It’s been a season full of twists and turns for the Vancouver Canucks and there’s no reason to think that will change with six games to go before the National Hockey League’s March 7th Trade Deadline and 27 games remaining on the team’s regular season schedule. With that in mind, here are six pressing questions facing the Canucks as they launch into their stretch run on Saturday night in Las Vegas:
1) What does the goaltending workload look like?
With Thatcher Demko injured and Kevin Lankinen locked up long term, it certainly feels like it’s now Lankinen’s net. But the 29-year-old can’t play every game and, like almost every goaltender, saw his play dip when the Canucks leaned too heavily on him when he started 14 of 17 games in November and into mid-December. The Canucks can’t afford to run into that situation again. But they also can no longer count on Demko to stay healthy and there is no clarity on his latest injury other than he’ll be re-evaluated when the Canucks come off this current five-game road trip.
That’s where Arturs Silovs enters the conversation, but with just one win in six NHL starts this season, there is now some real heat on Silovs to perform whenever he gets tapped to tend the net. It’s not enough for the 23-year-old Latvian to show flashes of a competent NHL puck stopper, he needs to deliver victories. With 27 games over 54 nights and with five sets of back-to-backs, it seems unwise for Lankinen to play more than 20 times down the stretch. Getting Demko back to shoulder some of the load is the best case scenario.
But that’s hardly an iron clad guarantee given his current and recent health issues. With 63 points through 55 games, the Canucks likely need 30 more points to secure a playoff berth. It’s going to be interesting to see how many of those points will be on the back of Lankinen and how many will be delivered by one of the other netminders.
2) Can the Canucks expect an uptick in production from forward Elias Pettersson?
The same questions that were asked about Pettersson heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off remain after an uninspiring performance for Team Sweden. In fact, maybe even more questions have surfaced after Pettersson was parked for the final 15 minutes of Sweden’s final game of the tournament and then left Friday’s practice early after rejoining the Canucks in Vegas.
So it feels like a long shot at this stage to think that the 26-year-old will look markedly different for the Canucks than he did before the brief break. As a refresher, Pettersson is seventh on the team in goals with 11 and is tied for third in team scoring with 34 points. As many have noted throughout the season, it’s not even the disappointing counting statistics that are the main concern. It’s the drastic decline in shot volume and velocity coupled with troubling speed burst and skating metrics. All of this for the price of $11.6M per season.
So what does it all mean? The Canucks will certainly hope that something clicks for Pettersson and he rediscovers the form that led him to his 102 point season not that long ago. But if he is physically limited and unable to gain a step and some added pop in his shot at this stage of the season, it’s likely to be a grind over the final 27 games. That is if he’s available to play all 27 games left on the schedule.
3) Is there enough offence in this lineup?
With Pettersson in a holding pattern, it’s certainly going to make it difficult for the Canucks to lean on their top centre. As it stands right now, the team will need its leading scorers to heat up just to reach 30 goals and 50 points this season. That has red flags all over it. It’s important to note that on the team’s current 6-1-1 run into the break, the Canucks beat Washington, San Jose and Toronto 2-1 – and beat Nashville 3-1 with an empty net goal.
It’s pretty clear that this team is looking to grind out low-scoring victories. And that’s fine. But on those nights – and there will be several – when opponents get two (or more), can the Canucks find enough goal scoring to match? It’s going to be difficult.
Jake DeBrusk is streaky. Brock Boeser can be, too. Filip Chytil and Drew O’Connor are both off to nice starts since being acquired, but can they continue to deliver? Kiefer Sherwood got off to a red-hot start, but has faded offensively since Christmas. Conor Garland has five goals since January 1st, but has just one assist in that time. And Pius Suter, with 14, is the only other forward with more than five goals this season. Elite offensive production is now without question the biggest issue facing this hockey club.
4) Can Quinn Hughes stay healthy enough to carry the team to the playoffs?
With two injuries since Christmas, Quinn Hughes has been forced to miss eight of the team’s last 21 games. He wasn’t able to get clearance to compete in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Now the Canucks start out of their break with two sets of back to back games and there is no guarantee Hughes will be ready for either of them. While there is uncertainty regarding Hughes’ status, this much is known for sure: the Canucks will lean heavily on the captain whenever he’s back in the lineup.
But you also have to know that other teams will be testing him physically any chance they get. And as the stakes rise in games down the stretch, so too will the physicality. Adding Marcus Pettersson to the left side should, in theory, help reduce Hughes’ workload somewhat. And maybe less can, in fact, be more. But he’s a superstar and as such is still going to play a lot of meaningful minutes.
The Canucks will go as far as Quinn Hughes can take them, but he can’t be expected to shoulder the load if he’s not fully healthy. The team has to smartly manage his workload both in games and between games. And, of course, all of this begs the question of what will Hughes have left for the post-season if he’s played into the ground just to help the Canucks make the playoffs in the first place?
5) Will the Canucks alter the roster further before the deadline?
Every day that goes by without an extension for Brock Boeser, it’s fair to wonder if his time as a Canuck is nearing its end. A pending UFA, Boeser has watched as the Canucks have locked up Marcus Pettersson, Drew O’Connor and now Kevin Lankinen in recent weeks but haven’t made an offer that Boeser’s camp has found to its liking. As such, it seems Boeser will be in play as a rental before the deadline.
The Canucks may feel they need to get something to avoid seeing Boeser walk away for nothing this summer. But if they peddle him, they will be moving off a soon-to-be 28-year-old with a 40-goal season on his resume. While he may not be on that pace this season, he still has a legitimate shot of hitting the 30-goal mark. See above and ask yourself who is expected to score goals for this hockey club? The Canucks have been chasing scoring wingers for years and if they move off Boeser it feels like they’ll be back in the bind of trying to find guys that can put the puck in the net.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki will fill that role to a degree, but teams with championship aspirations need a bunch of goal-scoring wingers, not just one 20-year-old prospect in the system. Do the Canucks shop their first round pick to add scoring help? Do they put any of their young defensive prospects in play? Is Carson Soucy expendable? The countdown is on to the deadline and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone to see the Canucks continue to overhaul their roster before March 7th.
6) Is Rick Tocchet’s future hanging in the balance of the final 27 games?
While the coach’s future has been overshadowed by drama elsewhere in the organization this season, don’t sleep on this as an emerging issue in the weeks ahead. If Tocchet can guide this team to the playoffs, it seems like a certainty that he will be able to command an extension from the club. However, if the Canucks fall short of a playoff appearance, some difficult decisions will have to be made.
There is certainly enough grumbling from some corners of the fanbase about the low-event style the team plays that doesn’t measure up in terms of excitement. Can the hockey club, which just announced ticket price hikes for next year, sell another season of low-event hockey to the paying customer? And Tocchet, himself, will obviously have a say in what’s next. Does he see himself as a long-term fit here? Does he like the direction the organization is headed? Will he seek opportunity elsewhere either in coaching or a return to the broadcasting business?
Yes, there are options for both sides to extend the coach’s current deal, but if the team drops below the playoff bar just a year after a 50-win season, there is no guarantee that Rick Tocchet is the head coach to start next season. So it’s safe to say these final 27 games hold significant weight for the organization – on the ice and behind the bench.
Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!
