Naslund nearing end with Canucks?

Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis tells Ed Willes of The Vancouver Province that he has no plans to open contract negotiations with pending unrestricted free agent forward Markus Naslund during the season.

“It’s not the time to do it now,” says the Canucks GM. “The approach will be the same as last year and we’ll make that decision at that time [i.e. the offseason]. We have other things to focus on and it would be inappropriate to say anything else.”

Naslund agrees.

“Yeah, I have but I’m not going to comment on anything until after the year is over. We’ll see. It’s tough not to think ahead, but we’ll address that after the year. I’d just rather leave it at that.”

Both sides appear intent on avoiding any distractions down the stretch.

But is that all that’s going on here? It is a little strange that the Canucks aren’t trying to sign their captain and best player to a contract extension.

Perhaps the Canucks don’t want to shell out anywhere near the $6 million per season (the amount Naslund earns this year) to re-sign a player whose production has dropped significantly in recent years.

There is also speculation that the Canucks would like to reshape the makeup of their club, and give players such as Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Kevin Bieksa more responsibility.

All this could mean the end of Naslund in Vancouver. But not the NHL.

The Swedish forward is set to enter a weak free agent market at his position, so he is sure to attract attention from many clubs. Perhaps even get a “hefty” offer from a team desperate for some scoring help.