5 Canucks Players who still have something to prove this preseason

Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports

The kids have looked so good, they’re making the veterans look bad. 

Strong preseason play from centre Jared McCann, 19, left wing Brendan Gaunce, 21, and defenceman Ben Hutton, 22, is keeping a vast array of prospects in the mix for spots on the Vancouver Canucks’ opening-night roster. Coach Willie Desjardins likes what he’s seeing from the rookies, but has been less impressed with the effort of some of his regulars.

“If guys deserve it, we have to get them in the lineup,” said Desjardins after the Canucks’ 1-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. “Other guys have got to step up and play better.”

Here’s a look at five of those “other guys,” who haven’t played up to their expected levels so far in preseason.

Linden Vey hit all the right notes heading into training camp, telling Ben Kuzma of The Province that this season is “do or die” for him and that he worked to get stronger over the summer “because I have to be able to do a job against big centres.”

So far that hasn’t happened. Despite getting quality ice time with offensive linemates against Arizona on Monday and against San Jose on Tuesday, Vey remains pointless through four preseason games and has generated just three shots on goal. 

Faceoffs continue to be a problem for the wiry native of Wakaw, Saskatchewan. He won just two of 10 draws on Tuesday at the Shark Tank.

General manager Jim Benning traded a second-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Kings to acquire Vey, who had played his junior hockey for Desjardins in Medicine Hat. Unless Vey shows something special in Vancouver’s final two preseason games, Benning may have to cut his losses. Could the club risk losing Vey on waivers when the time comes to make their final roster decisions?

Benning used another second-round pick at the 2015 trade deadline to bring in Sven Baertschi, a talented but enigmatic scorer who had frustrated Calgary Flames management during parts of four seasons.

After his acquisition, Baertschi teased Canucks fans with two slick goals in last year’s regular-season finale against the Edmonton Oilers, then led the AHL’s Utica Comets with eight goals during their run to the Calder Cup Final. But he was pointless in two playoff games with Vancouver last spring and has yet to factor into the Canucks’ preseason scoring.

Still just 22-years-old, Baertschi shouldn’t be taking a cavalier approach to this training camp. He needs to show that Benning’s right about his ability to produce offensively as a second-line left wing.

Ronalds Kenins earned a roster spot with the Canucks last season by hitting everything that moved and showing a sneaky scoring touch from the left faceoff circle.

He wore down as the season went along, but was rewarded with a one-way contract over the summer—signalling that he’d be expected to stick at the NHL level this year.

It’s hard to believe that the 24-year-old Latvian has taken his financial security to mean that his roster spot is a sure thing, but he hasn’t played like he has something to prove during preseason. He was invisible when gifted with a first-line opportunity to play with the Sedins, has accumulated a team-worst minus-four in four games and, perhaps most shockingly, finished Tuesday’s game in San Jose without recording a single hit.

Kenins has a one-way contract, but he’s still waiver exempt. He’s an easy body to ship down to the AHL if Benning and Desjardins decide they want to make room for their young standouts.

Brandon Sutter’s not about to get sent to the minors, but he has yet to show Canucks fans why Jim Benning believes he’s a significant upgrade over Nick Bonino down the middle.

“I haven’t seen him play his best,” Desjardins told Ben Kuzma after Tuesday’s practice. “I see a guy who’s big and a good skater and who understands the game real well, but just hasn’t got that involved.”

Sutter’s pointless in three games so far, and has been less-than-dazzling on the faceoff dot, but he feels he’s making progress in his new surroundings.

“The first two games this year, I was excited and ready to go, and you go out there and it’s like you forgot how to play hockey,” Sutter admitted to Kuzma. “After the third, you start to feel it. Right now, you don’t expect to feel great, but the goal is to feel 100 per cent by that first game.”

Benning has called Sutter a “foundation piece” for the Canucks going forward and has locked him up with a five-year contract extension, but Bo Horvat’s already breathing down Sutter’s neck for that second-line centre position.

Sutter shouldn’t wait till opening night to dial in his “A” game.

Late last season, Yannick Weber could have been mistaken for Shea Weber, using his booming point shot to ignite the Canucks’ first power-play unit.

Weber finished the year with career highs in goals (11) and points (21), but his offense dried up in the playoffs. He was pointless and posted a minus-five rating playing with the normally-reliable Dan Hamhuis.

Weber’s dry spell has continued into preseason, where he’s pointless in three games.

Out of nowhere—well, out of the University of Maine, actually—Ben Hutton has stepped into the Canucks’ defence and picked up four assists in his first five games. 

Vancouver’s blue line isn’t exactly brimming with offensive talent, but Hutton’s appearance changes the landscape a little bit. Weber now needs to pick up his game if he wants to protect his lineup position and his precious power-play time once the regular season begins.