Canucks Live Blog: Abby’s actions, reactions as A-Team takes on Oilers

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ABBOTSFORD — Welcome to Stars On Ice.

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That star skating slogan would have applied Wednesday, but it wasn’t on the marquee outside the Abbotsford Centre. It should have been. It could be a night to remember as the pre-season draws to a close and the pace picks up.

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The Edmonton Oilers, who went fishing and golfing in the area on Tuesday, brought their A team and the Canucks did the same with the regular season opener a week away when the division rivals Pacific face off again at Rogers Place.

Here’s a first look at the line combinations and respective skate pairings from the morning game day.

Oilers rookie winger Dylan Holloway — who was the MVP at the Young Stars Classic tournament in Penticton and scored a natural hat trick on Monday against the Canucks — is making a serious offer to start the season with the big club.

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What’s wrong with DiPietro?

When Collin Delia authorized the waivers on Wednesday morning so that the veteran stopper could be nominated for assignment to the American Hockey League branch in Abbotsford, it paved the way for some clarity on what to do with the Michael DiPietro’s trade request.

The Canucks weren’t going to move DiPietro with the chance that someone could claim Delia. There has already been movement on that front this fall with Arizona adding Colorado’s Joan Johansson and Ottawa claiming Seattle’s Magnus Hellberg.

And now? Is there a market for the franchise’s No. 5 keeper?

To his credit, DiPietro’s his pride and professionalism have always been the measure of the conscientious and determined stop. He could have talked about how the previous regime handled his development and playing time, but he didn’t.

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DiPietro was 15-13-4 with a 2.95 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in 34 games with Abbotsford last season. There was an encouraging six-game winning streak in April, but a pair of 7-1 and 6-0 bombings to close out his regular season seemed to suggest a change of direction in the crease.

“A lot of players couldn’t even stand the lack of attention that maybe the organization gave him,” DiPietro’s agent Darren Ferris told Postmedia during the offseason. “There are occasions when they dropped the ball on his development. The truth is that the main thing is more about the organization than the player in this case. I hope we can get him in the right position.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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