LYLE STAFFORD
The Vancouver Canucks will announce their regular-season roster by Wednesday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, and they're bound to be tight to the NHL's $59.4-million (all currencies U.S.) spending limit.
The Canucks have kept some young, cheap players - forwards Alexandre Bolduc and Guillaume Desbiens - over pricier veterans such as Shane O'Brien, traded to Nashville on Tuesday, and enforcer Darcy Hordichuk, who was dispatched to the minors earlier this week and subsequently traded to the Florida Panthers Wednesday for tough guy Andrew Peters.
The Canucks must also sign winger Peter Schaefer, who attended camp on a professional tryout and appears to have made the team after the demotion of winger Jeff Tambellini to the AHL's Manitoba Moose. Schaefer's lack of leverage means he is likely to settle for a two-way deal close to the minimum NHL salary.
Andrew Alberts will start as the sixth defenceman, while Aaron Rome appears to be the first substitute on the blue-line. Ryan Parent, a former first-round pick acquired from the Predators, is also not too far away.
The Canucks will do some maneuvering Wednesday to be cap compliant. It is expected that Bolduc, Desbiens and backup goalie Cory Schneider will be temporarily sent to Manitoba before being recalled for Saturday's season opener against the Los Angeles Kings.
It appears that top prospect Cody Hodgson will eventually wind up in Winnipeg, while defenceman Sami Salo (heel) and winger Alex Burrows (shoulder) are headed to the long-term injury list.