As expected the Canucks announced their roster cuts today following their weekend in California.
Seven players are packing their bags for Manitoba...
- F Michael Grabner
- F Jason Jaffray (Must Clear Waivers)
- F Dan Gendur
- F Pierre-Cedric Labrie
- D Daniel Rahimi (Did not see any pre-season action)
- D James Sharrow (Must Clear Waivers)
- F Mark Cullen (Must Clear Waivers)
No real surprises among the group, the only two players who had any kind of chance of making the team were Grabner and Jaffray.
As noted in yesterday's Pre-Season Power Rankings Grabner simply wasn't doing anything to warrant much more of a look. Considering how the Canucks need offense some might be pretty dissapointed in Grabner, but realisticly he only has one pro season under his belt and simply isn't ready for the NHL. He needs to get a full season in the AHL and show that he can both produce consistent offense and improve his game away from the puck.
Jason Jaffray didn't have much of a chance considering the additions of Wellwood and Krog. He had a decent pre-season, but at 27 years old he is no longer a prospect. He should have a good year with the Moose, as he definately has enough talent to produce in the AHL, and may even get the odd callup to the Canucks should injuries become a problem. Jaffray is a nice depth player to have in the organization, but his chances of being an NHL regular are slim to none.
In other news... Alain Vignault had good things to say about Kyle Wellwood meeting his fitness goals: "He has made unbelivable strides and I think a lot of credit goes to him and his commitment to getting to where he needs to be"
The Canucks have three more pre-season games beginning at home against Calgary on Wednesday (Televised on TSN). Expect another round of cuts after the game as the Canucks are currently carrying 11 extra players and will likely want to have most of their 23 man roster suited up in the final two pre-season games.
It's going to be an interesting week...
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