On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal recapped a busy weekend not only for the Canucks but around the league.
Vancouver wrapped up the final game of their 7-game road trip earlier today in Columbus. After the Canucks were unable to hold on to their third-period lead for the first time this year, the Blue Jackets took this one 4-3 in a shootout. Though not the result we hoped for, the boys are heading home after having collected 11 of a possible 14 points from the trip out East.
Vancouver was delayed after their game in Buffalo due to extreme weather, which kept them from arriving in Columbus until about 9:30 pm Eastern time. The game continued as scheduled this morning at 10 am, which may have affected the Canucks’ energy level out there. This was the first game we’d seen anything less than dominance from the Lotto line, and with Elias Pettersson still keeping his high-level of play up, a listener asked the guys if they felt moving Pettersson back to Mikheyev and Kuzmenko’s line was a good move.
“You’re not splitting up the Lotto line; I just can’t imagine a scenario where that would be a good idea,” Quads stated.
Harm continued: “Yeah, Pettersson is playing his best even-strength hockey he has all season. I don’t think he’d be thrilled if you were like, ‘I know you’ve been having a ton of success with J.T. and Brock, and you finally have some high-end linemates, but how about we put you back with Mikheyev and Kuzmenko?’ Especially because the team has been winning. This was a really successful road trip. You’re probably going to have to juggle things up a little bit if and when you start losing some games and parts of your lineup get exposed, but right now, it’s working, and the team as a whole keeps winning.”
The guys then briefly talked about the All-Star game and the final players who were voted in by the fans, with Vancouver and Toronto players dominating the voting results. Pettersson, Miller, Boeser, Demko, Nylander, Rielly, and Marner were all voted in by the fans, with the Canucks sending the most players of any team.
Harm noted that although making the All-Star game is an accomplishment, it’s not always the best reflection of a player’s ability: “Miller’s clearly been that calibre of player year-in and year-out, yet this is somehow the first time he’s made it? That’s pretty wild.”
The guys then moved on to talk about a report that former Canuck and 10th overall pick Cody Hodgson has been eyeing a return to professional hockey.
Quads: “You have this great situation in Abbotsford where it’s a destination where players want to come. Especially for guys with families who don’t want to be travelling very far from the AHL to the NHL club, you have Abbotsford right there. I think it’d be an awesome story to tell and watch unfold; your veteran presence is Cody Hodgson. I would love to see it.
“I’d want to make sure a guy like Aatu Raty doesn’t have his minutes slashed,” Harm replied. “I’d want to make sure the center depth works out in a way where you’re not impeding on your prospects’ ice time, but otherwise, that would be a great story.”
“It depends on what Hodgson is looking to do,” Quads continued. “If he’s looking to prove himself and get back to the NHL, he’s going to look for the best situation, and perhaps Abbotsford isn’t that. But if he’s looking just to get back into pro hockey and he’s okay being more of a veteran presence and mentor for the next level, maybe he could be a fit.”
The guys closed out their conversation talking about the Canucks’ reported interest in KHL star Sasha Chmelevski.
You can watch the full replay of today’s show below:
Be sure to check out the live show Monday-Friday at 2 PM next week!
The show can be found on the CanucksArmy YouTube channel and the CanucksArmy Twitter account here. Clips of the show are also posted daily to the CanucksArmy YouTube channel, which you can find by clicking here.
The show is also available in podcast format around 2 PM every day wherever you get your podcasts! Be sure to subscribe to the CanucksArmy YouTube channel, and join in on the fun with the live chat!
