Team Russia's Sergei Shirokov shows his disappointment after losing the gold medall match 5-0 to Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Vancouver, B.C. Thursday Jan.5, 2006.CHUCK STOODY
The Vancouver Canucks will have both Chris Tanev and Sergei Shirokov in the lineup Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche, a rare opportunity to cast an eye toward the future and what the NHL team might look like when the Mike Gillis era finally starts delivering prospects.
Tanev is replacing Andrew Alberts and Aaron Rome, who have rotated as the sixth defenceman before going down with injuries in the past week, while Shirokov takes Alexandre Bolduc's roster spot and is expected to skate on the second line with Ryan Kesler.
"It provides us with an opportunity to see how our drafting, how our development program, and how our minor-league team are operating," Canucks assistant general manager Laurence Gilman said when asked about two prospects making their season debuts in the same game.
When he took over as general manager almost three years ago, Gillis stressed the importance of keeping draft picks and developing young players. He repeated that again at training camp this season, but his regime has nearly been shutout when it comes to integrating prospects. The lone exception is fourth-line winger Aaron Volpatti, a college free agent who is beginning to realize a regular shift, albeit with upside limited to a bottom-six forward.
"We should be beginning to realize the fruits from our specific drafts," Gilman said. "It's an evaluation process, and three years in, the jury is still out. … We're still looking for a player we drafted to come in and have an impact."
Neither Tanev, 21, nor Shirokov, 24, were drafted by the current management group, but both are staring at big windows of opportunity. The players they are replacing are more than day-to-day, meaning they should receive extended trials for regular duty.
"I'm going to try and prove that I can play at this level," Tanev said from Denver. "I don't know if it's easier because I have a few games. I'll get the first one under my belt and see where it goes."
Shirokov was drafted by the Dave Nonis regime, but it was Gillis's team that convinced him to spurn Continental Hockey League riches and see if he could play in the NHL. Nearly 18 months into his North American tenure, the Russian winger is set to receive his second NHL audition, after making the team and lasting just six games coming out of camp last year.
If he doesn't stick this time, than one wonders whether the KHL will start looking more appealing. And if he is here to stay, then the Canucks suddenly have more options - say wingers Mikael Samuelsson and Raffi Torres - when it comes time to shed salary and make cap room for injured defenceman Sami Salo.
Gillis has most certainly boosted the number of prospects in the Canucks system, which had been laid barren by several trades designed to produce long postseason runs. Three Swedes - goaltender Eddie Lack, defenceman Peter Andersson and winger Anton Rodin - are making good progress, as are defenceman Yann Sauvé and Kevin Connauton with the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose.
But the two jewels in the crown - first-round selections Cody Hodgson and Jordan Schroeder - have been slower to develop.
In Hodgson's case, the former top prospect is snake bit. He's on the verge of returning from a broken orbital bone, suffered on Dec. 9 when a teammate accidentally struck him with a high stick in practice. That came on the heels of a troublesome back injury, which cost the former Canadian junior 18 months. If not for the injuries, Hodgson might be an NHL player by now.
Schroeder, meanwhile, has had a slow adjustment to pro hockey after two years at the University of Minnesota. He has been shelved with a high ankle sprain, but is nearing a return. It would come as a surprise to see him in the NHL this season.