michigan, the Canucks battled back to tie the game late and sent it to overtime. Although the Canucks eventually dropped the contest on a Justin Abdelkader overtime marker, the loss moved the Canucks into sole possession of 28th place in the NHL – and the third-best draft lottery odds.

With Hansen held out of the lineup – initially for “precautionary measures” – the club dressed Croatian winger Borna Rendulic for his first game in a Canuck uniform. It was the visiting Red Wings, however, who earlier in the day had traded Brendan Smith to the New York Rangers for draft picks, managed to strike first courtesy of the stick of Frans Nielsen.

After Alex Edler was penalized for a slashing infraction, the Danish winger (making up for the absence of his countryman?) struck again on the power play to double the Wings’ lead.

Despite the deficit, the Canucks actually bested the Wings 14-13 in 5v5 Corsi in the opening frame. Brendan Gaunce had one of his stronger periods as of late, and had the Vancouver’s best scoring chance in the first 20 minutes.

The Canucks got off to a solid start in the second period with a classic throwback Sedin shift. The twins were throwing the puck around the Red Wings’ zone (with a little help from a pinching Luca Sbisa) and found Markus Granlund in slot for his 16th goal of the season.

Vancouver continued to control the balance of play throughout the period, but was unable to equalize the score. The home side was out-attempting Detroit 31-23 after forty minutes of play at even strength.

For a team trailing by a goal, the Canucks played a mostly lacklustre third period. Lacklustre, that is, until Reid Boucher tied the game with his first goal as a Canuck.

Poor Reid Boucher. Almost everyone in Canuck-land not at Rogers Arena (and probably not even there) was distracted by some other news.

With Hansen now officially an ex-Canuck, the game progressed to overtime. Brandon Sutter took an early penalty in the extra frame, and Justin Abdelkader would tip in a perfect Henrik Zetterberg centering feed to give the Wings the 3-2 win.

-Let’s be honest. The moment Jannik Hansen was removed from the lineup after the opening warm-up, the game itself became a secondary story. A couple of weeks ago, I said that it would be a successful trade deadline if the Canucks traded away at least two of Burrows, Hansen, and Miller. In the span of two days, not only have the Canucks traded the first two players on that list, but the club has actually managed to simultaneously bring back a solid return and better position itself for the expansion draft. It’s not even trade deadline day, and many would agree that it is already “mission accomplished” for Benning and company. This is the rebuild for which fans have been clamouring. Now let’s see if the Canucks can manage to trade Miller tomorrow.

-Speaking of which, why did the Canucks find it in their best interests to scratch Hansen but start Miller in goal? Yes, Jacob Markstrom is injured – and that would mean Richard Bachman would have played – but the Canucks have already tacitly acknowledged that the playoffs (and, by extension, this season) are a lost cause. Why run the small risk of Miller suffering an injury? Granted, Benning may already have come to the conclusion that the Miller market is now, for all intents and purposes, closed. But on the off-chance that it isn’t, just sit him for one, meaningless game.

-There was a game tonight! For a contest featuring the third- and fourth-worst teams in the NHL, it was actually mildly entertaining. The Canucks managed to claw back and earn a point, but allowed the Red Wings to pass them in the lottery standings. A good night overall for those wanting to hit the accelerator on the rebuild.

-A further note on Brendan Gaunce. The young centre had one of his most noticeable games as a pro tonight, and nearly managed to score his first goal of the season on several occasions. He finished the night with a +5 CF at even strength.

Thursday, March 2 @  San Jose Sharks, 730 PST. TV: SNET; Radio: TSN 1040

Update: Jannik Hansen will not play on Thursday due to US work visa issues.