Do the Vancouver Canucks Really Need a Broken Peter Forsberg?

Written by: Larry "The Nucks IceMan" Johnson

The Sunday Province newspaper headline read “A Healthy Forsberg would be a Force.”

Haven’t we gone down this road before in one Mats Sundin? What’s with this management anyways?

An out of shape, never could get into shape, slow footed, Mats Sundin gets courted in July, finally signs in December, and spends the rest of the year and playoffs helping the Canucks...how?

Now GM Mike Gillis and the powers that be are interested in Peter Forsberg, who has had more operations than Sami Salo. Just how long, if he can ever get back up to speed, no pun intended, would he remain healthy before that ankle or foot gives way or something else on that beat up frame breaks down?

So what has “Peter the Great” done lately? Well at the Karjala Cup tournament in Sweden, he had little impact, one point in three games. In the last two seasons with MoDo, of the Swedish Elite League, he played in just SIX games.

Prior to that he played in NINE games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2007-'08.

EIGHTEEN games in two-plus years and he’s going to get up to speed in today’s blinding pace? Let’s see, he says he’s not ready now.

So does that mean he’ll be ready by Christmas, or maybe later? Are the Canucks supposed to start making allowances within their cap space and contemplate which players will be placed on waivers?

Where are the Canucks supposed to find cap room without lopping off two or three players, and how is that going to impact the team? Never mind about that, how much do you think it’s going to cost the team if Sundin got close to $10 million?

I’m not suggesting anywhere near that figure, but $2-3 million for the remainder of the season would not be a stretch.

Does anyone remember what Gillis told Sundin when he, too, was uncommitted about rejoining the Canucks? He said if Sundin is not there by the time training camp starts, then the Canucks would move on.

Taking on players in the middle of the season sets a bad precedent, not only for the Canucks, but for the league as a whole.

Let Forsberg try out for someone else. We have enough injured players without adding any more.

www.nucksiceman.com