First of all, Happy Independence Day to all our American readers. Here’s a fun fact: I used to live in the United States. Spent three years living in Concord, California, which is a suburb of San Francisco. Went to many a San Jose Sharks game and was even pied on the jumbotron. Anyways, go America… for today.

Getting back to the Vancouver Canucks, though, there are quite a few new faces in town. Chief among them is Loui Eriksson, formerly of the Boston Bruins. The Canucks are better today than they were before free agency. Just a question now of how much better.

Speaking of questions, you were kind enough to ask a few, so I’ll return the favour in spades by answering them!

You would like to think so, but likely not. The Canucks are trying frantically to move Luca Sbisa but can’t find a market for his services. The problem with Sbisa is that he just isn’t good. Not by the ‘eye test’ and certainly not the underlying shot based data. With uncertainty surrounding the salary cap, it’s not overly surprising that teams are having a difficult time reconciling the idea of dealing assets to take on a $3.6-million third pairing defenceman.

Then again, Adam Larsson just fetched one of the league’s premier two-way wingers in Taylor Hall. And did you see what the Canucks gave up for Erik Gudbranson? Who knows, maybe somebody gets desperate. 

First of all, I’m not all that comfortable answering a question about ‘Jimbo’. As in, I don’t think we should refer to Canucks General Manager Jim Benning as ‘Jimbo’. At least not in the public sphere. It just seems kind of disrespectful.

I don’t think Benning’s getting canned at the end of next season, though. Even if they do miss the playoffs. As the saying goes, a General Manager gets at least two coaches before he’s on the chopping block. Willie Desjardins is his first, and really, it’s not even Benning’s guy. Desjardins is a Trevor Linden hire.

Now, if the Canucks miss the playoffs in the 2017-18 season, that’s an entirely different story.

I really, really like this question.

Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Loui Eriksson

Sven Baertschi – Bo Horvat – Jannik Hansen

Anton Rodin – Brandon Sutter – Jake Virtanen

Emerson Etem – Markus Granlund – Derek Dorsett

Alexander Edler – Chris Tanev

Ben Hutton – Erik Gudbranson

Luca Sbisa – Philip Larsen

Ryan Miller

Jacob Markstrom

It’s hard to say. Anything I’d say on the topic would be pure conjecture. Like, I would guess, that the Canucks are going to use him on one of either their second or third line and try to get him involved on the power play. Beyond that, no clue.

A Republic of Ireland green jersey would probably do the trick.

Well, I don’t really have an answer to that question. There aren’t many left on the open market. Not in free agency, anyways. That ship sailed the moment Milan Lucic signed with the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks might find their guy by trade. I’m just not sure where they’re going to fit another forward in their lineup.

Sure, why not?