All was quiet on the Western front for the Vancouver Canucks as the 2015 NHL trade deadline neared a close. Not long after the noon deadline, though, it was revealed that the Canucks acquired Sven Baertschi from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a second round pick.

I had my reservations about the acquisition at first, if for no other reason than the Canucks had to surrender a mid-round pick in an obscenely deep draft. Musing on sober second thoughts though, it became increasingly clear that this move was an outright victory for the Canucks and Jim Benning.

At 22 years old, the development process has all but been skipped and the Canucks can still cash in on his peak years – and then some. Players that produce at a similar rate to Baertschi also have a higher rate of success than your average second rounder, meaning the Canucks also tipped the scales in their favour.

Let’s check out what Canucks Army’s number one ranked prospect has to offer, on the other side of the jump.

The Origin

Baertschi’s rap sheet reads like an essay. Between a litany of appearances donning the Suisse cross and competing in an assortment of different junior leagues in Switzerland, Baertschi left Europe with no shortage of experience. Following a successful stint again men in the Swiss National B League as 16-year-old, Baertschi was selected seventh overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Portland Winterhawks in advance of the 2010 season.

The transition to North American hockey was an easy one for Baertschi, where he led the WHL in rookie scoring; also finishing second in WHL rookie of the year voting, behind Matthew Dumba. Baertschi was able to parlay this success into a 13th overall selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames.

Baertschi failed to make the club out of training camp, but a series of injuries down the stretch paved the way for his NHL debut by March 9th, 2012. The injury recall lasted five games, with Baertschi potting three goals in the process.

The following season saw Baertschi relegated to the AHL, due entirely to the NHL lockout. The shifty Suisse national was scoring at a nearly point per game pace before a neck injury put him on the shelf for about five weeks. Baertschi joined the Flames down the stretch, notching ten points in twenty games.

The following season saw a series of sweeping changes throughout the Flames organization, including the introduction of Brian Burke as President of Hockey Operations – great last name, that guy. It didn’t take long before Burke was approached about Baertschi in particular. Burke’s review isn’t necessarily a glowing endorsement…

“There are three zones in the ice surfaces in this league. I don’t see that [Baertschi’s] learned to play and compete in two of them. He’s got to learn there’s a clock in this league and there’s so many minutes in the game and that you’ve got to compete through all of it. I see this is a guy who’s focusing on one area [scoring] and even then, sporadically,” Burke said. “So I don’t know what we have.
“I’m not ready to quit on a young kid. I’m not ready to throw him under the bus here today and rip him, but I think you can tell from my comments that I see big holes and I see a lack of commitment that’s not going to get him anywhere in my books.”

It’s not hard to pinpoint when the relationship began to deteriorate between the Flames and Baertschi. Between Burkes lugubrious approach and Bob Hartley’s old school, bar fights and body check type hockey, there wasn’t much room on the Flames for the diminutive playmaker. Baertschi’s production regressed before his NHL stays became increasingly infrequent and shorter in duration.

By the 2014-15 season, Baertschi’s status had fallen to that of a full-time AHL’er. Baertschi’s production plateau, until he was dealt at the trade deadline for Vancouver’s second round selection. Upon joining the Comets, Baertschi quickly jumped to the first line under the tutelage of his new-old coach, Travis Green. Baertschi was a point per game player with the Comets and was a key piece in their Calder Cup run.

Career Statistics

What to Expect in 2015-16

The Canucks have Baertschi pencilled into their second line to start the season, likely alongside Brandon Sutter and Radim Vrbata. That said, Baertschi hasn’t had the most impressive training camp (on the whole) and I can’t imagine it’s added length to his leash. Whatever the case, his production in prior NHL seasons would indicate that he’s a solid bet to provide, at the very least, solid middle-six production.

It’s also likely that Baertschi will see time on a revamped second power play unit. I think reasonable expectations from Baertschi should be anywhere between the 35-45 point range – pretty much standard scoring rate for a second line player. Then again, the trajectory hasn’t been overly favourable of late. That’s the fun part about prospects, though. They can go either way.