Sekeres and Price: Rick Dhaliwal on the Vancouver Canucks forward Tanner Pearson, defenseman Tucker Poolman, their abundance of wingers and their need to get salary cap compliant before the season starts.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Jeff Patterson: “So they have to be cap compliant on opening night and there are still some mechanisms in place but a lot of people Rick think, oh, they’ll just apply LTIR and that will get them down to a number that will allow them to be cap compliant.
Last we heard, Tanner Pearson, I mean the updates were positive from Patrik Allvin, the suggestion that he was going to show up on their doorstep at training camp as a player.
And yet you think all that he went through last year and hasn’t played a game since November. Have you heard anything here in the last little while about Tanner Pearson.”
Dhaliwal: “So yes, I’m glad you brought him up. When the Canucks announced in early June that Tanner Pearson was going to be ready for camp, I’m not going to lie to you, not everyone was buying it, including myself.
Darren Dreger told you guys the same thing. I was hearing the same as Dreger that, ‘hey, hold on a second.’
But I checked in on Pearson this week, he is now feeling good. He is now skating and working out and getting ready for camp. That’s good news.
All just leave it at this, a month ago, I wasn’t super, super hearing, you know, he’s, let’s go to camp. But I checked in on Pearson this week, I certainly feel more optimistic this week that he’s heading in the right direction.
So, but, my thing with you guys on Pearson and (Ilya) Mikheyev, they were both not in the lineup in the last game regular season. You have got to make room for these two. So how do they fit on the roster.
Here’s the other problem I got guys. The Canucks have so many wingers and they got to make room for (Vasili) Podkolzin and (Nils) Hoglander too. They’ve got to become everyday players. They got to stop being healthy scratches. Stop going to the farm. It’s time for Podkolzin and Hoglander to take the next step.
But think about it. If you insert Pearson, Mikheyev, Hoglander and Podkolzin on opening night, who’s going out? How are you making room.”
Blake Price: “Room cap wise and room just lineup wise as well too. Two different issues.”
Dhaliwal: “I do think that Tucker Poolman is your LTIR candidate. Last I heard on Tucker Poolman, you know, it’s not looking good. But he keeps continuing to fight the fight. He doesn’t want to retire. I feel for the guy.
He’s a guy that’s seen a million doctors and a million opinions and all that stuff but that to me is your LTIR candidate.”
Price: “That’s not going to be enough Rick. They’re going to need more than that.”
Dhaliwal: “But he’s not turning the corner in terms of positivity about his situation.
So I understand but at least that’s looking like your LTIR candidate. But I’m just saying to guys, how are you going to get all these guys in the lineup. They’ve got an abundance of wingers. I mean they got to do something here.”
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