SAN JOSE, Calif. — He has been in this situation before. But, of course, after nine years and nine teams in professional hockey, Adam Cracknell has been in most situations before.
The 30-year-old journeyman forward from Victoria has a genuine chance to make the Vancouver Canucks’ opening-night lineup.
Two weeks ago, if you’d listed on paper new players who might make the National Hockey League team, Cracknell’s name — if it appeared at all — would have been an afterthought scribbled in the margin. In pencil, so it could be erased. He’s not Jake Virtanen or Jared McCann, first-round picks who appear to have a long, lucrative future with the Canucks whether it begins next week or not.