Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on Saturday on the Vancouver Canucks making defenseman Vincent Desharnais available and what they might be looking for in return.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“In Vancouver, reports surfacing this week that they are trying to move defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Unfortunately, this just hasn’t worked out as well as player and team of hope.
I did hear a little bit the Canucks preferred draft picks in return because they wanted some roster and cap flexibility. But the Canucks, I have now heard are willing to consider all options in order to help get Desharnais a fresh start.”
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Donnie & Dhali: Don Taylor and Rick Dhaliwal on Thursday on Vancouver Canucks defenseman Vincent Desharnais and if he’s available for trade.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Taylor: “Vincent Desharnais, Rick. What are you hearing? What are your sources telling you?”
Dhaliwal: “A couple of people have told …”
Taylor: “What’s your gut telling you?”
Dhaliwal: “Here’s my gut. No, this one actually is not the gut. Couple of people tell me they’ve heard Desharnais’ name out there. Some think his name is out there in the trade market.
Look Don. They signed him in the summer. Great size. Great potential. But he’s having a hell of a time being a regular defenseman. And what has this regime told us in the past Don? And you’ve brought this up many times. When something doesn’t work out for these guys, whether in a trade or July 1st, they rectify it. They rectify it.
So let’s go down the list of guys they made a decision on quick. Curtis Lazar, three-year deal, July 1st. They get rid of him after a year, gone. Daniel Sprong, nine games, gone. Who’s the other one? (Ilya) Mikhayev. Okay,”
Taylor: “That was more than a few games.”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah, but still. They sign Mikhayev …”
Taylor: “Bad example, the first two I give you.”
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Dhaliwal: “These guys, Don, Don, it’s not a bad example. I’ll tell you why. When you sign a guy for five years, you expect him to be there for five years. You sign a guy for three years, like those are, the feeling is you want him to be there for three to five years, or whatever. When two sides sign a deal, they do it with the notion that you’ll be there for the entire time.”
Taylor: “I like that. I like that they recognize that something might be a mistake. And Lord knows there could be a few in this lineup that they haven’t taken care of yet. And you do something to take care of the mistake. They then unload people and try to get something back, or maybe just better not having them around.”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah, it’s just something a couple of people told me they’ve heard Desharnais’ name out there. Wouldn’t surprise me, because the history we just talked about this regime, and sometimes they make mistakes and they rectify them. It wouldn’t surprise me.
The other thing is, Don, it’s going to be tough to move him. And why is it going to be tough to move them, Don?”
Taylor: “Well, hasn’t played that well.”
Dhaliwal: “He hasn’t played that well, but he’s got term. If it was …”
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Taylor: “Two years.”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah, two years.”
Taylor: “Or less than two years.”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah, okay, but hold for the second. If it was a one-year deal and you’re trying to move them, it’s a lot easier. But when you adding term to a guy, that makes it tougher.
So we’ll see what happens out there. We’ll see what happens there.”
Taylor: “I would imagine they just don’t like him with the puck.”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah. Again, he’s a late bloomer. You love the size. I understand…”
Taylor: “Apparently he hasn’t bloomed.”
Dhaliwal: “Well, you understand why they got, got him, him and Forbort. They lost, you know who they lost, Don. You know who they lost. Zadorov and Cole. They lost a lot of size. So the thinking was, let’s get the size back. I get it.
He’s a bit of a late bloomer. He’s got size puck skills.”
Taylor: “Right-handed.”
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Dhaliwal: “Yeah, right. What a great point. Another right, right-handed, big guy. But sometimes, it hasn’t worked out. You can’t say it has, he’s been healthy scratch too much. His last game Don, 12 minutes. Nothing against Mark Friedman but Mark Friedman played more than he did, and Mark Friedman’s an American Hockey League guy.”
