Spitballin’ (or Super Pass It To Bulis: All In, if you love adventurous acronymizing) is a feature that allows us to touch on a multitude of things really fast, because in the world of hockey, there are always lots of things to find and colour. Here are a few quick topics.
Brandon Prust clears waivers
The Canucks came out of the All-Star break with one of those good problems, as Henrik Sedin and Dan Hamhuis circled a clean bill of health. Suddenly, Vancouver had too many guys.
They solved the problem, in part, by waiving Brandon Prust and bringing the doomsday prophecies surrounding his tenure with the Canucks to fruition. (One of the local columnists -- I don't remember who -- suggested weeks ago that Prust had played his last game with the team. How right he was.) As with Chris Higgins, the explanation offered to fans was that the team wanted to get younger.
Prust has since cleared waivers and been assigned to the AHL's Utica Comets.
He still might get moved, especially as the trade deadline approaches and the value of Prust's age and playoff experience increases, but as it stands, he doesn't have much value. Winging it In Motown makes that very clear in this blog post, which examines whether or not the Red Wings should claim him.
Jake Virtanen gets it
One of the reasons the Canucks were able to waive Prust is because Jake Virtanen rendered him superfluous. Virtanen has been excellent since returning from the World Juniors. It's like night and day. Something clicked for him, clearly, and it's been a delight to watch.
It's about the same thing we saw out of Bo Horvat around this time last season, or Sven Baertschi about a month ago. Sometimes, a guy just gets it, and now that it appears Virtanen has, one assumes the chatter about the Canucks sending him back to junior at any point will fade away.
But it's not just about Virtanen's individual play. He's also making his linemates better. From Jason Botchford:
As a note of reference, Dorsett has a shot-attempt differential of 59 per cent playing on the same line as Virtanen, and 45.8 per cent when he’s not.
By the way, Dorsett is at 45.8 per cent when playing with Prust, so this could be one of the best trading-up moments of his career.
This, too, can only help Virtanen. Considering Willie Desjardins' deep, deep fondness for Dorsett, developing chemistry with him is probably a pretty good way to keep one's job in this city.
Higgins and Prust still have value
Don't write either winger off just yet. Higgins and Prust are 32 and 31, respectively. They've still got plenty of hockey left in them, and if they can prove it in the next month, they could be very attractive, affordable additions for some playoff-minded clubs. Both have postseason experience. Prust has been to two Eastern Conference Finals. Higgins played in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. And both are known for their defensive game.
The problem, for both, is footspeed, but it's important to note that the apparent loss of quickness is due in large part to injuries from which they're still recovering. If they can rediscover their legs over the next month and show even a little bit of the hustle they lacked prior to their demotions, both Prust and Higgins can expect to land elsewhere at the trade deadline.
It's time to pump you up
It's been a while since we featured a good pump-up video here on the blog, so let's get right on that. Here's the latest one from Tanbir Rana, set to Lorde's atmospheric and moody cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
I'll admit to being a skosh more pumped-up than I was at the beginning. Well done, Tanbir. Oh, and if you're taking requests, set the next one to Zapp's Funky Bounce. I've said it a million times, but hockey needs more of the funk. You could make this happen, Tanbir. You could change the world.
Shawn Antoski steps out of the shadows
Hey, do you remember Shawn Antoski? The big left-winger was a Canucks' first round draft pick, selected 18th overall in 1990. (FYI: The picks immediately following Antoski: Keith Tkachuk and Martin Brodeur. Good scouting, Vancouver.) Antoski played 70 of his 183 NHL games with the Canucks, and was a member of their crash-and-bang fourth line during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1994.
What's Antoski up to now? According to a Belleville News article posted to the Canucks' subreddit, "as a survivor of crushing depression, he is now dedicated to helping others get help before they fall over the brink into a suicidal state."
In the article, Antoski discusses retreating into solitude, and trying to overcome the depression alone. It didn't work. But eventually, he found support in supporting others. From Inside Belleville:
“I became ultra-sensitive to people in struggle,” he said and he went public with his story. He started a foundation called Fear Nothing, and started finding out the effect of deep depression both on sufferers and on those close to them.
“It was connecting with that that saved my life ultimately,” Antoski said.
You should probably just read the whole article.
