Finding the Right Mix in the Canucks Middle Six

Most of us have already pencilled Loui Eriksson in on a line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin. After all, that was a part of the pitch the Canucks sold Eriksson on when they signed him to a six-year $36-million contract.

I’m sure the Canucks have every intention of starting the season with the Swedish trio together, as they’ll all have missed training camp while representing Sweden at the World Cup of Hockey. Canucks Coach Willie Desjardins will need his top line to hit the ground running for the Canucks to keep pace in the playoff race early. The Canucks need for secondary scoring could test Desjardins patience with Eriksson as a fixture alongside the Sedins, though.

It’s no secret the Canucks need another impact forward in order to be a legitimate playoff contender. That’s why Canucks General Manager Jim Benning has inquired on every big name player available other than Kevin Durant. The hope is Anton Rodin and Jake Virtanen can have an impact along with Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi entrenching themselves as productive top nine players. 

But sometimes things don’t go as planned. A player takes a step back, injuries hit or something unforeseen comes about and derails a young player’s career for a while. That’s why the Canucks are still sniffing around the trade market, looking for that elusive scoring winger with some toughness. 

As it stands right now, it looks like the Canucks will start next season with these 13 forwards in some combination not too dissimilar to this:

D. Sedin – H. Sedin – Eriksson

Rodin – Sutter – Hansen

Baertschi – Horvat – Virtanen

Dorsett – Granlund – Burrows/Etem

Much of the Canucks ability to make the playoffs will hinge on Baertschi and Horvat’s ability to provide the bulk of their secondary scoring. Regardless of what else they get from the middle-six, the Canucks have little chance to go anywhere unless Sven and Bo build on their progression towards becoming top six forwards. Should they falter, though, can Desjardins afford to keep the top line intact?

The answer is probably no. Brandon Sutter will be a critical forward for the Canucks but likely as their shutdown ace and anchor on the penalty kill. Sutter could be an indispensable player for the team but it’s unrealistic to expect him to produce accordingly while also doing the bulk of the defensive lifting. The scoring will have to come from Horvat and Baertschi’s line, despite Desjardins choosing Sutter as his second line centre heading into next season.

This is where Loui Eriksson and his versatility comes in. As J.D. Burke outlined in his assessment of the signing, Eriksson has been able to drive play regardless of the line he played on in Boston. What we do know is that Jannik Hansen is a good fit with the Sedin twins and putting him back there would open up Eriksson to play on a different line. 

If I were a betting man — which I am on occasion — Eriksson would most likely play with Sutter if Desjardins decides to reunite Hansen with the twins in order to balance the lines. It wouldn’t necessarily be the worst idea since it’s likely Eriksson would help add some more punch to a line that could also include Rodin:

D. Sedin – H. Sedin – Hansen

Rodin – Sutter – Eriksson

Baertschi – Horvat – Virtanen

Dorsett – Granlund – Burrows/Etem

Even though Eriksson is set on playing with Henrik and Daniel, it may be too tempting for Desjardins to keep Loui on that line when he knows there’s a good chance the team can have more balanced scoring if Eriksson plays with Sutter or Horvat. Hansen’s goal’s per 60 minutes 5 v 5 was 1.21, which ranked in top five of the entire league. As impressive as that is, some of it was driven by playing with the twins so it’s unrealistic to expect Hansen to score at the same rate with different line-mates. In 2014-2015, Hansen’s goal scoring per 60 minutes 5 v 5 was .57, a considerable difference between the 1.21 this past season. The Sedin effect is real.

We’re also just talking about even strength ice-time because there’s no doubt Eriksson will unite with the twins on the first power play unit. Last season the Canucks power play was tied for third worst in the league with Tampa Bay at 15.8%. Conversely, the Bruins power play ranked seventh and clicked at a rate of 20.5%. Eriksson wasn’t the only reason Boston’s man advantage was tough to stop but he did score 10 power play goals — two more than Daniel Sedin. It should be a treat to watch Eriksson dance with the Sedin twins on the power play and a large part of the team’s production should come from the top power play unit next season.

Eriksson has proven he will score 20-30 goals in any given season without being dependant on certain line-mates. We can fairly safely assume Eriksson would produce in the same range even if he doesn’t play with Henrik and Daniel but we can’t assume the same for Hansen if he’s not playing alongside the twins. Unless Benning can find another top-six forward via trade, Eriksson is the best bet for the Canucks to get a balanced mix in the middle six.