It’s getting chaotic for the Vancouver Canucks, and we aren’t even at that American Thanksgiving benchmark of the season just yet.

It appears change might be coming to the club, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioning that the Canucks have made some of their veteran players available, but not Quinn Hughes…at this time.

But in the meantime, they will push forward with the roster that they currently have. So, here are some outside-the-box ideas for the Canucks to get more out of their roster:

This might not be well received, but hear me out.

After Filip Chytil went down, there was a massive hole down the middle of the ice that the Canucks have not been able to fill. The in-house replacements did not work out well. So they outsourced to other teams to try to fill the void.

Lukas Reichel was acquired for a fourth-round pick, and David Kämpf was signed to a one-year, $1.1 million pro-rated deal after his contract was terminated with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both have since played in that 2C role. It didn’t work out for Reichel, while Kämpf is getting his shot up there currently.

As of the last game, here were the Canucks’ forward lines:

This isn’t a slight at Kämpf. However, most described the Czech centreman as a defensive-minded fourth-line centre that wouldn’t bring much offence. The Canucks needed his services as they struggled in the faceoff dot and on the penalty kill – two areas in which Kämpf thrives. So, are you really maximizing his value by deploying him with two offensive-minded forwards in Brock Boeser and Conor Garland? And are you getting the best offence out of those two players with the offensive-deficient Kämpf? Probably not.

With that in mind, here is our proposed top nine with Boeser at centre.

The Kane-Pettersson-Sherwood line we’ve seen a bit this season. They’ve been okay. The underlying numbers aren’t great. But Elias Pettersson is showing he can drive play again, with Kane and Sherwood being able to forecheck hard and retrieve pucks for Pettersson.

Obviously, the big change comes on the second line. But stacking DeBrusk-Boeser-Garland together would surely boost the offensive output. Outside of Pettersson, those are the Canucks’ three top offensive forwards.

The only problem would be in the faceoff dot. However, Boeser has been playing on that second line with Reichel/Kämpf. And we have noticed that whenever the Canucks have a right-side faceoff, it’s Boeser who takes the draw on his dominant side. So, they’re already trusting him to take faceoffs over Kämpf on the right side. And for a winger, Boeser has held his own. He’s 44.4% in the dot this season, which is good for a winger, all things considered.

But what are Boeser’s thoughts on playing the centre position?:

“Not really, no. But I mean, if they ever approached me and asked me, I think I’m smart enough to play the position, and I’m willing to do whatever to help the team win,” Boeser told CanucksArmy. “Kämpf, the first game we played together, he came up to me and asked if I wanted to try. So I was like, ‘Sure. Why not?’ And then it worked out [vs. Dallas] (3/4) – last game wasn’t too hot (1/4). But yeah, I think I’m pretty decent on draws, but, you know, I’m not above 50%, so I’m not that good. I just want to win those draws so bad, because they’re in the O-zone, and then [you get] possession, so it’s a big play.

“I think it’d be an adjustment. It definitely is different. Like, you definitely spend more energy at the centre position in the D-zone. So I think it would just be a matter of how much time we’re spending in the D-zone. Yeah, I don’t know. I think I can handle it. I mean, there’s times in the games when you’re the first forward back, and you’ve got to play centre.”

Having DeBrusk on his wing could also alleviate the left-side duties if needed. He often comes in when Pettersson gets waived out, and has a 46.7% faceoff percentage this season. Let’s not forget, the Canucks already have the seventh-worst faceoff percentage (47.4%) in the NHL. It’s an area they are already struggling in. I think they’d trade a few extra faceoff losses for the offensive output the line could create.

That leads us to the third line, which can be their defensive shutdown line. Is that a big ask of Räty at this stage? Maybe a bit. But with his trajectory, Räty is trending toward becoming a bottom-six defensive role player. Have him learn that role with two defensively sound forwards against tough competition, as he succeeded against when matched-up against the Dallas Stars two games ago.

And sure, they wouldn’t want to move Kämpf to the wing full-time, given his 59% faceoff win rate since joining the Canucks. However, as we mentioned, Kämpf was already rotating out of the faceoff dot for right-side draws for Boeser. Why not have Räty, and his unique faceoff technique where he flips his stick to use as a scoop, take the right-side draws, and Kämpf take the left-side faceoffs?

Now, the biggest pushback about playing Boeser at centre would be his foot speed, and whether he could handle the other centres’ speed. While Boeser might not have the preferred foot speed, it’s not like Kämpf is a burner at this stage either. Boeser has a top speed of 21.08 MPH this season, while Kämpf’s highest speed score is 19.61 MPH. Take those back to last season, and Kämpf has a narrow edge on Boeser for top speed burst (22.4 MPH to 21.76 MPH). And if Boeser gets beat, DeBrusk and Garland can more than make up for Boeser’s lack of speed.

Ideally, do you want Boeser to be the 2C? Of course not. But the Canucks don’t have that replacement on the roster right now. And the guys they have brought in aren’t necessarily complementing their offensive abilities enough to help the line produce. So stacking up the second line could lead to more offence, while also allowing Kämpf an opportunity to thrive in a shutdown role on the third line.

We understand that the first one might be a bit of a long shot, but this one is a bit more realistic.

It was a bit odd to see Reichel go from 2C to 4C and then out of the lineup, without trying him out on the wing? Was he drafted as a centre? Yes. Did he want to try to prove he could be a centre? Also yes. But, like many players in the NHL, they are drafted as centres and convert to the wing. Why hasn’t he been given an opportunity to show what he can do on the flank in what clearly is the position he’s best suited for?

Going from a healthy scratch to the top line is a tall task for anybody, let alone a 23-year-old still trying to find his footing at the NHL level. However, at this point, the Canucks have to figure out what they have in him. The team is 30th in the standings, and they traded an asset to get him. They should be able to afford trying him out in an elevated role to learn more about the player. He showed flashes in the early stage of his Canucks tenure, displaying his speed while logging seven shots on goal through his first three games.

And there’s no better way to see what they might have in a player than playing him with the best forward. Put him on the left side of Pettersson and Garland, two forwards the team trusts defensively. And hey, if that doesn’t work out, at least they tried, and the organization has their answer on Reichel’s future with the club.

This would result in Kane getting shifted down the lineup. To be fair, it might be something the veteran needs. After missing the entire regular season, Kane has played the ninth-most 5v5 minutes (347:52) of all NHL forwards this season. And despite the heavy usage, he has yet to light the lamp at 5v5, which is shocking considering his willingness to shoot from what seems like everywhere and anywhere.

MacKenzie MacEachern was assigned to AHL Abbotsford on Monday, and Teddy Blueger’s availability is still in question. So, there’s a spot in the lineup for the taking. Reichel could draw back in the lineup as soon as Wednesday evening against the Anaheim Ducks.

The excitement on this team has certainly worn off. And what gets the fans the most excited? New prospects in the lineup.

Call up Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Victor Mancini and send Arshdeep Bains and Tom Willander down to Abbotsford.

Lekkerimäki brings his shot, which the Canucks saw firsthand was a deadly weapon in training camp and preseason. And at this point, Mancini just looks more NHL-ready than Tom Willander.

That’s not slight to Willander; he has played just fine for a 20-year-old in the NHL. Could he be a bit better along the walls and in the defensive zone? Probably, but that will come as he develops. But the team in Vancouver continues to lose, so bringing in a fresh face and letting Willander be “the guy” for a team rather than averaging sub-13 minutes per game might be what’s best for both sides and their long-term future.

Bains is another guy who probably should get back into game action. He has been out of the Canucks lineup for the past five games. After starting the season hot with two points through his first three games, while logging shorthanded minutes, Bains’ play tappered off, and he found himself in the press box.

The biggest concern about sending Bains down is that he’s waiver-eligible. However, with just one goal and four points, and a minus-12 rating, in 39 career NHL games, the 24-year-old likely would survive and report to Abbotsford.

Lekkerimäki has two goals and four points in four games, and Mancini is still in search of his first point of the season in Abbotsford.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Which outside-the-box idea do you think would be the best to help the Canucks get more out of their roster? Let us know in the comments below!