Yes, this news is about a day old, but Sam Javir, aka samjam99 on Twitter tweeted this yesterday:

EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS on @NHLBeat: Roberto Luongo to the Maple Leafs a done deal…

and

A well-placed source told NHL Beat that a deal that would send Roberto Luongo to the Toronto Maple Leafs is "90% done", and will be completed by the draft, if not free agency.

It is unknown at the time what the Canucks would be receiving in return for the star goaltender, who has already publicly stated that he would be willing to waive his no-trade-clause.

Right away his creds were questioned and then shortly after given praise by guys like Thomas Drance for his accuracy. So, assuming Javir is correct, let's hear not only your reactions, but what kind of deal you would like to see Mike Gillis pull of with the Leafs.

Keep in mind that TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted today that if a collective bargaining agreement is in place, the max salary cap for teams should jump way up to $70.3 million. Cap Geek is already using this value.

Rosterbate away! Nazem Kadri, anyone?

Who made that image again? Stand up and be recognized. With the Canucks out there has been a lot of off topic conversations here. I'm just providing you a home!

Who Is This Guy?

David Booth

Position: LW

Shoots: Left

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 212 lbs.

Born: November 24, 1984 in Detroit, Michigan

Drafted: 2nd round, 53rd overall by the Florida Panthers in 2004

Acquired: On October 22, 2011, the Canucks traded Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Booth, Steve Reinprecht and a 3rd round pick in 2013.

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GAME TIME: 5:00 PST

TV: CBC, RDS, NBCSN

GAME PREVIEW: NHL.com

No hockey yesterday and with history repeating itself with a Rangers-Devils Game 6 in the semi-finals you just know that the media had a field day with this:

I remember watching it. I remember being blown away by what Messier did. Man, Patrick Elias was 18 years old when that happened and still playing in the Czech League.

But it's 2012. Screw Messier and the Rangers. LET'S GO DEVILS!

The wide-spread blame for the loss to Boston in the 2011 Finals. The emergence of Cory Schneider. Schneider finishing the series against the Kings. Luongo stating after the series that he would agree to waive his no trade clause if that was what was best for the team.

Then today, Alain Vigneault tells French TVA show Le Match:

"First of all, that is what he wants right now," Vigneault said. "What we need to do is what's best for our organization and our team. We have to look at what's best for our organization and Roberto."

GAME TIME: 5:00 PST

TV: CBC, NBCSN, RDS

GAME PREVIEW: NHL.com

OFF TOPIC: Jeff Angus talks about stud defenceman Justin Schultz and where he may end up. The Canucks are on the map here, FYI.

Let's Go Devils!

GAME TIME: 6:00 PST

TV: CBC, NBCSN, RDS

GAME PREVIEW: NHL.com

Obviously, the Kings have not lost 2 games in a row these playoffs. I expect a completely different effort / outcome from them in this one.

Off topic: A man called Horse put the Jackass guys to shame on America's Got Talent last night:

GAME TIME: 5:00 PST

TV: CBC, NBCSN, RDS

SBN BLOG BATTLE: Blueshirt Banter (Rangers) vs In Lou We Trust (Devils)

Some animosity happening in this series now after Brandon Prust did this to Anton Volchenkov in Game 3:

Prust received a 1 game suspension for that. John Torterella didn't like the suspension and Pete DeBoer called Torts' response "comical". Prust said he put his arms up to prevent himself from crashing into the boards. I say bull shit to that. Even if Prust wasn't lying I wouldn't care because...the Rangers are scum. Oh, and Stu Bickel will take Prust's spot in the lineup.

It appears DeBoer will scratch Petr Sykora for Game 4 and insert Jacob Josefson, which has the peeps at In Lou We Trust stoked. Josefson has a lot of potential, but his season was marred by injuries.

Zach Parise is a -4 in the series while Patrick Elias and Ilya Kovalchuk are each a -3.

Rangers' Chris Kreider leads all skaters with 3 goals and 1 assist in the series. Dan Girardi has 2 goals and 2 assists. The highest scoring Devil is Bryce Salvador, with 2 assists. Yeah...

Both Rangers' wins in this series have come via a shutout by Henrik Lundqvist.

Let's Go Devils!

I don't know how many of you saw Zdeno Chara do this on Sunday after the Russia-Slovak Gold Medal game had ended, Chara was wearing a #38 Demitra jersey post game and when he received the silver plate he looked up the the sky and pointed at his old buddy Demitra in salute. Demitra and his Yaroslavl teammates perished in a tragic plane crash last September. Miroslav Satan mentioned after the celebrations that the team had Pavol on their minds and that the silver medal "was for him."

Classy stuff by the Slovaks. You have to remember, Demitra is a hockey idol in Slovakia. Rest in peace, Pavol.

Russia vs Slovakia Gold Medal Game

TIME: 10:15 AM

TV: TSN

Usually I pay no attention to this event. But since my father-in-law is here, and he's straight out of St. Petersburg, Russia and is watching this competition, I will watch this game. Finally, he gets to watch it on my big screen TV on TSN as Canada is eliminated. So I am pulling for Russia, of course. They look absolutely dominant and are the favorites. Evgeni Malkin is smokin': 9 games played, 10 goals and 8 assists and a +14. Scoring leaders can be found here. Patrick Thoresen....WTF??? Malkin has been so dominant. He can do no wrong right now.

Coyotes vs Kings Game 4

Time: 12:00 PM PST

TV: CBC, NBC, RDS

3 goals in 3 games for the Coyotes against the Kings. Yeah, it's over. Maybe they squeak out a 1-0 or 2-0 game here to live another day but I seriously doubt it. Is the Kings' focus amazing or what? And their depth is speaking volumes. They are the youngest team still in the playoffs yet they play / act like seasoned vets. Dwight King has 4 goals in the 3 games in this series. Anze Kopitar has 2 goals and 2 assists as he continues to roll.

The Coyotes will get Martin Hanzal (suspension) and Adrian Aucoin (injury) back into their lineup.

PS: A big thanks to Kings fan (and photoshop wizard) ho5le for providing the following Looney Tunes image. Nice work!

PPS: For people living in the Pacific Time Zone, there will be a solar eclipse at around 5:20 PM. Hopefully your current weather conditions allow you to view this. Personally, I have only seen a lunar eclipse so...yeah I will be watching.

Game Time: 10:00 AM PST

TV: CBC, NBC, RDS

Game Preview: NHL.com

SBN Blog Battle: In Lou We Trust vs Blueshirt Banter.

Brandon Dubinsky practiced in no-contact fashion for the Rangers on Friday. He may almost be ready to play, which would be huge for the Rangers.

Isn't it great how Rangers coach John Torterella has no fear in benching Marian Gaborik? What cajones on that man! I wish the Canucks had a coach like that. Am I right? Discuss!

Anyways, I would love to see the Devils take control of this series over their next 2 home games. I mean..really...who wants to see the Rangers ever come within a sniff of the Stanley Cup ever again? Not this homeboy. May they rot in hell.

Devils are 4-1 in the playoffs at home this year. Make it count!

Got to give you kids a place to hang out. Please don't litter the Canucks Trade History post comments thread! Leave that one for hockey talk.

This is a re-post. Not much happening in Canuckville lately, except news that Kesler will be out for 6 months, Booth took some heat for his hunting methods, and that Vigneault will most likely be re-signed. So......

OK, I have compiled a list of the Canucks' transactions and many of their signing since their inception into the NHL in 1970. I used my old NHL Trades History site and ESPN for reference. Hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave any questions and corrections in the comments section.Please help me out and provide links to prove any corrections. Let's make this the best Canucks transaction history post out there to provide you the fans with the information to pull your hair out, get a good laugh, or even win $$$ in a bet with your buddy!

May 1970: To Toronto: Brad Selwood and Rene Robert (they had Robert when they were in the WHL)
To Vancouver (WHL): cash

June 1970: To Vancouver: Andre Boudrias
To St. Louis: cash

August 1970: To Vancouver (WHL): Andre Hinse
To Toronto: Pat Hannigan and Ted McCaskill

November 1970: Vancouver claimed Dan Seguin off waivers from Minnesota

December 1970: To St. Louis: John Arbour
To Vancouver: cash

February 1971: 9 - Seattle(WHL) traded Bobby Schmautz to Vancouver for Ed Hatoum and Jim Wiste.

June 1971: Vancouver received Fred Speck from Detroit in Intra-League draft.

Vancouver received Dennis Kearns from Chicago in Intra-League draft.

Vancouver traded Bob Dillbough and Irv Spencer to Detroit for John Cunniff and Gary Bredin.

September 1971: Vancouver signed Barry Wilcox as a FA.

Vancouver traded Rey Comeau to Montreal Canadiens for cash.

October 1971: Pittsburgh traded Bob Blackburn to Vancouver for cash.

November 1971: Vancouver signed Dave Dunn as a FA.

New York Rangers traded Wayne Connelly, Ron Stewart and

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GAME TIME: 5:00 PST

TV: CBC, RDS

GAME PREVIEW: NHL.com

Rangers' game plan: To put us and the Devils to sleep and win.

Devils' game plan: To put the Rangers to sleep and win.

This series sucks so far. Let's see some more emotion and shots and offense, OK? No? Cool, then I'll have no problem getting my afternoon nap in during the game. Or, you can talk about your favorite movie and video/computer game of all time. My fave flick remains Platoon because Oliver Stone hit the jackpot on that film with it's brutality and honesty. My fave game is Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. Anyone who disagrees with me is wrong.

Let's go DEVILS!

F---- you RANGERS !

Even though, let's face it, the Rangers are going to make short work of the Devils, am I right?

TIME: 6:00 PM PST

TV: TSN, RDS, NBCSN

GAME PREVIEW: NHL.COM

The Kings kicked the crap out of the Dogs in Game 1: 4-2 in the scoreboard and 48-27 on the shot clock. It was impressive to watch. Hell, even Dwight King made the normally composed Mike Smith come unglued minutes into the game. But these Kings, led by the Conn Smythe candidate Dustin Brown are the real deal. They have not lost a road game in these playoffs. The Coyotes need an opposite game to even match up with these guys. Like NHL.com points out, a big place for Phoenix to start would be on the power play, which is now 0-for-16. Oooo...I'm getting deja-vu.

Who Is This Guy?

Chris Higgins. The Professor. Kiss Huggins (no, no, no, no), Higgy. The guy who plays like he smoked a bowl of crack before game time. The fearless wonder. The forechecking wizard. My new favorite Canuck.

Position: Left Wing

Shoots: Left

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 203 pounds (or less, depending on staph infection)

Born: June 2, 1983 in Smithstown, New York

Drafted: 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2002 Entry Draft.

What Did He Do?

Did any Canucks player spend more combined time on the 2nd and 3rd lines than Chris Higgins? I doubt it. He's such a versatile player. He played a shut down role and contributed offensively. Whether he was on the AMEX Line or the HHH Line or the newer Hansen - Pahlsson - Higgins line he did his job and showed a lot of ambition at more times than probably any Canuck not named Jannik Hansen.

Putting his time on ice into perspective: Higgins averaged 13:24 even strength TOI per game (6th on the team among the forwards). He averaged 1:42 power play TOI / G (7th among the forwards). His 1:11 average shorthanded TOI / G was 6th among the forwards. His overall TOI per game average was 16:18, which was 5th among Canucks forwards.

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Get ready to see and hear a lot about the totally kickass 1994 semi-finals matchup between these 2 teams where this happened in Game 7:

Is that an awesome call or what? Will it be a tight-checking boring series? Who knows. But these are division rivals. The teams combined for 26 goals for in 6 meetings this season. You never know what can happen in the playoffs.

TIME: 5:00 PST

TV: CBC, RDS

Game / Series Preview: NHL.com

Who am I rooting for? Easy. The Devils. Screw you Rangers! I am still bitter about 1994...

Who do I think is gonna take it? Rangers in 6. How about you?

Are you still watching? Bring on the most unlikely Western Conference Quarterfinal that I have seen in a long time. Should be a great series. I am picking the Kings in 5, and I am pulling for them as well. I really like the makeup of that team. Plus...Willie Mitchell.

Game Time: 5:00 PST (NOW!)

TV: TSN

It was a time-consuming task to go through every Canucks goal scored this past season. But it was also an enjoyable experience, as I could celebrate the good times after such a tragic ending. I've narrowed the goals down to a list of 22 (yea I lied in the title), in order of personal preference. Most of it is style points. Some of them are just hard work and determination. Well, see for yourself after the jump! Enjoy!

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Ryan Kesler is going to have a long summer, and by the looks of it will not be back in the Canucks' lineup until November. He will miss training camp which is not always a good thing, but this procedure helps him long term, as he had a torn labrum. Lovely.

More on this at TSN.

Gillis was in the 4th year of his 5 year contract. Via the Province Gillis said:

"I am very pleased to be signing this extension to remain the President & General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks. I am proud of the work our entire organization has done these past four years and look forward to continuing to build on our success. We are driven every day to try and win the Stanley Cup and will continue to focus on being a strong organization both on and off of the ice."

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Vancouver+Canucks+Mike+Gillis+signs+contract+extension/6581456/story.html#ixzz1uEO0aqiO

Who: Alexandre Burrows

Position: RW/LW

Shoots: Left

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 188 lbs.

Born: April 11, 1981 in Pincourt, Quebec

Burrows was undrafted at the NHL level. He was signed by the Canucks in 2005.

What did he do?

He played most of the season on the top line again, but spent some time on Line 2 with Ryan Kesler and David Booth as well. He remains a solid 2-way player and an agitator, and we love him, don't we?

Was he any good?

Statistically, Burrows about mimicked his 2010-11 season. In 2010-11 he played 72 games and recorded 26 goals and 48 points and was a +26. This past season he played 80 games, scored 28 goals (2nd on the team) and 52 points (3rd on the team) and was a +24 (2nd on the team). I guess those stats are about what we will see from Alex as

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Usually, our beloved Canucks disappear into summer and not much is heard from the majority of them. Not David Booth. He likes to provide updates on Twitter, including his bear hunting excursion in Alberta recently. Now he has posted a pic, as you can see above.

First thing I thought of was: ah man I can't wait to hear what the anti-hunters, vegetarians, or even the pro-hunters have to say about this. Well they delivered.

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When? NOW

TV: NBCSN, CBC

Game Preview: NHL.com

Quickly: The Devils are without Ilya Kovalchuk (back) and the Flyers are without Andrej Meszaros (back). How much more magic does Danny Briere have? Are the Devils going to stop taking so many penalties? But what I really want to know is what the hell is going on with Radulov and A. Kostitsyn in Nashville? Woa! Something something Vodka something something Girls something something Late For Practice?

At his end of the year press conference, Mike Gillis took a few parting shots at Cody Hodgson, saying:

"I spent more time on Cody's issues than every other player combined on our team the last three years."

So Gary Roberts..a friend and trainer of Hodgson decided to step up to the plate so to speak, and give a rebuttal.

"I listened to Mike Gillis the other day," Roberts said by phone over the weekend, "and my impression was, 'Are you kidding me?'

"If anybody knew this kid, this young man, to know what he went through mentally and physically for two summers trying to find out what the heck was wrong with him -- of course they dealt with his issues more than anybody else in the organization because he was injured and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

"It almost was like they thought he didn't want to work. Well, I can tell you that this kid out of all the kids that I train, he's up there in the [Steven] Stamkos group as far as commitment and determination. What I tell him, he does, so I know he's coachable and I love working with him."

"I talked to Cody after this came out with Gillis," Roberts said. "I know he's on vacation, and I said, 'Hey, I know you went through a lot of stress. How are you feeling about some of those comments?' He said, 'Gary, I've dealt with a lot of stuff there in the last three years, and I'm just going to take the high road.'

"For me, I'd like to be the guy that looks at Mike Gillis and says, 'You're a moron.' It doesn't really do anybody any good other than the fact that Mike Gillis looks like, as they say on TSN, a dud."

Source: BuffaloNews.com. Check it out. There are more quotes there.

So there you have it. Two sides to every coin. Maybe Mike Gillis should have taken the high road on his Hodgson comments. He was obviously frustrated. We heard stories of Cody's father and agent badgering Gillis for more playing time. But then again...maybe Roberts should have taken the high road too. Man..it was a terrible marriage, wasn't it? And now, really, Mike Gillis may have hurt his own reputation by saying what he said.

GAME TIME: Friday, 6:00 PST

TV: TSN

RIVAL BLOGS: On The Forecheck (Preds) vs Five For Howling (Dogs)

A tight-checking, low-scoring series is expected. Pekka Rinne vs Mike Smith goaltending duel. But you know, it's the playoffs. Anything can happen. I have the Preds taking this series, how about you?

I was ecstatic when the Bruins were eliminated by Washington tonight, but then some jackass (heh) posted a tweet from TSN's James Duthie in the game thread saying his sources are saying that Roberto Luongo will indeed provide the Canucks with a short list of teams that he will be willing to be traded to and that one of them is the Toronto Maple Leafs. So yeah, I made a little visual of it above because we may as well prepare ourselves. The Leafs are not a guaranteed destination for him, and even seem unlikely considering Luongo has always stated that he wants to play on a team that has a chance to win a Stanley Cup. But hey, maybe Lou would put them into the playoffs. Lots of work to be done in T.O. though. If the insider is correct, then Lou obviously doesn't mind playing in a hockey-mad market that puts their goalies under a huge microscope. ALSO, as Jason Botchford points out, the Leafs employ goalie coach Francois Allaire, a long-time goalie guru of Luongo's. Yeah, get ready, fans. This story is heating up and we will not hear the end of it for quite some time. As Down Goes Brown puts it:

Toronto Maple Leafs will submit a list of goalies anywhere near as good as Roberto Luongo they've had post-lockout. Nobody will be on it.

Anyway, we know that Mike Gillis has already met with his goaltenders. So, Mike Gillis is either going to sign Cory Schneider and Lou's out, or, MG is just giving himself options to see what the teams Lou jots down on paper will offer. Wait, what am I saying? Lou is not going to be a Canuck in fall of 2012. And that makes me god damned sad.

-In other Canucks news, Ryan Kesler recently said:

"It’s tough coming off injuries, it sounds like another excuse, but it’s tough, it took me longer than expected, I probably came back a little too early, but that’s hindsight now and I felt the last two months I was skating really well and for me I was happy to see that."

However, Kesler also admitted that he injured his shoulder in February and that he needs to see the doctors to see what further action is needed. Surgery is a definite possibility.

-Mason Raymond admitted it was

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Time: 4:30PM PST

TV: CBC, RDS

Da Blogs: Japers Rink (Caps) vs Stanley Cup Of Chowdah (Ruins)

Go Caps go! Go Caps GO! This game will be a beauty. Does Holtby have another miracle in the tank? He'll need it at The Garden. Does Ovechkin have a consistent effort in his bones?