Canucks cram in another forward
WAIVER ADDITION: Cramarossa brings abrasive style to Vancouver, but believes he can offer more as well
Nobody wants to think about next season because it’s still about what can be made of this season.
Joseph Cramarossa can’t help but think about both.
In what can now be labelled a true transition for the Vancouver Canucks, it’s audition season for Cramarossa. The grinding 24-yearold winger was claimed off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks on March 1 and his body of work in four NHL games here is what you’d expect.
Cramarossa had a four-hit game in Los Angeles, a fight in San Jose and has logged as little as 6:26 of ice time and as much as 10:53.
But fighting for a roster spot next fall is dependent on what the restricted free agent makes of an opportunity to kick-start his career. The Canucks are lacking abrasiveness and a consistent compete level is going to register with coach Willie Desjardins.
However, the Canucks bench boss will also have his future evaluated in the off-season, so Cramarossa is trying to be better than advertised — hard on the forecheck and hard to the net — in hopes of impressing the entire hockey operations department.
Cramarossa knew when the Ducks acquired veteran winger Patrick Eaves, 32, on Feb. 24 to help address a lack of scoring, the roster squeeze meant he would probably be squeezed out. But he did get a look on a line with Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell during his 49 games with the Ducks this season because the 6-foot-1, 192-pound Toronto native kept pace and added a physical dimension to that alignment.
“That was a pretty good line and we did produce,” Cramarossa said Wednesday. “People see my physical side and they think my other abilities are lacking, but I’m going to try and prove myself here. It’s all you can ask for and hopefully it sets me up for next year. I hope that’s the plan when they claimed me off waivers.”
Not that there has been much discussion about the future because the Canucks are locked into the now. But they do need a read on what they think they have before off-season roster adjustments.
“It’s been kind of quiet here with the coaching staff,” added Cramarossa. “I can take that as a good thing because I’m being physical and bringing that presence that is lacking apparently. If the younger guys are feeling safe, they can do their jobs better.
“You just want to make an impression, but you don’t want to go too far out of your way and bring attention to yourself in a bad way. And I think I can chip in offensively.”
It’s difficult to know what to make of Cramarossa’s four goals and six assists with the Ducks because he was moved from left wing to right and played on a variety of lines. But that’s what the Canucks like.
They saw Cramarossa have a fourhit outing against the Canucks on Oct. 23 and a five-hit game against Vancouver on Dec. 30.
They also know Michael Chaput, 24, looks like a staple to centre the fourth line as an RFA with an upside. Jack Skille, 29, has missed seven games with a groin strain and is an unrestricted free agent, while Brendan Gaunce, 22, has more than fourth-line potential. And Derek Dorsett, 30, is coming off neck surgery and has two seasons left on his contract extension.
So there’s going to be room for a bottom-six banger.
“He (Cramarossa) plays hard and has a good attitude,” said Desjardins. “He’s a character guy and a lot of our guys have something to prove and have gone through waivers, too. This is a second chance. And it doesn’t matter what came before, it’s what he does now and it’s good to know you have a guy who likes to compete.
“But I haven’t seen enough of him in really tough situations to know where he’s at. But when you play hard, you get a chance to play up the lineup.”
Cramarossa’s biggest offensive output came in the Ontario Hockey League in 2012-13, when he had 19 goals and 44 assists with the Belleville Bulls. Gaunce was his teammate on the Bulls in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
“Hits come with being a good skater and he gets in on the forecheck,” Gaunce said of Cramarossa. “He was a big pickup for us then and he is now. You can’t win without bottom-six forwards and guys who will do the right roles.”
As for the Vancouver scrutiny — even fourth-liners are a topic of conversation in a hockey-mad market — Cramarossa welcomes the attention.
“You always want it in a sense,” he said. “It’s nice to be a topic of discussion — whether it’s good or bad — and you’ve got to fight through it. It’s the nature of the sport and that’s what makes you a pro.
“I don’t know if everybody can take the daily attention, but if you can do it in a Canadian market, you can do it everywhere.”