Bure buried in Vancouver—until Rangers make a move

Sporting News, The, Dec 14, 1998 by Larry Wigge

Mike Keenan's voice perked up when I asked him for the name of the toughest player to stop on his Vancouver team as part of a survey we were doing on every team for our annual Hockey Yearbook. We wanted Keenan to tell us why these players were so difficult to stop and how he might try to stop them.

"Pavel Bure is the most electrifying player in the league," Keenan said proudly. "Solo efforts always are highlight-film material. He and Paul Kariya are among the best as far as having breakaway talent.

"Pavel has a dangerous shot anywhere in the offensive zone."

There was a pause in the coach's voice. "Now," he said, "I suppose you want me to tell every other coach in the NHL how to stop Pavel, eh?"

That's right, coach. All the secrets.

Keenan went on to talk about how much Bure, who twice had 60 goals and finished with 51 last season, wants to get the puck at center ice, where he can get up some speed to be at his most effective. He says that's where you have to attack the 27-year-old superstar.

But shortly after the interview, something else entered the picture, something that would stop Bure even colder than Keenan's suggestions. Bure told the world he never wanted to play in Vancouver again.

Forget his raise in salary from $5.5 million to $8.3 million. The Russian Rocket wanted out.

Without Bure, Keenan's offense has struggled, as you might expect. But as the league's hierarchy gathers in Phoenix this week for meetings, look for the Bure issue to go from the back burner to the charcoal broiler.

Canucks G.M. Brian Burke has been under pressure from Keenan and the media to do something for the struggling team. But, to his credit, Burke refuses to make a quick-fix move. There is too much at stake for the future of the franchise.

"I'm not making a crappy deal because Alexander Mogilny (knee, out for a couple of weeks) got hurt," Burke says. "I don't care if five more guys get hurt. We are talking about a key move for this franchise."

Although Bure is a player no team would pass on, he brings baggage with him most clubs don't want to bother with. Bure not only gets $8.3 million this season, but a team would have to sign him to a larger deal to keep him because his contract runs out after this season. And before last season, he had missed 86 of 164 games in 1995-96 and '96-97 as a result of injuries.

The dollars eliminate previously mentioned suitors such as the Islanders, Flyers, Devils and Capitals, and the Kings have said no to Vancouver's demand for two or three forwards, including Jozef Stumpel, Glenn Murray and Ollie Jokinen.

"Are you kidding?" Panthers G.M. Bryan Murray says in reference to his team's interest in Bure or free agent Ziggy Palffy. "We know one wants $8 million to $10 million--and the other is telling teams he wants the same.

"It makes no sense to pay one player two and three times more than any other player you have on your team. Even the Rangers. What do they say to Wayne Gretzky?"

In all honesty, the only team that can afford Bure is the Rangers. With the Rangers, we are talking about dollars and desperation. We are talking about an old, slow team trying to put together a contender before Gretzky retires.

Winds of change on Broadway started blowing last week that previously untouchable forward Niklas Sundstrom isn't a sacred cow anymore. The Canucks want Sundstrom, young goalie Dan Cloutier and center Manny Malhotra, the Rangers' first-round pick this year. They were first told they couldn't have Sundstrom. Now, it appears, they can get Sundstrom and Cloutier, but a player such as defenseman Chris Tamer or Peter Popovic will have to be wangled to replace a prospect such as Malhotra.

"Some might say it's like being in love with a woman who's not in love with you," Burke says dejectedly. "I'm getting sick of hearing his name. Pavel doesn't want to play for us. And he'll sit the entire season if we can't make the right deal for this team."

In New York, G.M. Neil Smith, who is getting some second-line scoring from newcomer Petr Nedved and friends, probably goes to bed at night dreaming of how many goals Gretzky and Bure could combine for and how much better the Rangers would be with a devastating combination like that up front. Look for the deal to be done by Christmas--if not sooner.

RELATED ARTICLE: More deals afoot?

Pavel Bure isn't the only big name on the front burner. Ziggy Palffy, Theo Fleury, Claude Lemieux and Felix Potvin also are being discussed in front offices around the NHL.

Potvin's name, in fact, is the hottest, for two reasons: He went AWOL last weekend from the Maple Leafs, and the Lightning are interested in acquiring him. Lightning owner Arthur Williams recently came down hard on veteran goaltenders Bill Ranford and Daren Puppa, among others.

"I don't know if we have a bunch of pansies on this team," Williams says. "Maybe it's a lack of confidence or maybe some of our guys are playing for the money. But, I'll tell you one thing: I refuse to sit here and cater to a bunch of overpriced crybabies."

Lightning G.M.-coach Jacques Demers has been talking to the Maple Leafs about what it would take to acquire Potvin.