Today, thoughts on four topics worthy of the attention of B.C. sports fans.
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There has been a lot of speculation about the Vancouver Canucks and potential unrestricted free agents Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.
According to Hockey Night In Canada’s Elliotte Friedman, Lindholm’s camp rejected an offer from the Canucks that was in the seven-year, $50 million range, and as a result, it appears that Lindholm will test the free agent waters on July 1.
As for Zadorov, his performance in the playoffs clearly boosted his value to the point where he too will walk come July 1. His camp apparently turned down a deal in the $4.5 million range.
Dakota Joshua is another UFA whose asking price will start at $3 million per season, and if he hits the open market there will be no shortage of suitors for his services.
Teddy Blueger is also a UFA, but as much as the Canucks would like to have him back, he’s not exactly a priority right now.
Then there is Filip Hronek, an RFA who wants compensation starting in the $8 million per range with the Canucks reportedly offering $6.5 million.
Hronek will reject the Canucks qualifying offer and go to arbitration. If that happens, reports indicate Hronek will get somewhere in the neighborhood of $7.5 million. At that number, the Canucks may decide to move on and trade Hronek.
With Ian Cole, Sam Lafferty and Casey DeSmith also leaving, the Canucks will have some money to play with to fill those holes.
As for potential replacements, Surrey’s Brenden Dillon would love to come home.
The 33-year-old defenceman has spent the last three seasons with the Winnipeg Jets on a deal that averaged $3.9 million per year. He could easily replace some of the grit and toughness of Zadorov at a cheaper price.
And given the Canucks organization’s history with him, Jake Guentzel would in all likelihood be a priority target for the team.
His asking price would start at $9 million per year but with Lindholm and Zadorov off the books, the Canucks could go after a big ticket.
The bottom line is that next year’s Canuck team could be a very different one compared to the one that finished the season.
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The B.C. Lions play host to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at BC Place and the game will tell a lot in terms of where this team is in regards to its offensive line.
Many felt that the unit needed improvement after the 2023 season but the organization did not address the need in CFL free agency, believing it was cost-prohibitive and that improvement could come from within.
After one game — and it is just one game — the results have not been encouraging as the Lions gave up six sacks during the 35-27 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in the team’s season opener.
The Argos do have a good front, but the Lions need to be better if they want to achieve their goal of winning a Grey Cup.
The Lions have changed some personnel for the Calgary game and will now be starting three Americans as Chris Schleuger replaces David Knevel while a back injury to center Michael Couture means that third-year pro Tyler Packer gets his first CFL start versus the Stamps.
Hopefully the changes solidify the unit.
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The hatred and vitriol between Canuck and Oiler X factions reached epic proportions to the point where Sportsnet analyst Luke Gazdic lost his head and not only ripped Canuck Nation but the team itself in a podcast rant that didn’t make him look good.
You can understand Gazdic’s frustration but when you get in the media business, you have to learn how to ignore the haters.
Gazdic did the opposite and gave them oxygen, which is a bad mistake.
Canuck fans got the last laugh as the Oilers are on their way to getting ‘dusted’ by the Florida Panthers, who won Thursday night in Edmonton 4-3 and now lead the Stanley Cup Finals three-games-to-none.
The bottom line is that it’s just a game.
X is a platform where cowards can say anything they want and hide behind some made up handle.
It’s a cesspool that needs to be cleaned up and the easiest way to do that is to IDENTIFY everyone by name.
It would be amazing to see how quickly some of these cowards would disappear if that were the case.
As far as this whole Edmonton-versus-Vancouver thing, we live in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet.
Have you ever been to Edmonton?
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We decided to end this column on a positive note.
I had the honor of helping out at TeamUp’s golf tournament at Swaneset Bay Resort and Country Club this past Wednesday and the event was a success raising over $100,000 for the foundation.
TeamUp was founded by Graham Roxburgh and is a foundation that believes in creating opportunities for kids and communities through sport.
The foundation introduces sport to young children and provides them with guidance and structure that they might not have. Roxburgh usually partners with university athletes or teams that go around the world and change the lives of children.
Whether it’s the women’s soccer team from McGill University travelling to Paraguay or the men’s volleyball players from Brandon University and Trinity Western helping out in Uganda, Roxburgh’s foundation is making an impact as it partners with local groups in those countries to make a difference.
TeamUp is also helping children locally. Edmonds Community School in Burnaby has 150 kids from 60 different countries attending but it’s a TeamUp initiative that will bring them together this summer.
For more info, check out the website teamup.world.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob “the Moj” Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.
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