Mike Gillis and The Myth of Success

The roster move to send down Jordan Schroeder from the Vancouver Canucks back to the AHL looks to be a rather innocuous move. After all it’s the final cut of a training-camp in a lockout shortened season. It’s easy for a simple move like that to get lost in the shuffle. But what does Jordan Schroeder not making this team in his 4^th professional season mean for the Vancouver Canucks?

Bik's Divisional Round Picks: Welcome Back

Let’s hail the Johnny Come Lately’s that are the NHL and NHLPA.

Sure it was only 113 days after the previous CBA expired that they managed to agree to a new one to get the 2012-2013 season underway, but better late than never. And why wouldn’t you announce the new deal on a Sunday morning when everyone is either asleep or getting ready for the opening week of NFL Playoff Football. NHL – you always entertain me.

Now of course even better than that is the league holding off on releasing a schedule and actually starting the schedule on the same weekend the NFL is in its Conference Championships Games. Thumbs up.

But I’m not going to pretend that I won’t watch. Call me a hypocrite or whatever. I love the game too much to not get sucked into debates about which center the Canucks should use in neutral-zone 2^nd period face-offs on the left boards. It’s going to happen. But like many friends I’ve spoken to about the NHL returning, I’m adhering to a cool principle. “I’ll watch – but I won’t pay.” Works for me.

So while the NHL makes dubiously entertaining decision after dubiously entertaining decision... here are 10 things that you can get excited about for the upcoming season.