Schaefer signs with Vancouver Canucks
Every season there is an overflow of players, who try to earn spots on teams through tryouts and every season the majority of those players fail to do so. Peter Schaefer has distinguished himself from the pack by successfully doing just that.
The Vancouver Canucks have offered Peter Schaefer a contract even though he has not played in the NHL since the 2008-2009 season. The two-way contract is worth $600,000 dollars or $105,000 if he goes back to the minors.
His last NHL season wasn’t too impressive. He scored 9 goals and had 17 assists to his credit in 63 games with the Boston Bruins. The fact that he still made it into the Canucks speaks volumes of his dexterity and determination. Over the past few weeks he
put all his energies into impressing the powers that be at the Canucks’ camp and his efforts have paid off.
He worked really hard to get to where he is. It was as much of a mental challenge as it was a physical one. “Usually, you have the preseason to get ready for the season”, Schaefer said adding that he didn’t have that luxury. He had to be at the peak of his
physical fitness before the preseason opened if he was ever going to have real shot at making the team.
“Vancouver, because they drafted me, always had a soft spot”, Schaefer said. He further added that Vancouver was a beautiful city and had great fans. “I've gone deep in the playoffs, but I've never won a Stanley Cup and here in Vancouver I think we have
a chance”.
That dream dies if he is sent to the AHL but Schaefer is trying not to consider that possibility. He tried hard to get back into the NHL and now that he is this close, losing it all is not an option.
You can never know what would happen in the NHL but the odds are that Schaefer is here to stay. He earned three points in the preseason and had a significant presence in the Canucks special teams, specifically, penalty killing.
The Canucks have been trying to improve their penalty kill and Schaefer fits the bill. “We're really happy with his penalty killing, he has a really good stick”, Canucks General Manager, Mike Gillis, said. Gills went on to say, “he knows what it takes to
compete in this league”. The player needs a team and the team needs the player. Perfect.
What essentially guaranteed his contract and his spot in the roster was the Canucks’ decision to put Jeff Tambellini on waivers. Schaefer would probably man the third line with Manny Malhotra and Jannik Hansen with whom he has been practicing.
Also working in Schaefer’s favour is the fact forward, Alex Burrows, won’t make it to the start of the season due to a shoulder injury. Alex won’t return until at least a month into the regular season and by then it would be a very real possibility that
Alex would be sent down to the AHL. If that happens Schaefer won’t have to worry about the minors anymore.
Until then though there is always that slight bit of uncertainty that no players can escape from, including the 33 year old Schaefer. He acknowledged that making a place for himself is always a challenge and that was especially true for him.
“I'm confident I've done my best to be ready for this and as far as the situation, it's wait and see”. He said that when other players return is out of his control and that all he has to do is improve with every game.
Schaefer made his NHL debut with the Canucks in 1998 after being drafted 66th overall by Vancouver. In his 556 career NHL games he has scored 98 goals and 161 assists. He has never won a Stanley Cup but has made it to the playoffs on 6 separate
occasions. In his 63 playoff games Schaefer has earned 24 points.
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