WWYDW: Fixing The PP

The Canucks have been a nice story thus far. They’re currently occupying the third place slot in the Pacific Division, and are in the midst of a three-game winning streak. There’s still a long season ahead, but they’re in a good spot, especially considering where expectations were at the beginning of the season.

The power play is another story. It’s clicking at just 10%, good for 28th in the league. Most nights, it’s been painful to watch. In his Canucks Army debut, Janik Beichler offered some suggestions to fix the Canucks’ PP. Now it’s time to hear what you think. How would you improve the Canucks’ power play?

(My favourite comments last week came from all the people insisting I made up Vancouver’s tumultuous goaltending history. Even if you thought the Luongo-Schneider debacle was overblown, it’s pretty hard to deny if you’ve followed the team since any time before 2006. I see you there, historical revisionists.)

I would have Markstrom and Nilsson alternate until the new year. That should be long enough to let the better goalie reveal himself, who I would then give the majority of starts. And if neither goalie is clearly better, keep alternating. That way, neither goaltender gets worn down.

If I was answering this question before the season began I would have leaned towards a 60/40 split in Nilsson’s favour. The start of this season obviously hasn’t changed my mind. Neither Buffalo nor Vancouver had overly strong teams last year, and Nilsson’s numbers were superior to Markstrom’s individually. If I remember correctly, a slightly deeper dive revealed that Nilsson actually put together quite an impressive season considering the team in front of him. High-danger save percentage, and a few other underlying metrics had painted quite a flattering light on his season. After his first game of this season I’d like to see him given an extended chance to run with it, contracts be damned.

Nilsson has certainly earned the next start, either one could go on a hot streak. It’s a long season so barring injuries I suspect we will see 40 or so starts each.

Nillson has always been a promising goalie. As I recall, he had the Oilers in good position one recent spring until it all came crashing down for him. Getting a shutout in his first game is very nice, but I believe both Johan Hedberg and Mike Fountain did it in Canucks history, so it’s no guarantee. At this stage, they should keep it an open competition. I expect it will end with the Canucks having a goalie platoon this season.

Is there a rule against having both goalies on the ice at the same time?