Ed Willes joins Paul Chapman for some Province Sports Radio talk about the hits that just keep coming for the Canucks. What does the departure of Nikita Tryamkin mean for the Canucks? Does it change their draft strategy? Does it make people question the accumen of the front office? Ed surmises that the upside of Tryamkin might have been the highest of all the prospects they currently have, and it’s just another cruel twist of fate for local hockey fans. You can go all the way back to Zack Kassian, but when you look at the departure of Tryamkin and also the puzzling crash of Jake Virtanen, why have the Canucks fumbled away the talents with the rarest of attributes, agility, size and muscle.

They also talk about the playoffs and when you see the size, speed and strength of the players succeeding in the playoffs, how far away are the Canucks from truly being competitive?

Are fans really attached to Canadian teams or do they just want to see good hockey no matter where the team is from.

Watching the Oilers and the Leafs, Ed is convince the Canadian Stanley Cup drought is not far away from an end, and it will be one of those two teams that snaps the streak. Let’s all remember the Chicago Cubs everyone and consider that yes, the Leafs may actually win a Cup one season soon.

Ed also talks about the Whitecaps headed into a big “derby” match with Portland, and perhaps Fredy Montero is what this team has needed since Camillo left.

They finish up with some B.C. Lions chat, Ed talked with Wally Buono this week, and he relates that after watching the national championship game in the NCAA between Alabama and Clemson, Wally saw something that he felt could translate into success for the B.C. Lions this offseason.