Captain Canuck is calling it a career.

Trevor Linden recently announced his retirement from the NHL after 19 seasons, sixteen of which were spent with the Vancouver Canucks, nearly seven of those as team captain.

Linden hasn’t been captain of the Canucks for years but in the minds of most of the team’s fans he’ll always be considered the best captain the team ever had.

His best seasons were in his first go-around with the Canucks from his NHL rookie season of 1988-89 through the 1997-98 campaign, where he’d score over 30 goals six times and exceed the 50 point mark seven times, including four 70-plus point seasons.

Linden was never flashy as teammate Pavel Bure during that time but his strong two-way play and leadership made him a standout and the true heart-and-soul of the club for most of the 1990s.

He also earned a reputation as a solid playoff performer renowned for his clutch play, and he was never better than in the 1994 playoffs, captaining the Canucks to a thrilling seven game Stanley Cup final series against the NY Rangers, where the Canucks rallied from a 3-1 series deficit before falling to the Rangers in the deciding seventh game.

Dealt to the NY Islanders mid-way through the 1997-98 season for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe and a third round pick (used to select Jarkko Ruutu), Linden struggled with injuries as he bounced from the Isles to the then-equally mediocre Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals over the course of four seasons.

But early in the 2001-02 season Linden was dealt back to the Canucks where he truly belonged, and while he was no longer the captain and his offensive skills were in decline he was still relied upon for leadership and strong defensive play.

He was also president of the NHL Players Association for 8 years, during which the NHL was shut down for an entire season due to a lockout.

Linden was a loyal lieutenant of PA Executive Director Bob Goodenow but broke with him in March 2005 following the league’s cancellation of the 2004-05 season, joining with PA assistant director Ted Saskin in negotiating the current collective bargaining agreement which brought the lock to an end in July 2005.

His role in the firing of Goodenow later than month and in the controversial hiring of Saskin as the PA’s new executive director remains murky, and resulted in his stepping down as PA president

Linden has also been a long-time active member of the Vancouver community, particularly in charity work associated with the BC Children’s Hospital and other charitable organizations, which has only deepened the love Canucks fans feel for Linden.

Presently it’s unknown if Linden will have a role in the Canucks organization in the near future, but considering all he’s done for the team on and off the ice as a player as well as in the community the Canucks hierarchy would be daft not to hire him, if not in management then at the very least a goodwill ambassador.

Linden finishes his NHL career with 375 goals and 867 points in 1, 382 regular season games, and an even more impressive 99 points (including 65 assists) in 124 playoff games.

It remains to be seen if he’ll ever be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Canucks retired his number 16 in honor of the most popular player in team history.

The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed perhaps the most popular player in its history today, signing Trevor Linden to a one-year contract.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed but reports out of Vancouver suggest Linden has agreed to the league minimum $475K, down from the $600K he earned last season, in order to give Canucks management a bit of cap flexibility for the upcoming season.

I have to be honest, folks, by the midpoint of last season I consider Linden a spent force and said as much, yet he proved he still had a bit left in the tank with a strong finish down the stretch and tying for the team’s playoff points lead.

There’s been some suggestion that the reason it took so long for the Canucks to re-sign Linden was perhaps the team’s unwillingness to have him on the roster when the results of the NHLPA’s internal investigation into the hiring of former executive director Ted Saskin are reported.

Linden was the NHLPA president during the lockout, worked closely with Saskin and was considered responsible for firing Bob Goodenow as executive director and replacing him with Saskin.

However, I believe the reason it took so long to sign Linden was perhaps more due to management’s desire to bolster it’s offensive depth and Linden’s potential role with the team than anything to do with his role in the Saskin affair.

Linden’s best days are behind him but he’s still a proven leader on and off the ice and valuable in a checking line role. This, however, is likely his swan song as an NHL player so Canucks fans should enjoy every game that Linden plays this season.

The Los Angeles Kings further bolstered their blueline depth recently by signing former Dallas Stars defenseman Jon Klemm to a one-year, two-way contract.

Klemm is obviously a replacement for Oleg Tverdovsky, who bolted for Russia rather than face the possibility of starting next season in the minors.

His experience and defensive skills should make him a valuable addition to the Kings defense corps, plus his two-way contract makes him an affordable pickup. It remains to be seen if he’ll start the season with the Kings but if not he should see ice time with them as a call up when injuries inevitably strike.

Scratch defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist off the list of available unrestricted free agents.

Swedish sports paper Expressen reported Tjarnqvist has signed a contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian Super League apparently worth $2 million for the upcoming season.

Understandable that Tjarnqvist would opt for the possibility of earning that much in Russia since he likely wasn’t going to earn that in the NHL.

No word if he’s got an “escape clause” that would allow him to return to the NHL.

As the 2006-07 NHL regular season winds down and the playoffs approaching, there are several veteran NHL players who may be playing their final season in the big league. Here’s a look at the more notable who may be filing retirement papers after this season.

Peter Forsberg. Concerns about his surgically reconstructed right foot and the effect its having on his game drove rumors all season that Forsberg might consider retirement. A lot depends on how well he performs with the Nashville Predators this season. If he fails to be an impact player as he’s always been, that might force him into considering retirement.

John LeClair. Released by the Pittsburgh Penguins mid-way through this season, there’s talk his former club, the Philadelphia Flyers, might bring him back to play out the final games of this season. That would allow him to retire as a member of the team where he had his greatest success, as the league's dominant power forward in the late 1990's.

Jeremy Roenick. “JR Superstar” has been anything but since the lockout, as age has finally caught up with the loquacious Roenick. He’d hoped to be dealt from the Phoenix Coyotes at the trade deadline but nobody was interested. He’s now hinting at retirement and if nobody offers to sign him as a UFA this summer, he’ll be done.

Pierre Turgeon. His offensive production has been in serious decline since 2001, due in large part to injuries that hampered his performance. He was limited to 17 games this season, won’t be re-signed by the Colorado Avalanche and probably won’t attract interest in the UFA market. With over 500 goals and over 1300 points, Turgeon was once a terrific offensive talent, but it’s now obvious his best days are done.

Tony Amonte. His scoring touch has faded over the past three seasons. He might still find employment perhaps as a checking forward but his main selling point throughout his career was his ability to score. Checking forwards are easily affordable, and Amonte without his scoring punch may not be an attractive option for NHL teams this summer.

Bryan Berard. He made a heroic return from a horrific eye injury, but back problems may finally bring his career to a halt. He missed part of last season and most of this season due to back surgery. The Columbus Blue Jackets tried shopping him at the deadline, even placed him on waivers, but no team wanted him. Having taken himself out of the lineup for health reasons for the rest of the season, he may have played his final NHL game.

Sean Burke. After spending most of this season in the minors, Burke found some new life after getting dealt to the LA Kings, where he’s posted up respectable numbers. However, he had respectable numbers last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning but that didn’t prevent him landing in the minors for financial reasons. He might be able to find a new club this summer as a UFA, as the goalie market this summer isn’t particularly deep, but it’s also possible that he could be out of a job.

Trevor Linden. The one-time heart of the Vancouver Canucks has been a spent force over the past two seasons, notching only 16 points last season and 18 in 66 games thus far this season. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer and is likely playing his final games as an NHL player.

Teppo Numminen.  He’s posted respectable numbers with the Buffalo Sabres this season, and his years of experience has made him a valuable component on the Sabres blueline. He may still find a market for his services as an unrestricted free agent, but if the Sabres should win the Stanley Cup this spring, one has to wonder if he might consider retirement.

Glen Wesley. It was believed Wesley would retire after winning the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes last year, but he re-signed a one-year contract with the club for this season. With the depth in blueliners now on the ‘Canes roster, however, he may not get another contract with them this season, and his declining totals could make it difficult for Wesley to land with another club.