On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by Rinkwide’s Jeff Paterson to discuss the Vancouver Canucks’ lineup adjustments with Quinn Hughes out, the debuts of Filip Chytil and Marcus Pettersson, and Brock Boeser’s contract situation.

With Hughes ruled out, the Canucks had to shuffle their defensive pairs, and Carson Soucy appeared to be the odd man out.

“Quinn’s a gamer, he wants to play, but either he or the medical staff decided it’s not worth it at this point, so we’re robbed of a Quinn Hughes vs. Cale Makar matchup tonight,” said JPat. “No Hughes, what does that mean? They skated in the same defensive pairs they did the other night, Carson Soucy and Victor Mancini seemed to be the extra pair. I asked Tocchet about his scratching philosophy, and he said Soucy needs a reset and a kick in the ass. It was clear that the coaching staff wasn’t happy with him. I don’t think Mancini was a throw-in in this deal either, I want to see him. He’s played 15 games and has said he was really happy with the games he got in the NHL earlier this year.”

The Canucks’ supposed top line of Pettersson, Boeser, and DeBrusk has been stagnant, and with the team desperate for offence, those players need to step up.

“I don’t know how much patience Tocchet should have with that group we call the top line, but none of those guys are going, so it’s not ideal,” JPat remarked. “It looks like Chytil is going to skate between Garland and Joshua. Garland and Chytil had some moments last game; hopefully, Joshua can find a spark and get going.”

Drew O’Connor’s name was mentioned as a potential option to shake things up, but JPat doesn’t see him as a long-term solution.

“Drew O’Connor wasn’t brought in to play a top-six role,” JPat noted. “We’ve seen this for far too many seasons now where they’ve just shuttled guys through that role. O’Connor has some traits that are intriguing and looked alright in his debut, and maybe he can do spot-duty like we saw from Sherwood — bring a spark and make some things happen. But long term, O’Connor isn’t the answer in the top six. They need the guys that are already there to step up and perform.”

JPat was impressed with Marcus Pettersson’s debut, even if he isn’t the type of player to make highlight reels.

“I thought he was as advertised,” JPat said. “Not spectacular — you’re not going to the rink thinking, ‘I can’t wait to see what Marcus Pettersson does tonight’ — but when you think about how much time the Canucks spend in their own zone and their puck-moving struggles, he was quietly effective in that regard. He’s bigger than I thought as well, he’s got the size and we know he’s not afraid. His job is to be disruptive, use that size and reach, and when the puck is on his stick, you want it moving in the right direction. He also comes with a reputation — good guy, good locker room presence — and when you think about the cloud that’s hung over this locker room, don’t discount that.”

As for Filip Chytil, JPat thought his skill and speed were noticeable right away.

“I thought he was terrific in his debut. His speed was noticeable, he was able to get a shot off the rush a few times and force Alex Lyon to make some stops. Ultimately, his goal was patience and some finish, and I loved the celebration. Chytil has shown he’s got the offensive chops to make some things happen. Whether it rubs off on teammates, time will tell. It’s hard to truly gauge this new group of Canucks without Hughes — you can bring in new pieces, but Quinn means so much and the way he dominates.”

With the trade deadline approaching, the Canucks face a tough decision regarding Boeser, who is set to become a free agent at season’s end.

“If they fall further off the playoff pace by the time March 7 rolls around, I think they absolutely shop him and see what’s out there,” said JPat. “If they think they’re going to be in the playoff mix and move him — someone’s gotta score the goals. They just don’t have enough offense even if Boeser is having an off-year. It’s a day-by-day situation, and we know what Brock Boeser is. There are basically ten games between now and the deadline, so the fact they’ve come this far without any significant dialogue or being close on a deal, it feels like this organization is prepared to move on from Boeser. If you let him walk as an RFA, it feels like a missed opportunity to recoup something, but how do you replace the goal-scoring of Boeser? You’ve got to pay someone to come in and do the job.”

You can watch the full segment below: