The 2019/20 Canucks, As Voted By The Fans: The Fourth Line
4 years ago
Welcome back to The “2019/20 Canucks As Voted By The Fans” Series
If you missed the first few editions of the series, here’s a brief description of what’s going on here:
“Through a series of polls, we’re asking fans to vote on their preferred forward lines and defense pairings for the 2019/20 Vancouver Canucks, based on the team’s current roster. Each week, we’ll be presenting the various options for each unit and discussing the pros and cons of every possible combination—until we’re left with some sort of a consensus.”
Voting remains open for the team’s second defense pairing, but CanucksArmy readers have already made their selections for the Canucks’ first three lines and top defense pairing—resulting in a partial lineup of:
JT Miller-Elias Pettersson-Brock Boeser
Tanner Pearson-Bo Horvat-Micheal Ferland
Sven Baertschi-Adam Gaudette-Jake Virtanen
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Alex Edler-Troy Stecher
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The most recent round of polls saw all three forward positions on the third line up for grabs—and it also saw decisive victories at each position.
Adam Gaudette more than tripled the amount of votes received by Brandon Sutter for the third line center position—a clear indication that fans aren’t looking for a checking unit:
Winning their poll by an even wider margin was Jake Virtanen at right wing, who left his closest competitor—Josh Leivo—in the dust:
Sven Baertschi had a little more competition for the third line left wing spot, but not much—he still tripled the votes of Josh Leivo, who had the misfortune of placing second at both wing positions:
The resulting third line is plainly designed for producing offense, not handling a heavy defensive assignment—and its success will hinge heavily on the sophomore performance of Gaudette.
With that trio selected, it’s time to finish off the forward corps by voting in the fourth line—a unit that will presumably be picking up some of that aforementioned defensive load.
As a special note for this round of polling, please consider the fourth line in its entirety when casting your votes—or, in other words, don’t vote for a fourth line with two Brandon Sutters on it!
Center on the Fourth Line
At this point, it’s really down to just two options—the foundational player versus the prototypical fourth line center. Apologies to Tyler Graovac, but we’re leaving this one as a two-horse race.
Option 1: Brandon Sutter
Pros:
-Sutter is certainly the more skilled of the two options.
-He’s due for a bounce back of sorts after an injury-plagued season.
-A stronger skater than Jay Beagle, which may be a better fit down the middle of what promises to be a fast-paced fourth line.
-Has the size to play match-up minutes with some of the monstrous centers of the west.
-Pretty good at faceoffs.
Cons:
-Sutter has a history of shutting down his own linemates’ offense.
-Nowhere near as defensively effective as his reputation suggests.
-Will need to be moved eventually for cap purposes.
Option 2: Jay Beagle
Pros:
-Was signed with exactly this job in mind.
-Has been the fourth-line center on a Cup-winning team in the recent past.
-The Canucks’ faceoff king.
-Proven capable of eating minutes with a heavy defensive slant.
-Looking to bounce back to an extent after a broken hand interrupted his Vancouver debut.
Cons:
-Already slow, and not getting any faster at age 33.
-Contributes next-to-nothing offensively.
-More effective on the penalty kill than at 5v5.
Vote below for your preference at center on the Canucks’ fourth line:
Left Wing on the Fourth Line
For the fourth line wings, we’ve had to get a little creative. Since Josh Leivo and Tyler Motte could play either wing—Leivo is a right-hander who prefers the left side, and Motte has regularly played all three forward positions—we’ve made each of them options in both polls. To accommodate for that, we’ve dropped Loui Eriksson from the polls—because, let’s be honest, most fans have already mentally assigned him to Utica.
Option 1: Josh Leivo
Pros:
-Leivo has been able to produce from anywhere in the lineup.
-Plenty of experience playing in the bottom-six.
-He has some degree of grit to his game.
-Plays best on his off-wing.
-Underlying numbers suggest some ability to create offense on his own—which he’ll need in a fourth line role.
Cons:
-Leivo already struggles with inconsistency, and that’s amplified by limited minutes.
-Pairing a right-shot winger on the left side with a right-shot center could prove for awkward playmaking.
-In for quite an adjustment after spending much of the season with Elias Pettersson.
Option 2: Nikolay Goldobin
Pros:
-Enough offensive creativity to set up even his least-talented teammates.
-Playing Goldobin on the fourth line might be the perfect way for him to get back in Travis Green’s good book.
-Could also be a great opportunity to work on the defensive side of his game.
Cons:
-Goldobin does not play a style of game conducive to the fourth line.
-He discussed in a recent interview how difficult it is to utilize his skillset on the fourth line with less “technical” linemates.
-Brings questionable forechecking abilities to a line that will almost certainly dump and chase.
Option 3: Tyler Motte
Pros:
-All energy, all the time—even in limited minutes.
-An excellent forechecker built for a fourth line role.
-Motte has more offensive upside than he lets on.
-Developed his physical play throughout 2018/19 season and should continue to do so.
Cons:
-Motte isn’t going to draw any offense out of a struggling center.
-Less skilled than other options available for the fourth line.
-Doesn’t always play with a high degree of control to his game.
-Depth-wise, should probably be an extra forward at best.
Option 4: Tim Schaller
Pros:
-Provides the most “grit” of any other option on the left wing.
-Schaller had a brief flourishing of offense at the end of the 2018/19 season.
-Experience playing this role on a playoff team in the recent past.
Cons:
-Schaller likely played his way off the team with a consistently lackluster performance last season.
-His attempts at physical play are often futile.
-Did not arrive in Vancouver with the same energy he displayed in Boston.
-Limited offensive upside even if he does rebound.
Vote below for your preference at left wing on the Canucks’ fourth line:
Right Wing on the Fourth Line
The fourth line right wing is the one spot on the lineup left for a non-Quinn Hughes rookie to break through—but Zack MacEwen will have to face some tough competition if he wants to crack the roster.
Option 1: Tyler Motte
Pros:
-Motte seemed to have the most success on the right wing last season.
-His aforementioned energy works from anywhere on the ice.
-Could feasibly swap back and forth with a winger like Josh Leivo fairly regularly—even within games.
Cons:
-Still a left shooter and a natural left-winger.
-Still might not be skilled enough to hold down a permanent roster spot.
Option 2: Zack MacEwen
Pros:
-MacEwen is coming off a breakout pro season on the right wing.
-He would instantly become one of the team’s toughest players—and add a unique element to the fourth line.
-Seems destined to play this role long-term if he makes it to the NHL.
-Could mesh well with a big, lumbering center.
Cons:
-Ability to skip waivers makes it more likely he’ll be sent down.
-Only just broke out at the pro level, and could use more AHL seasoning.
-Would struggle to maintain his scoring roll of 2018/19 with Beagle or Sutter as his center.
Option 3: Josh Leivo
Pros:
–Easily the most skilled option available.
-Leivo is a right-handed shooter, even if he mostly plays on the left.
-There is less competition for him on this side of the ice.
Cons:
-Leivo has limited experience on the right wing.
-His inconsistency issues could be amplified by limited minutes in an unfamiliar position.
Option 4: Brandon Sutter/Jay Beagle
Since one of these two will be lining up at center ice, we’ve combined the two of them for this final right wing option.
Pros:
-Either player provides a backup option in the faceoff circle.
-Both have considerable size to offer.
-Both have right shots.
Cons:
-Both have limited experience on the wing.
-Both struggle enough offensively in their natural position, and likely won’t produce much from the wing.
Vote below for your preference at right wing on the Canucks’ fourth line:
Who Didn’t Make The Cut?
As mentioned, we took Loui Eriksson out of consideration—and it’s fair to say that most fans expect him to start the 2019/20 season with the Utica Comets. Joining him will be a host of other depth forwards including Reid Boucher, Francis Perron, Justin Bailey, and Tyler Graovac—each of whom could play themselves into a callup at some point. A few late cuts—including Tim Schaller and Zack MacEwen, most likely—will also end up in Utica and will probably be first on the callup list.
There are also a few younger forwards to consider—Kole Lind, Jonah Gadjovich, and Lukas Jasek included—but each of them is probably at least a season away from any NHL time.
Who do you think is most likely to be called up from Utica in the case of a forward injury?
As always, thanks for reading and thanks for participating in the 2019/20 Canucks As Voted By The Fans series. Both your votes and your discussion in the comment section are greatly appreciated.
Tune in early next week to participate in our final round of polling for the third defense pairing, and then we’ll bring it all back a week later to reveal the final results—and the official 2019/20 Vancouver Canucks lineup as voted by you!
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