Injuries, Jerseys and More

Bieksa Out With Fractured Foot

The inevitable finally hit the Canucks blueline as both Sami Salo and Kevin Bieksa are now injured. Bieksa is out with a fractured foot which is listed as 2-4 weeks. Meanwhile Salo is out with a shoulder injury, the Canucks as usual aren't saying much about the severity. The good news is that Salo did practice today, so hopefully his shoulder injury is minor.

The loss of Bieksa, who was playing his best hockey since the '06-'07 campaign, is going to hurt. Paired with Willie Mitchell, Bieksa is tied for 3rd in team scoring with 11pts and is a plus 5 (the duo has only been on the ice for 2 even strength goals against all season!). Bieksa could miss anywhere from 7 to 13 or more games, which include a big home and home set with the Flames and two games against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Lawrence Nycholat is back from his conditioning stint, it could be him or Rob Davison stepping in for Bieksa. Nycholat had 3 assists in his short 3 game stint with the Moose. In his 3 games with the Canucks Nycholat hasn't impressed. A minus 3 with no points, Nycholat managed only 6 minutes in 9 shifts during his last game against Columbus, clearly not earning much confidence from the coaching staff. Davison meanwhile hasn't played since October 25th and has only played twice all season, but he did look pretty solid in the pre-season. My guess is that Nycholat will draw in against the Leafs and Davison will see time against the bigger more physical teams.

Canucks New Third Jersey Unveiled

The Vancouver Canucks unveiled their new third jerseys last night.

I'll give this one a big "MEH". Safe, essentially the same as the vintage jersey, what's the point. There's nothing really wrong with the jersey (except maybe the cartoonish stick), but I see this as a wasted opportunity. There are numerous fan concepts that are much better than this jersey. Here's my favourite, a re-working of the Vancouver Millionaires concept...

There's also the "real Johnny Canuck" (not the cartoon lumberjack) WWI aviator concept logo...

The new third jersey isn't a disaster, just a wasted opportunity.

Random Notes

• Pavol Demitra will be back in the lineup on Saturday against the Leafs. With Demitra back in the lineup Steve Bernier has been dropped down to the 4th line in practice this week, although he is still on out on a PP unit. Demitra is skating with Wellwood and Pyatt.
• Speaking of the 4th line, Mike Brown has been a complete waste of a roster space this season. He was terrible against the Avalanche, failing to get the puck out of the zone on numerous occasions.
• Here's a nice article on Jannik Hansen
• Mattias Ohlund had an awful game against the Avalanche, like Brown he also couldn't get the puck out of the zone and he took a delay of game penalty. He also had six of his shots blocked (most on the power play).
• Taylor Pyatt continues to look much better than he did for most of October.
• Finally, don't forget that the Saturday game starts at 4:00pm local time, because we all know the Leafs absolutely have to play during primetime on Hockey Night in Canada. At least we'll get the "A" broadcast crew in Hughson and Simpson.