by Monte StewartFiled under: Canucks
The Peter Schaefer experiment is over.The Vancouver Canucks suspended the 33-year-old left winger Wednesday after he cleared NHL waivers and refused to report to their Manitoba farm team. He is now slated to go through waivers again before the Canucks release him outright.
Schaefer's agent Ross Gurney told the Vancouver Province that Schaefer's departure does not signify a failure. Still collecting $600,000 from the Boston Bruins after they bought out his contract two seasons ago, Schaefer opted to stay home in West Vancouver as his wife gets ready to deliver their second child in December.
"Peter can do whatever he wants to," Gurney told the Province, denying that his personal situation factored into his decision not to go to the minors. "That's the great thing about these athletes with some level of financial security. There is ample opportunity in Europe for him, and we'll see if and when he chooses to do that."
But his demotion spells a lost gamble for Canucks management. General manager Mike Gillis opted to sign Schaefer - after he spent last season out of hockey completely - over fan favourite Brendan Morrison. Both had played for the Canucks previously and were attempting to earn a second tour of duty at a drastically-reduced salary that helped Vancouver manage its payroll cap.
Morrison had a decent exhibition season, but his big mistake was telling reporters, including yours truly, on the first day of training camp that he would not accept a demotion to Manitoba if such a scenario transpired. Schaefer, on the other hand, gave the impression that he would gladly go to the minors - but now he is not.
Morrison had more offensive upside, as demonstrated when he played on Vancouver's top line with Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi earlier this decade, and in 2009-10, when he toiled alongside Alex Ovechkin and company for a while. The 35-year-old Morrison was a good fit with the Canucks because he grew up in the Vancouver suburb of Pitt Meadows, B.C., knew the organization well and could be used as a centre or winger while playing both the power play and killing penalties.
But the Canucks opted to keep Schaefer, who was chosen by Vancouver in the third round of the 1995 entry draft and traded to Ottawa in 2002 for defenceman Sami Salo. Seeking more grit on their fourth line, the Canucks felt Schaefer would, in the words of Alain Vigneault, provide more "sandpaper."
Schaefer had only one goal and an assist, which came in his final game Sunday night in a 3-2 loss to Phoenix, in 16 games this season. The goal was a lucky one as he scored seconds after jumping off the bench for his only shift in the third period of an Oct. 26 victory over Colorado.
Vigneault then parked Schaefer on the bench and called for him to improve his play. But he did not. Meanwhile, Morrison signed with Calgary a day after his release from Vancouver and has accumulated 15 points in 20 games with a Flames team that has been terrible at times.
Now, Canucks players and management can only wonder what might have been as the Canucks' top six forwards, outside of the Sedin twins, struggle to produce points consistently.
NOTE: Schaefer's departure means Jeff Tambellini, called up earlier in the week, will likely stay in Vancouver for a while. He assisted on Ryan Kesler's winning goal in a 4-2 victory over Colorado on Wednesday.
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