Bring on the Youth Movement!

Last night the Vancouver Canucks dressed seven players who were 23 years of age or younger, and it’s exactly what Canucks fans have been asking for.

Even though the Canucks were led by Daniel Sedin, it was refreshing to watch with Bo Horvat, Sven Baerstchi, Jared McCann, Jake Virtanen, Ben Hutton, Emerson Etem and Mike Zalewski making up 35% of the dressed roster. There are many fans of the ‘Team Tank’ variety and dressing this many young players does lend credence to that movement, but there’s a silver lining all the same. If we add Linden Vey (24), Luca Sbisa (25) and Jacob Markstrom (25), the Canucks had 10 of their 20 dressed players that were 25 or under.

Veterans like Chris Higgins and Brandon Prust have been largely ineffective this season and haven’t provided much excitement. Looking like they are just going through the routine of the season. Replacing these players with Virtanen and Baertschi gives the Canucks more speed, more offence and most importantly for their fans, something they want to watch. The last few weeks, Horvat and Baertschi have been a revelation to watch – they have chemistry, feed off each other and compete. This goal against the New York Rangers earlier this week is exactly what we want to see:

Horvat taking the puck around the net and perfectly passing onto the stick of Baertschi for the goal. Obviously there is some question of when this hot streak will end, but I’m hopeful they’ve plenty left in the tank.

In that game against the Rangers, Virtanen was supposed to play but was a late scratch after Prust ‘requested’ to play (to put it nicely). For as much as the selection of Virtanen at sixth overall has been maligned in this space, I’m all too happy to ponder a world where he proves us wrong and to do that he’ll need ice time. Virtanen adds a speed element that Prust cannot, and he has the offensive upside that can grow by playing more. So, the best approach is to play him!

Where to even begin with Ben Hutton. It’s simple, Canucks fans want to see him play. He led all Canucks skaters in ice time against the Rangers on Tuesday. This is after his first NHL goal on Sunday against the Islanders.

Hutton’s happiness and excitement about the game are infectious among his teammates and fans. Every time we see Hutton with a big smile on his face, we can’t help but smile with him. He is living his dream of playing in the NHL and giving excitement to a fan base that is begging for something to be excited about. Thomas Drance did a fantastic job of breaking down Hutton’s importance to the organization earlier in the week.

With Henrik Sedin injured, McCann has been filling in on the top line and looked good. Obviously, it helps to play with a future hall of famer in Daniel Sedin and a very good NHL player in Jannik Hansen, but McCann hasn’t looked out of place in the slightest. McCann has always been that wildcard prospect, a player with a great skillset that if the stars aligned could be a future top 6 centre. He has looked every bit the part in the two separate occasions that he has filled in for the injured Canucks captain this season. You’ll sense the theme reoccurring here, but I want to watch McCann play that role.

Emerson Etem was acquired a couple of weeks ago and has come into the Canucks lineup like a man on a mission. He understands this may be his last chance to stick in the NHL, and is doing everything he can to stay. He has mostly played with Alexandre Burrows and Linden Vey on the third line. Like all of the Canucks, they have been heavily outshot, so their Corsi and PDO is a bit of an eyesore, but compared to the rest of the team, not terrible. Etem made a great play to snap Burrows goal drought on Tuesday.

I still think the deal the Canucks made to acquire Etem was a great return on dwindling assets and worth the risk of Etem ‘putting it all together’.  Etem playing regularly is a good thing for himself personally to help regain confidence, and for the Canucks to see what they have in the former first round pick.

Linden Vey was a write-off to start the season after being waived and assigned to Utica. He was recalled when injuries were plaguing the Canucks and has looked great on this road trip. He is out there late in games, trying to protect leads and help in all zones of the ice. As we mentioned, he has been playing with Etem and Burrows recently and that line has been chipping in offensively. Many fans lamented trading a 2nd round pick for Vey, but if he continues to build on his recent success, that frustration will melt away.

Last, but not least, is Mike Zalewski.

Signed as an unrestricted free agent out of college by former GM Mike Gillis, Zalewski had a sub-par season last year in Utica which resulted in the Canucks not qualifying him. They did sign him to an AHL contract, and he took it from there. Through various injuries and other callups, Zalewski has been one of the best and most consistent Comets. Working night in and night out to grow his offensive game. It earned the upgrade to an NHL contract and recall to the Canucks. With Adam Cracknell filling the fourth line centre role, there was always a chance that the Canucks may want to take a look at another player in that role and it looks like Zalewski is getting that chance.

I want to see Zalewski play, he’s earned this opportunity and will battle to keep it.

Earlier this week, Trevor Linden was on TSN 1040 and suggested that the Canucks will see how things go over the next month and then make some decisions about their roster. Reading between the lines, and based on the current roster deployment, it looks like Canucks management is secretly hoping that the kids seize this opportunity and run with it. Obviously, this team is still run by the Sedin’s but having youth fill out the rest of the roster is great for the long-term development of the organization.

I have been a huge advocate of trading away as many of the pending unrestricted free agents for picks and prospects as you can, without cleaning house, and just let the kids play. Trading a player like Vrbata is a prudent way to maximize your current position with hopes of attaining more futures, for as early as next season. This isn’t a full ‘Team Tank’ thought process, it’s more along the lines of ‘I want to see the kids play, and let the chips fall as they may’.

If Thursdays’ lineup is any indication of things to come, then the kids will be alright.