by Ron Spence
Mike Gillis has said that he would like to acquire another Top Six forward. And, he has been posturing that he would trade one of his D to get him.
Well, one is available on waivers – and no one has to be traded to get him.
He is highly recommended by some of the media that cover the overstocked Lightning.
“Michel Ouellet was put on waivers…” Eric Erlendsson of The Tampa Tribune wrote, “and if I were a team like Nashville, Vancouver or the NY Rangers (hey, they’re over in that part of the world, why not) I’d bring Ouellet in. He showed at the end of last year he can play in a top six role as he just took off with Jeff Halpern and nearly reached the 20-goal mark. Under the right circumstances, Ouellet can be a top six forward.”
Damian Cristodero of tampabay.com confirmed that Ouellet had a good training camp:
Sportsnet’s scouting report also projects Oullet as a top six winger.
Oullet had the best +/- on the NHL's worst team.
Damian Cristodero of tampabay.com explained why Oullet was available as a free agent last summer.
Tampa’s former GM, Jay Feaster explained why he acquired Ouellet the following day:
“Michel Ouellet is a goal scorer and has been throughout every level of his career. He is extremely effective on the power play and he has a knack for burying his chances in the offensive zone. We feel his game is best suited to playing in a top-two line role and he will get that opportunity in Tampa. The fact he played junior hockey with Brad Richards in Rimouski is a real plus, as we believe there will be good chemistry between the two, and he knows how to win. For all of these reasons we feel strongly that Michel is the right fit for our hockey team.”
So, a top six player is available to the Canucks, and they don’t have to give up a player – just send one to Manitoba, or lose him on waivers.
It’s a no brainer.
CrashingTheGoalie 