Judging from Twitter (and yes, I do see the stupidity of judging anything from Twitter, but what the hell…) much of Canucks nation is having a small heart attack that the Canucks are giving Nolan and Fedoruk a shot. But don’t count me among them.

There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain here. Will either of these guys make the team? Maybe (even ‘probably’) not. But why not let them show their stuff? There’s really no downside here. They’re not being signed for $20 million for 10 years… they’re just taking their shot at a roster spot. Competition from veterans like this can’t be a bad thing.

Speculation is that interest in Nolan is especially related to the Ryan Kesler injury, and concerns he won’t be back to start the season. Regardless of the reason, it’s not like anyone is likely to be picking Nolan over a healthy Kesler… but if he (or Fedoruk) can help, where’s the harm?

A few words from Nolan:

“I don’t want to say I’m happy that opportunity is there, you want those guys to be healthy, especially if I’m going to be part of that team,” said Nolan, reached at his off-season home in San Jose. “But there is an opportunity there and I’m going to give it everything I have to take a job.”

Nolan and agent J.P. Barry had a number of PTO offers on the table, but Vancouver was the best fit for the 39-year-old and five-time all-star. Here he can be a player who complements the Canucks’ core group, which makes sense seeing as his best years are behind him.

“One of the main reasons I’m still playing is I want to win and I think Vancouver has a great chance of that,” he said. “My goal is to just make the team. I’m not focused on where I’m going to play or how much. I’m just going to come in with a positive attitude and give it my all and hopefully they’re impressed with what they see.”

Sounds good to me. I’m looking forward to hearing how training camp goes. Never say never.

P.S. For more on Nolan’s career, Nucks Misconduct’s Sean Zanberg has posted this.