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VANCOUVER — The day after Trevor Linden Night, there was a decidedly different mood at General Motors Place.
No longer could a lopsided loss, a stretch-run collapse and an underachieving season be swept aside by the mutual affection of Linden and Vancouver hockey fans, who stole the show Saturday with a love-in worthy of goose bumps and tears.
Instead, the Canucks cleaned out their lockers and Linden, the 37-year-old face of the franchise, would not confirm his retirement. Captain Markus Naslund, meanwhile, continued the cryptic tone he set after a 7-1 loss to the Calgary Flames in the NHL regular-season finale Saturday, and would not confirm he would play at all next year.
“I'm going to take some time now and reflect on everything and then try to make the right decision,” Naslund said upon completing his seventh season as captain. “When the dust has settled, I'll try to put all the pieces together and make the best decision for me and my family.”
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Naslund said he will need at least the next month to arrive at his conclusion and would not close the door on a return to the Canucks. What is clear, however, is that Vancouver's core group of players is set to change.
Linden, Naslund and hometown hero Brendan Morrison, who is scheduled to undergo knee surgery today, can become unrestricted free agents this summer while the Sedin twins, defenceman Mattias Ohlund and wingers Alex Burrows and Taylor Pyatt are heading into the final years of their contracts.
Role players Byron Ritchie, Brad Isbister, Aaron Miller, Mike Weaver and Curtis Sanford can also become free agents, meaning Vancouver's supporting cast could also be vastly different come next autumn.
Today, head coach Alain Vigneault and general manager Dave Nonis will face the music in a press conference where there are bound to be some questions about the suitability of Vigneault's defensive system and the personnel provided by Nonis.
The Canucks were playing for first place in the Northwest Division on March 21, but dropped seven of their last eight games to fall to 11th in the Western Conference and 21st in the NHL. Vancouver finished last in the division and had fewer wins than Edmonton and Chicago, two young teams who were not supposed to contend this year but that have much brighter futures.
“Staying healthy is a big key,” Naslund said when asked what the team must do to make the playoffs next year. “I think we have to generate more offence. That's been lacking here the last two years. We've relied too heavily on our goaltender and even though you are playing a defensive system, you need goals.”
Naslund's point totals have been down in each of the last four years, but they took significant dips the last two seasons under Vigneault. The Canucks coach also made some tough decisions this season with Linden, who has played 16 of his 19 seasons in Vancouver.
Mr. Canuck was a healthy scratch 23 times in 2007-08, but none of that mattered Saturday when the third-period brought 18,630 to their feet several times. Linden was feted unlike any player in the history of the franchise, and was named the game's first star.
Even the Flames, under direction from captain Jarome Iginla, came back out from their dressing room to queue up and shake Linden's hand. The former captain then went on a parade lap where he gestured to his heart and waved to the fans, a final hurrah that temporarily delayed the dissection of what went wrong.
“It was one overwhelming thing after another,” Linden said. “I enjoy coming to the rink and I still enjoy practising. I haven't made a decision one way or the other. I just want to make sure that my mind is clear when I do make that decision.”
Given how Vancouver's season ended, a clear mind could take some time.
