Under the Tree: A Canucks Twitter Story

The holidays are here and it feels as though pumpkin spice has been forgotten quicker than Radim Vrbata’s 2014-15 MVP season, so I thought it would be fun to include Canucks Twitter in the yearly festivities and see what Canucks fans would like to see under the tree for Canucks players.

Oh, and just to clarify, Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.

Let’s get into it!

Betty couldn’t be more on point. Troy from Richmond is a hometown favourite and an analytics darling. Here’s a look at the 12 players that Stecher has been on the ice with the most since the beginning of the 2018-19 season.

Stecher is currently playing on the third pairing in Vancouver during a contract year. He’s making 2.325 million dollars and will likely be due for a raise if the Canucks want to keep him past 2019-20. Stecher brings more little things than Loui Eriksson and is able to play up the lineup in a pinch. He has been partnered with Jordie Benn for the bulk of this season and that pairing had been one of the most effective bottom pairings in the NHL.

I’d love to see Jim Benning put a 3-5 year contract under Stecher’s tree this Christmas. It’s obvious that Stecher truly enjoys playing for his hometown team, and this Christmas would be a great time to sign Stecher as he has only been averaging 14:33 of ice time this season and his ice time is beginning to climb (17:05 average over last 7 games) with the recent injury to Alex Edler.

Recent rumours have been swirling about the Canucks possibly looking to move Stecher while extending Chris Tanev and bringing up Brogan Rafferty. This is not good news for the local kid who so many Canucks fans have fallen in love with.

Duhhhhh…

Tanev got his fancy new personal protective equipment this offseason, maybe he will get some fancy Veneers under his tree this Christmas.

The young kids who have been succeeding in Travis Green’s game plan have played themselves into that spot. Green played Jake Virtanen for an average of 11:20 in his first seven games this season, but since then he has averaged 12:36 and has just recently been given some time on the second power play unit. Adam Gaudette is another example of a young forward who’s played himself into the lineup. Gaudette averaged 11:31 in his first eight games but since then has played 12:50 per game, including some very productive time on the second power play unit.

Then there’s Goldobin, who got 8 minutes that one game. #FreeGoldy

Jet Black Jimbo is going to hate to see “touch of grey” under his tree. Might as well give him a lump of coal, it’s possible that’s his secret to give his hair that “Jet Black” look.

Granville Island Jim is much more inviting for a great selfie!

Is it cool if we start calling Cale Makar a Grinch? Obviously, Quinn Hughes has been outstanding this season. His possession numbers and his ability to drive play has the league taking notice. According to NHL.com voters, Cale Makar is the favourite to win the Calder. We’ll see if that lasts. Canucks fans know how quickly things can change given that Brock Boeser was also the favourite for a good portion of his rookie season. Quinn has the skill to win the Calder, the only problem is that Cale Makar is pretty damn good himself and has a tremendous supporting cast.

It will be a fun race this season and the Canucks could have a Calder candidate for the third straight season which I don’t think has happened in a long time, if ever.

I didn’t understand this one at first, I had to reach out to a few of my female friends.

Apparently Jay Beagle is hot.

Who knew? Not me.

 

What do you get a man who gives you nothing?

Apparently retirement papers, a plane ticket to Utica and coal. I felt bad for Loui Eriksson while reading these tweets. Then I looked at my own bank account. He should feel bad for me.

The Canucks are starting to get healthy again, and Micheal Ferland could be part of that trend. If he is able to return to play and bring his physicality and aggressiveness, then the Canucks could have a dangerous bottom-six. Ferland can move around the lineup and Canucks fans would love if Ferland woke up on December 25th with some good health under his tree to help the Canucks during their playoff push.

I said pick a “Canucks” player. Nice try Cory.

If the Canucks were to lose two of Goldobin, Baertschi, Miller and Boeser we might see Reid Boucher play alongside Elias Pettersson. I’m not sure if he would take EP’s spot on the right circle but he could be effective on the second powerplay unit. Adam Gaudette and Reid Boucher on opposite circles would be something I could get down with.

This is the first year I have invested in an AHL subscription and I can safely say Boucher’s shot is too good for the AHL. He seems to be playing a better 200 foot game as well and he actually seems like the kind of player that Travis Green would like to have. Never say never I guess!

I knew that Cory would enjoy this one! Zack MacEwen has had an inauspicious start to his second season with the Canucks. He has been getting crushed in terms of shot share with a 30.77% Corsi, but that’s not a huge surprise coming from a from a fourth line call-up player who has played limited minutes. On the bright side, the Big Fella has been doing a great job of controlling the goal share early on: he has been on the ice for four goals scored and one goal against in 72 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time.

This Canucks team has a lot of depth wingers and MacEwen finds himself in that crowded group. He needs to continue to bring his physicality and be willing to drop the gloves at any time to be a full-time player for this Canucks team. He’s the type of guy you want to see go wild in the playoffs, making his presence felt every shift.

It might be a little early to find a place in Vancouver but Big Mac Zack should definitely be keeping an eye on the housing market.

Enjoy the holiday season with your friends and family!

I’ll see you all when the World Juniors begin on December 26th!