Saturday, October 04, 2008

McIver lost on waivers, Cowan also waived

The Vancouver Canucks depth on defense took a bit of a hit today as Nathan McIver has been claimed by the Anaheim Ducks. McIver was a decent option as a callup to fill in at the #7 hole, but let's face it, the chances of him having a career as a regular NHL defenseman aren't that great. If everything goes well for McIver he could be a decent bottom pairing defenseman who adds toughness to the lineup. It's unfortunate that the Canucks had to lose him for nothing, but in the end it's not going to have any affect on the outcome of the season.

Meanwhile, Jeff Cowan's quest to make the team is over as he has been placed on waivers. Cowan simply hasn't been the same player as the one who earned the knickname "Brabarian." Last season he struggled through injuries and was asked to play the role of enforcer something for which he wasn't well suited. The jump in his skating was noticeably absent and because of it, he was not effective. The Canucks gave him a fair opportunity in the pre-season, but he was never able to show that he could do any one thing better than those competing for his job.

In other waiver news, both Nolan Baumgartner and Zack Fitzgerald have cleared waivers. They have been assigned to the Manitoba Moose.

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