The Canucks acquired left wing David Booth, center Steven Reinprecht, and a third-round draft pick in 2013 from the Florida Panthers in exchange for veteran forwards Marco Sturm and Mikhael Samuelsson.
"It's an opportunity to have a top-six forward and a left winger to play with Ryan Kesler, Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said of Booth, picked 53rd overall in 2004.
In my opinion, he has the agility of a top forward in the NHL. Last season, he played in all 82 games for the Panthers, for the first time in his career. He scored 23 goals and 17 assists last season and so far has one assist in six games and no goals. Certainly it's not there yet but with the Canucks, I think he'll get over that hump and help this Canucks team get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Gillis had been talking about this deal for several months, saying that he wasn't worried about Booth's previous injuries, which included two previous concussions. Let's hope Booth doesn't get that injured this season and hopes he is able to help out this team in a major, major way.
As for Reinprecht, I have very little information about him, although he was great with Florida the last few seasons and then was all right before that in Phoenix. I don't know how Reinprecht helped this season, which is why it might one of several reasons that they demoted him to Chicago of the American Hockey League. Another reason is that his salary will be sent there, where it doesn't count in the NHL salary cap.
The Canucks seem to be on the right track, but it's the Panthers that are looking for answers. Even though they are 5-3-0 with 10 points, they are still having question marks at a lot of their positions. They get Marco Sturm and Mikael Samuelsson from the Canucks in an attempt to bolster their team, but here's the case.
This is Sturm's fifth team in three seasons. He had two knee surgeries over the span of three years, which has dramatically decreased his play.
Samuelsson is coming off abdominal surgery and his performance has dipped so far this season. He did win a cup with Detroit with 2008 and has had back-to-back 50-point seasons. Canucks coach Alain Vigneault sat him several times for what he called "stiffness." But GM Dale Tallon isn't worried about these veteran forwards.
"They're two useful NHL top-notch people that can play," Tallon said.
So the question I posed at the top is: Who won this trade? Did the Canucks add a sweet deal? Or did the Panthers get the guys they wanted? The answer is: The Canucks. My team to win the Stanley Cup this year just got better with adding a forward that can score on the ice. David Booth is what the Canucks were looking for, and it seems that with all the injuries surrounding the two players they traded to Florida, they needed someone who was as tough as they come and able to make plays on the ice for the good of his team. Honestly, David Booth brings all that to the Canucks and with his size and speed and his abilities, he could be a valuable player come playoff time. Sorry, Panthers fans, but Sturm and Samuelsson are coming off surgeries and plenty of injuries and it'll take some time before they're back on the time. Plus, the Panthers have a tough schedule coming ahead with Buffalo, Chicago, and Tampa Bay coming up.
It's a trade and the hockey season goes on. The Canucks have their man and it will definitely pay off. The Panthers will still have more questions and it'll only be a matter of time before we really find out how well these players adapt to their new teams. Enjoy it, fans!
To show you how good David Booth is, here's a clip of his hat trick from November 9, 2008 against the Ducks. It might have been three years ago, but he's still on a roll.
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