Here’s an injury the Canucks and their fans are overly familiar with. Another skate cut to the Achilles tendon. It’s not a Canucks skater taking the hit for a change, though. If memory serves, Kevin Bieksa suffered two similar injuries. 

Have to wonder at what point kevlar socks, or similarly protective equipment, is mandated by the league. Or if it ever is, for that matter. The Stars and Tyler Seguin dodged a bullet. Luckily Seguin’s only going to be sidelined somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3-4 weeks. Could be much worse.

Can you imagine if Seguin was out for the season? Have to think it’s Jim Nill leading the charge to get this kind of protective equipment legislated. 

I wrote an article last week on the topic of league expansion. I thought I did a relatively good job of interpreting the rules and options therein, but it appears as though I missed the mark – more than once, even.

I pondered the Canucks plans if they were faced with Option 1 (seven forwards, three defencemen and one goaltender) as the only option for a one-team draft, and Option 2 (eight skaters and one goaltender) as if it was the only option for a two-team draft. I was wrong. So very wrong. They’re called options for a reason and the Canucks can enact a plan based on either, no matter the amount of teams involved.

Knowing what I know now about the rules, I can’t imagine the Canucks taking Option 2 under any circumstances. Of course, a lot can change between now and the expansion draft.

I don’t really care about Niklas Backstrom making an NHL appearance again. Not in the slightest. There’s a lesson in his getting acquired by the Calgary Flames, though, to be sure.

If the Canucks are going to keep pace with the Flames and any of the other rebuilding franchise leaguewide, they’re going to have to get creative and find a way to build on the margins. That means accumulating picks and prospects. Even long-shot selections in the late rounds of the draft.

The Flames were so willing to land an extra pick, that they dealt David Jones to the Minnesota Wild for Backstrom and a sixth-round selection. That’s savvy on an entirely new level.

Kevin Woodley dropped a bombshell Saturday when he revealed that Rollie Melanson had zero interest in renewing his contract with the Canucks this off-season. That’s no bueno.

Melanson turned this city from a goalie graveyard to the land of goalie controversies. That’s no small feat. He’s survived multiple coaching staffs and a new front office.

I wonder if Melanson is leaving, in part, due to the Canucks continually ignoring his counsel. Cory Schneider was a Melanson guy. Eddie Lack was a Melanson guy. They’ve both been traded in spite of this.

Just throwing that out there.