On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by Rinkwide’s Jeff Paterson to discuss Jonathan Lekkerimäki and the power play, Nils Höglander’s apology to Rick Tocchet, and Bo Horvat’s legacy in Vancouver.
JPat began by discussing Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s role on the power play and his potential as a goal-scorer, as Tocchet hinted towards him taking up the bumper spot on the first power-play unit.
“We saw in that second period with the second power play unit—the puck came to him, and you can just envision that it won’t take him many chances before he puts one in the back of the net,” JPat said. “He’s a shooter; let him do his thing. When you look at the other components of that first unit, it still flows through J.T. Miller, and Conor Garland is there for entries and puck retrieval; he’s not a shooting threat. I really like the work Elias Pettersson is doing net-front, and he was rewarded the other night with a tap-in in the paint. Against Edmonton, he got a deflection after getting to the blue paint and staying there. It’s an underrated skill in the NHL—not only getting to the front of the net but staying there. It’s tough; you’re up against the biggest guys on the other team whose job is to move you out. We haven’t seen the massive point-explosion nights for Pettersson yet, but back-to-back two-point games is a step in the right direction. He looks so much more invested. The power play has scored in four straight games, and maybe they’ll make it five tonight against the Islanders.”
JPat then shifted to discuss Nils Höglander’s recent apology to Rick Tocchet, reflecting on the forward’s accountability.
“Höglander is such a quiet guy, and Tocchet’s so big and loud—I can’t quite picture Nils walking up to the coach to say, ‘I’m playing bad,’” Paterson joked. “But he took ownership. It’s been nine games since his last goal, and he’s been demoted to the fourth line. He got just one shift in the final 12 minutes against the Flames, and even with a two-goal cushion that allowed for flexibility, Tocchet opted to sit most of the third line, with Höglander in the crosshairs. Credit to him for taking responsibility by going to the coach. Tocchet acknowledged he needs to coach him better, and he mentioned hoping that having Dakota Joshua back tonight will allow him to play his lines more consistently.”
Finally, JPat addressed Bo Horvat’s legacy in Vancouver and how the former captain is remembered by fans and the organization.
“It’s a bit of a mixed bag,” Paterson noted. “It’s interesting—Ryan Kesler’s redemption tour continued the other night, and reactions were mixed. With Horvat, there aren’t really any wounds, but I can’t speak for everyone. Having dealt with Bo daily, he was in a tough spot. He was captain during a brutal era of Canucks hockey, and through no fault of his own, he was given the ‘C’, which was the right decision. But he had to answer for a lot of poor on-ice performances and off-ice issues outside his control. He tried his best, and he’s a good guy. Some feel he didn’t fight enough or stick up for teammates—everyone can have their opinion. Maybe an edge would’ve added something to his game, but I found him to be an honest, decent guy who tried hard and performed well. Ultimately, there just wasn’t enough money to go around, and the team chose to commit to J.T. Miller, which has looked like a smart decision for the organization.”
You can watch the full replay of today’s episode below:
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