Monday Mailbag: The Vacant Captaincy, Alex Newhook, and Third Jerseys

It feels like the team is pretty much obligated to give it to Bo Horvat at this point, doesn’t it? I can’t remember hearing the phrase “future captain” attached to Canuck with such frequency at any other point in my lifetime. If the team feels they need to name a captain right away and doesn’t believe Horvat is ready, I could maybe see them giving it to Alex Edler or even Brandon Sutter for a short period. You could also include Brock Boeser or Elias Pettersson to appease the “just give it to the best player” crowd. Realistically, I don’t thin anyone in the system is prepared to mount a serious challenge to Horvat. Unless the Canucks get the first overall pick next season I’d say he’s basically a lock to be the next captain.

 

Nilsson, if a goalie is traded at all. He only has another year on his contract, so it’s likely the Canucks’ crowded crease is a problem that solves itself.

This was harder to answer than I’d initially anticipated. It can be complicated to assess a player’s ceiling, especially in the case of a player like Adam Gaudette, who’s shattered expectations at every level. I’d rank Lind has having the highest ceiling by a hair, followed closely by Dahlen and then Gaudette, and rank their likelihood of success in reverse order. I don’t see a ton of separation, though. All three are in a tight race to round out the top five Canucks prospects after Pettersson, Hughes, and Demko.

I could see the Blue Jackets having some interest at the deadline if the Canucks retain salary, but I think it’s more likely they wait another year to deal him. He’ll be much easier to move on an expiring deal.

Olli Juolevi has a legitimate chance. The Canucks’ defense was completely uninspiring last season, so I’d imagine they’d be open to some changes on the back end. Other than him, I think Adam Gaudette is the only other youngsters that really has a shot of making the team. Everyone else is just too young or inexperienced, and there are just too many bodies on the active roster to make room for anyone else until we see some injuries.

I haven’t seen in him in person but that’s something I’d like to correct this coming season. As far as his exclusion from the U18 squad goes, I’ve been finding it more and more difficult to understand Hockey Canada’s decisions when it comes to roster construction. It’s hard to fault a gold-medal winner, but there were some bizarre omissions from the 2018 World Junior Championship roster. Politics often play into these decisions, and you can bet the fact that Newhook’s decision to forgo the major junior route in favour of the NCAA was a factor in leaving him off the team.

I’d be more worried about Juolevi’s offensive ceiling than his defensive abilities. It’s not that I don’t think he can play, it’s that he may not be able to produce at the level one would hope for from a former fifth overall draft pick. I think most of the criticism stems from the fact that many of the players selected after him have already had impressive starts to their NHL careers. He may never live up to his selection, but ultimately there’s nothing to worry about.

It’s too early to tell, but it looks like Kaapo Kakko has the best chance right now of hearing his name called directly after Jack Hughes. There are definitely some other intriguing names at the top of the 2019 draft, including Alex Newhook, Bowen Byram, Peyton Krebs, Dylan Cozens, and Alex Turcotte among others. Obviously it’s tough to say so early in the game. No one has separated themselves from the pack at this stage.

Honestly? It looks fun. If you get a chance to spray water somewhere with no consequences you have to take it.

If history is any indication, there’s no way the team will go another year without a third jersey. I wouldn’t be surprised if the skate finally makes a return.

Last season the team waited until just a few days before the tournament to announce the rosters. I’d imagine they’l do the same this year.

I think the team will go without for now and name Bo Horvat as the captain in advance of the 2019-20 season.

The only bright side is that Linden’s departure will make the team more accountable in the future. It’s easier to sell the market on bad moves when the team president is arguably the most beloved player in team history.

I know this seems like something we would do but it’s never happened before, and likely never will. The CanucksArmy staff is scattered across the globe and more than a few writers are busy with careers, kids, or school. In addition, I generally don’t game as a rule. I have an old Nintendo 64 I might drag out of the closet occasionally, but I haven’t played a new release since NHL 14. It’s just not my thing.

If I was going to make a completely uneducated guess, I’d say Jason Hamilton is probably the best at NHL. Or Maybe Harman, since he’s a child and probably had a twitch stream in the womb. Kids these days.

I suspect we’ll still see some minor improvement from Horvat offensively. He’s also still got a lot of room to grow when it comes to his two-way play, which often takes longer to develop than a scoring touch. Horvat’s been a surprisingly poor defensive player over the last couple of seasons, but I think some consistent linemates and a good coach could help make his underlying numbers more respectable.