Rangers and Canucks Make a Deal

Canucks and Rangers Make a Deal
By Michael Dell, editor-in-chief

Russ Courtnall had been rumored to be traded to the New York Rangers since before the 1996-97 season even got underway. On Saturday night, March 8, that rumor finally became a reality. The Vancouver Canucks traded Courtnall, along with Esa Tikkanen, to the Rangers in exchange for Sergei Nemchinov and Brian Noonan.
While the Courtnall rumors have been around longer, the whispers of an impending trade of Tikkanen had been the hot topic in Vancouver the last few weeks. Not exactly seeing eye to eye with Canuck coach Tom Renney, Tikkanen's complaining and outspokenness had become a major headache for the men with skates on their chests. However, the market for a 32-year-old defensive winger that makes over a million dollars and has questionable health isn't exactly overwhelming. Vancouver GM Pat Quinn found a taker in the Rangers, who will be hoping that Tikkanen can regain the form he showed when he helped New York claim the Cup in 1994.

What New York Gets...

Russ Courtnall: Courtnall is somewhat of a mystery. The guy has so many skills they're falling out his pockets, yet he never puts up the big numbers he should. This season with the Canucks, Russ only had nine goals and 28 points in 47 games. That's not real good.
Courtnall can flat out fly, easily one of the fastest skaters in the game. His outside speed should help open up the ice for New York's offense. While he should generate chances, don't look for him to close the deal. Courtnall isn't exactly a great finisher. A much better passer than goal-scorer, Courtnall has only eclipsed the 30-goal plateau once in his career, bagging 36 with Minnesota in 1992-93. He could see his goal total rise with Brian Leetch and Wayne Gretzky springing him for breakaways.
While hardly a physical force at 5'11", 190 pounds, Courtnall is pretty decent defensively. And his speed makes him a dangerous penalty-killer.
Esa Tikkanen: It didn't take Tikkanen long to wear out his welcome in Vancouver. He became a Canuck in November of last season and this trade is the fifth of his 12-year NHL career. The guy just has a way of getting on people's nerves. Although, that's really his biggest strength.
With only 12 goals and 26 points in 62 games with Vancouver this season, the days of Tikkanen being a 30-goal, 75-point man are long gone. He was brought to New York for one reason and one reason only... to cause trouble.
When on his game, Tikkanen is the best agitator in the league. He does as much damage with his mouth as his stick when pestering opponents. Before the neutral zone trap and left wing locks of the world eliminated the need for man-on-man confrontations, Tikkanen was considered the best shadow in the NHL. Often assigned to the best scorer on the opposing squad, Tikkanen always did his best to knock the star off his game, no matter what it took. He's also famous for playing his best hockey come playoff time. He showed this ability even as recently as last Spring when he went head to head with Peter Forsberg in a classic confrontation during the first round of the playoffs. Look for him to see similar duty against the likes of Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Doug Gilmour, or Adam Oates this postseason.

What Vancouver Gets...

Sergei Nemchinov: The Canucks have needed a center to play with Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure the entire season. It looks like they may have found their man in Nemchinov. Of course, Bure will be out the next few weeks with a whiplash injury, but at least Mogilny is still around.
Nemchinov, nicknamed "Sarge" for his military-like approach to life, has had experience skating with Mogilny and Bure, acting as their center during the warmups for the World Cup last summer. When Bure went out of the tournament before it even started with a bruised kidney, Nemchinov and Mogilny remained linemates. So the two should be familiar with each other.
That's not to say that Nemchinov will be lighting up the scoreboard. He's not really a scorer. Long considered one of the most underrated players in the game by LCS, Nemchinov is exceptional defensively. An extremely intelligent player, he has a good sense for the game and rarely makes mistakes, although he has struggled at times this year for the Rangers.
Even though it's not his strong suit, Nemchinov still has enough skill to skate alongside the glorious talent that is Mogilny. While he only has six goals and 20 points in 63 games this season, Nemchinov is usually a solid 20-goal scorer, collecting 99 goals in 355 games prior to this season. And that was always as a third line center. Even if he doesn't ring up the goals himself, he should be a security blanket for Mogilny in the defensive zone, freeing Alexander the Great up to be creative at the other end.
Although this is only his sixth season in the NHL, Nemchinov is 33 years old. He becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season, but Quinn has said that the club will do its best to re-sign him. Nemchinov is also currently on the shelf with a rib injury. He should be good to go later this week.
Brian Noonan: When Noonan pulls on the Vancouver sweater, he will be suiting up for his third team this season. The 31- year-old right winger started the year in St. Louis before moving on to the Rangers. Noonan has good size (6'1", 200) and is strong along the boards. He's also capable of chipping in the odd goal, with eight goals and 22 points in 57 games this season. His best scoring year in the NHL came in 1993-94 when he bagged 18 goals and 41 points in 76 games with the Blackhawks and Rangers. He should be a quality role player for the Canucks.

Who Wins?

This is actually a good move for both clubs. The Canucks give up a lot of talent in Courtnall, but they also lose a major headache in Tikkanen. In return, they get a quality Russian center that can fit with their two superstars in Nemchinov and a proven role player in Noonan.
Meanwhile, the Rangers address their need for more scoring up front by bringing in Courtnall. His speed should be a tremendous asset to the club. Not only that, but Tikkanen could easily find his old stride reunited with former Edmonton teammates Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky. Both of the acquisitions have the ability to be impact performers. Courtnall can be a game-breaker with his speed, while Tikkanen can disrupt the flow of a game with his intensity and abrasiveness.
The bottom line is that both clubs were struggling and needed a spark. The Canucks are currently in tenth place in the Western Conference with a record of 28-35-3, four points behind Calgary for the final playoff spot. Something had to be done now before it was too late. The Rangers aren't quite as bad off. The Blueshirts are in sixth place in the East with a record of 30-28- 5, but should have a playoff spot locked up, being nine points ahead of eighth place Montreal.
Both clubs should benefit from this deal, with all the guys involved destined to play better in the new surroundings. If an edge had to be given, it would go to the Rangers since Courtnall and Tikkanen could be major impact players in New York for the remainder of the season and into the playoffs, while Nemchinov and Noonan should only make a weak Canuck team slightly stronger.