One last quack at the playoffs, please
Former Canucks Kesler and Bieksa are facing uncertain future in Southern California
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ryan Kesler wanted out of Vancouver, but it wasn’t about the coach — even the emotional and erratic John Tortorella. Rather, it was the lack of roster skill.
Kevin Bieksa never wanted out. He was willing to re-sign with the Canucks for less than market value after the 2011 run to the Stanley Cup final to keep the core intact. It kept him in a city he embraced for four more seasons and even in the end he was willing to go down with the ship.
That ship is not only taking on water, it’s listing badly and slowly sinking to the bottom of the NHL standings.
Bieksa is in the final year of his contract and with one last playoff-position push with the inconsistent Anaheim Ducks — it’s unlikely the 36-year-old will be re-signed — the defenceman isn’t consumed by what has become of the Canucks. Even though he wanted to stay before being dealt here after the 2015 draft.
However, being out of the rain and in the SoCal sun — and with a club in annual post-season contention — puts a different perspective on the past because it’s all about the present.
As for that Canucks ship? “The ship has been at the bottom for a while, hasn’t it?” Bieksa said with a chuckle Wednesday morning. “It’s been grounded. It’s tough for me to comment because I’m not involved any more or following it day to day.
“I see where the standings are year after year and I’m sure it’s been tough, especially for some of my good friends that I still have there.”
Kesler’s emotional attachment is about winning.
He didn’t say anything about his time in Vancouver because his game-day priority is long treatment sessions and not the media. On Wednesday morning, he did shooting drills because he’s gutting it out with stiffness from another off-season hip procedure that affects the strength, mobility and accuracy of his shot.
The 33-year-old Kesler didn’t play a day game in Minnesota Feb. 17 because there wasn’t sufficient time to loosen up the hip. And if that isn’t bad enough, he had nine points and a minus-7 rating in 32 games before facing his former club. The shutdown centre is more than just a little edgy.
He fought Chicago’s Jonathan Toews March 4. Four nights later, he dropped the gloves with Nashville’s Ryan Johansen.
“Kes is a tough guy,” said Bieksa. “His fighting skills have really increased in the past couple of years. I’m proud to have a small, small part in that with a few tips. He’s at the point where a lot of guys in his weight class don’t want to fight him. And they shouldn’t. He’s strong and all his punches are landing now.”
Kesler is also fighting the puck. He had no goals in his previous 13 games before facing the Canucks, but he did have a 53.3 per cent faceoff efficiency.
“Kes is trying to do whatever he can to contribute,” said Bieksa. “He’s not practising at all and he’s trying to give his body a chance to heal and recover.”
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle guided Kesler with the Manitoba Moose in 2004-05 and said the biggest challenge is to get the centre to gear down and not push the envelope every shift
“With the injury, it’s a process that’s not going to get corrected this year — it’s going to take months over the summer for it (Kesler’s hip) to be where it was,” said Carlyle. “He’s a warrior. We know the type of personality he has.
“There’s nobody harder on himself than Ryan Kesler. We’ve tried to tame it down and relax with it. Understand the situation you’re in and take a more subtle approach.” Good luck with that.
Bieksa knows the Ducks have four blue-line prospects pushing for roster spots next fall and 37-year-old Francois Beauchemin will be retiring. Bieksa was on the ice for three of four goals Monday in a 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. He was a team-worst minus-13 heading into Wednesday’s game and had but eight assists in 59 games with 18:01 of average ice time.
“I think I can still play and I know I can,” said Bieksa, who was a finance major in college. “We’ll deal with this year first and see how far it goes. We’ve got a pretty good team here and we’ll address it in the summer.
“I have thought of a lot of things. I have interests and passions outside of the game, but certainly the game has been so good to me for so long. I enjoy every facet of it and I would like to stay involved at some point.”
Bieksa’s work with mental-health initiatives in B.C. — especially mindcheck.ca that has since been rebranded as foundrybc.ca — has endeared him to the province.
“I was made aware of CHOC, which is the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, opening up a mental-health ward based on a lot of money we’re going to raise. I gave them insight into what was happening in Vancouver with mindcheck. ca and mental-health awareness is certainly growing.
“It’s saving a lot of lives.”