Blast from the Past: Could Peter Schaefer and Brendan Morrison Be Canucks Again?

Turning back the clock, GM Mike Gillis has invited former Canucks' Peter Schaefer and Brendan Morrison to training camp (If only Matte Cooke wasn't signed with the Penguins, we could recreate the Schaefer/Morrison/Cooke third line from the 2000-2001 edition of the Canucks). The two former Canucks are in camp to try and win a contract, so at least Gillis hasn't gone the route of Calgary GM Darryl Sutter and signed them to multi-year deals ahead of camp.

With the tryout process, the Canucks have nothing to lose. Worst case scenario is that Morrison and Schaefer are too old and slow and get a little embarrassed. Best case scenario, they play like they have something to prove still and make the team, signing a bargain contract.

A more likely scenario is that they compete for spots with the youngsters and improve the level of competition. But with the depth of the Canucks, it will be hard to win a roster spot. However, like Dave Scatchard last year, showcasing their skills with the Canucks could lead to a contract elsewhere.

Last year, Scatchard, another former Canuck, came to camp on a tryout and competed hard but couldn't win a roster spot. Mike Gillis then called around the league to other GMs to vouch for Scatchard's health and competency, and he ended up getting a deal with Nashville. I'd imagine that Gillis would do the same for Schaefer and Morrison this year if things don't work out with the Canucks.

Gillis going out of his way to offer tryout contracts and help players he probably isn't going to sign is just another little thing that the Canucks GM, a former player agent, does to make Vancouver a desired destination for players.

As for Schaefer and Morrison, where would they theoretically fit in the Canucks 2010-2011 roster?

Schaefer, a 6'0" 190 pound left winger, is capable of playing a third or fourth line role and is a dependable penalty killer. However, he hasn't played in the NHL for two years, so I wouldn't expect him to seriously challenge for a roster spot. That being said, he must be in decent shape, or Gillis wouldn't have invited him to camp.

The 33-year-old also has some NHL playoff experience (63 games), going as far as the Stanley Cup finals with the Ottawa Senators. There aren't many Canucks that can even say they have been to a Conference Final, let alone a Stanley Cup Final, so that may count in his favor as well (For the record,  Mikael Samuelsson with Detroit, Manny Malhotra with San Jose, and Raffi Torres with Edmonton would be the only other Canucks forwards to ever make it past the second round of the playoffs. Sad, isn't it).

Schaefer doesn't necessarily have the size that Mike Gillis is looking to add to the bottom six forwards, but he is a gritty player and his experience might help him prevail over younger and bigger competition.

Morrison is a bit of more intriguing player for the Canucks. Earlier in the summer I predicted Morrison would be in the Canucks camp on a tryout, as the BC native was skating with the Canucks vets earlier in the summer.

A shifty skilled player, he played for the Canucks as recently as the 2007-2008 season and played last year with the Washington Capitals. For the Capitals, Morrison scored 12 goals and recorded 30 assists for 42 points in 74 games. He also had 33 hits, 31 blocked shots, and a 51.2% faceoff percentage.

Morrison can still put up points, but barring injuries, he wouldn't be playing on a top six line for the Canucks as he was for the Capitals, so don't expect the same level of production. That being said, having a Torres/Morrison/Malhotra third line would give the Canucks some offensive punch along with players that could be promoted to fill injuries if any of the top six forwards are injured.

Morrison is dependable defensively, albeit not physical, and is a good penalty killer. Perhaps more importantly, he is good at shootouts, and that is an area the Canucks are traditionally weak at, especially with the departure of Kyle Wellwood.

All in all, expect to see Schaefer and Morrison compete hard for spots, but it is doubtful they would be able to overcome both the rookies (Cody Hodgson, Jordan Schroeder, Sergei Shirokov) and younger NHL players (Victor Oreskovich, Joel Perrault, Jeff Tambellini) competing for the few roster spots available on the Canucks. Still, having these vets in camp competing will make the other players try harder as well, and gives the Canucks a bit of insurance just in case the unexpected happens.

*Now if Mike Gillis could just get Jason King back in Vancouver on a tryout, that could solve the problem of who would play with the Sedins while Alex Burrows is injured.