WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- Sometimes when things work out, they do so on their own schedule.
Manitoba Moose GM Craig Heisinger can attest to that. He tried twice before to sign right-winger Colby Genoway, a thinking-style forward from Morden, but lost out to the New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks.
Wednesday, Heisinger finally got his man. He and the Vancouver Canucks made a trade with the Ducks, shipping off little-used veteran defenceman Joe Rullier for the 23-year-old Genoway, who was playing for the AHL's Portland Pirates.
When Genoway played three seasons for the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux, Heisinger was a keen observer. When Genoway decided to turn pro in the spring of 2005, the Moose made him an amateur tryout offer, but the Rangers came to the table with plenty more cash than that.
Genoway scored 26 goals and 61 points in his first full pro year with Hartford, then moved to the Ducks organization as a free agent last summer. Again, the Moose made a play, but the Ducks had more to offer.
But with the blessing of the Canucks, who are apparently more interested than they once were, the deal got done on Wednesday.
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Age: 23
Position: right-winger
School: North Dakota.
Pro status: undrafted; second full year.
On the trade: "This will be a better fit for me with Vancouver right now. It seemed like it wasn't working out as far as a fit with Anaheim. I'm super excited now. Hopefully I can contribute as much as I want to."
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"No, I don't know why some things take more time but (Jason) Jaffray is another example, and Dustin Wood is another, and now Colby," Heisinger said via phone from Dallas, where he was attending the NHL all-star festivities. "As you well know, these things don't happen overnight."
Heisinger didn't need to consult his notes about watching Genoway's three seasons in Grand Forks.
"He's a guy that worked his way through that lineup," the GM said. "He started with limited minutes and by the time he was done, he was on the point on the power play and on the top two lines. He's a guy who worked hard and earned his ice time.
"He's a guy who can make plays and that gives our coaches more options. It's a real good fit that way."
One of his new coaches, Moose assistant Brad Berry, is one of his old coaches at UND. And Berry was beaming Wednesday night.
"Colby is a big forward who can skate very well and he has great vision on the ice," Berry said.
Genoway, reached by phone in Portland, Maine, said he was first stunned by the trade.
"Now that I've talked to some people, I'm real excited," he said. "When I was first told, I'm like anybody else, I didn't know what to think. But learning the pros and cons now, I'm real excited to be joining a great coaching staff and a great organization like Vancouver. It's a new opportunity and I'm excited about it."
Genoway had eight goals and 29 points for the Pirates in 41 games this season. He planned to fly to Syracuse, N.Y., Wednesday night to meet his new teammates and hoped to be ready for Manitoba's game there Friday.
Rullier, a 26-year-old Montrealer played in just 24 of Manitoba's first 45 games and was a healthy scratch in nine of the last 12.
tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca
