Perhaps having Kyle Wellwood and Shane O’Brien on the same team for the next few seasons might not be the best course of action for the Vancouver Canucks. Two underachieving players with weight issues, living in Vancouver, is likely too much for the team to have to continue to deal with.
With O’Brien facing restricted free agency, there’s more than a good chance he’ll be back. Wellwood, a pending unrestricted free agent, does not have the same security.
Of course, Wellwood would prefer to stay in Vancouver as there’s likely not another team in the NHL willing to pay close to the $1.2 million he earned this past season:
“I like Vancouver, I like playing in Canada, but at the end of the day it comes down to other factors,” Wellwood explained. “If you’re willing to do the role at the price they want you, you either say yes or no. If you figure it’s not the best spot for you, you move on. Years and opportunity, all those things are important.”
That being said, the Canucks have a couple of prospects who might be ready to take the next step to the NHL and Wellwood might be a bit of a progress-stopper for Cory Hodgson and Jordan Schroeder.