Jarkko Ruutu sat for the third time this season on Friday night.

If general manager Bryan Murray is looking to trade the 35-year-old Finn before the trade deadline – and he does have some value in the playoffs as an agitator – having him sit in the press box is not an effective advertisement.

But coach Cory Clouston is doing what he can to find a win, and it wouldn’t be fair to sit someone else who is playing better (and harder) than Ruutu.

At any rate, Ruutu will be anxious to get back into the lineup quickly. Monday’s game in Vancouver will be a homecoming for him.

He began his career with the Canucks after they selected him in the third round of the 1998 draft