Gillis Bolsters Blueline

Christian Erhoff

For days Canucks fans had been hearing of the impending signing of free agent defenseman, Mathieu Schneider. However no one saw the trade with the San Jose Sharks that saw offensive defenseman Christian Erhoff and veteran Brad Lukowich join the back end coming. Even better, was the fact that Gillis was able to make the upgrade without giving up a player off of his current roster, sending prospects Patrick White and Daniel Rahimi to the Sharks.

In one day you would have to say that GM Mike Gillis significantly improved the depth on defense for his hockey club, and perhaps set the stage for more moves in the near future.

“We are pleased to be adding Christian and Brad to our defensive group,” said Gillis. “Defence has been an area we wanted to add skill and depth to and this trade has strengthened our group considerably. We would like to thank both Daniel and Patrick for their commitment and efforts with our organization and we wish them both well in their careers.”

Last season, when Sami Salo was injured the Canucks breakout game and the power play suffered. With the addition of Erhoff and Schneider, this should no longer be an issue. Erhoff racked up 42 points for the Sharks last season, while Schneider split his time between Altanta and Montreal, playing in 65 games and compiling 32 games, 17 of them in the 23 games he played with the Habs. Schneider underwent off-season shoulder surgery that requires at least 4 months of rehab. The team stated yesterday that Schneider has made good progress and team doctors are confident the rehab is on schedule, but that Schneider may be held out of exhibition games and may not be ready to start of the season.

Lukowich adds experience and a steady influence on the blue line and should help make up some of the void defensively that was left when Mattias Ohlund left as a free agent earlier this summer. He could also be a casualty and a candidate for Manitoba if training camp battles prove to be tight. Regardless his experience and leadership should prove to be an asset for the team.

The moves have left the Canucks right up against or over the salary cap depending on who you ask. It doesn’t really matter for the time being, as the cap will be determined once the roster is finalized, but it would appear something has to give. The pending rumoured extension of Roberto Luongo will make things a little tighter as well, and the team still needs to add another forward to the mix, and has the contract of forward Ryan Kesler to consider in the near future.

To be sure, Gillis probably isn’t done yet. The deal yesterday came out of the blue, and most are considering it a steal for the Canucks. It will be interesting to see what Gillis has left in his bag of tricks as training camp approaches, and the cap space getting tight.