Sure, the Vancouver Canucks are winless through two games of the new National Hockey League season, but let’s all catch our breath and take a moment this Thanksgiving long weekend to count our blessings (*takes a slight pause*). Okay, now let’s get to the many pressing questions you have about this hockey club that has had a few moments in each of its first two outings, but has yet to put together anything close to a full 60-minute effort. Pass the gravy and let’s get to the mailbag.
No they don’t suck. As Quinn Hughes pointed out after practice on Saturday, if the Canucks had managed to snag either of the bonus points up for grabs so far they’d have three of four points and people would be fully content with the start. The margins are razor thin at the NHL level and as a result the Canucks have two of a possible four points which is hardly ideal, but it’s far from suckage territory. Are there many areas of their game that need cleaning up? Absolutely. Have they played anything close to a complete game yet? Nope. Should their game breakers have been able to swing one of the first two games in their favour in overtime or the shootout? Yep. Do they suck? No.
Not to avoid the question as posed, but I wrestle with a similar question: ‘what is ‘the start’ to any season? Some say 10 games. Others say 20. I think 20 is far too many. That’s basically a quarter of the schedule. So I will answer the original question by saying 10 games is plenty to get a feel for a team and to gauge whether players are on top of their games. As such, feel free to panic or celebrate accordingly at the 10-game mark. Of course, there will be exceptions to every rule. Having both Thatcher Demko and Dakota Joshua healthy and in the line-up would likely impact the Canucks start. But they’re not here right now, so we can only assess the team as it is assembled. Two games certainly isn’t enough to draw any conclusions. Let’s give it a few more weeks.
Yes. A thousand times, yes. But as Rick Tocchet has pointed out, five games in seven nights in five different cities to open the preseason did the Canucks no favours. Tocchet has said the team will take measures to avoid that next season. Still, playing JT Miller just once and Quinn Hughes only twice in the preseason didn’t allow the collective group or the top power play unit to get many reps. Now, no one was screaming the full group needed to play more in the preseason when the Canucks were up 3-0 or 4-1 on Calgary on opening night. But even the players themselves would likely admit it would have been better to get something close to the full group even one more game together. Oh well, there’s always next year.
For the sake of this question, let’s use 20 career shootout attempts as a baseline to determine the team’s top shooters. By the numbers, Conor Garland is that guy converting on 8 of his 20 shootout opportunities. He’s followed by Jake DeBrusk who looked sharp scoring with speed against Philadelphia on Friday. After that it’s a dead heat between Elias Pettersson and JT Miller. The stats show that Brock Boeser probably ought to remain on the bench unless many extra rounds are required. As you can see from the chart below, if Rick Tocchet is looking for dark horses perhaps Pius Suter or Daniel Sprong deserve some consideration. Or maybe it’s time to give Teddy Blueger a second chance – he’s one for one in his NHL shootout career.
Garland 8 for 20 (40%)
DeBrusk 11 for 30 (36.7%)
Pettersson 12 for 36 (33%)
Miller 11 for 33 (33%)
Boeser 5 for 24 (20.8%)
Sprong 3 for 9 (33%)
Suter 2 for 4 (50%)
Hoglander 0 for 1
Hughes 0 for 3
Heinen 0 for 5
Blueger 1 for 1 (100%)
I want to attack the shot volume angle here. Through two games, Pettersson has registered exactly two shots on goal. He had an even-strength shot on goal in the first period against Calgary and a power play shot in the opening frame against Philadelphia. Overall, he had three attempts against the Flames and four against the Flyers. He needs to shoot the puck more. Slap shot, snap shot, wrister, it doesn’t matter. He needs to find a way to get back to being the guy that showed goalies no mercy and repeatedly ripped pucks into the back of the net. Be a little more selfish in shooting positions. Pettersson has shown he possesses a shot velocity that handcuffs netminders. Maybe he won’t score, but there is a strong chance his shot will produce a rebound for someone else. He led the team with 207 shots on goal last season, but that was down 50 from the previous season. And right now, he’s sitting with two shots through two games. It’s not enough, not nearly enough. Sure, he needs to set up Jake DeBrusk and others, but he needs to be more of a shooting and scoring threat himself. Let’s see that one-timer fly. It feels like for some strange reason that’s no longer even a consideration on the power play.
Two games in and it feels like we’ve already had the full Daniel Sprong experience. From starting in the top six, to scoring the Canucks first goal of the new season, to being benched in the third period against the Flames, to losing his man on the tying goal in the third period against the Flyers, to being demoted to the fourth line at practice Saturday – it hasn’t been dull around Sprong in the early going of his time in Vancouver. It’s hard to imagine Sprong coming out of the line-up entirely at this early stage of the season, but at some point when Dakota Joshua returns, that will be one more winger Sprong has to contend with. Based on the evidence presented so far, it’s hard to see him undergoing a complete makeover to his game. The issues that have dogged him in the past very well may be here to stay. So can he do enough with his opportunities offensively to offset any defensive issues and be a net positive for the hockey club? Oh, such drama in the early going. Stay tuned for the next episode of Will Daniel Sprong See The Ice In The Third Period?
It’s hard to know for sure at this stage. When I asked Patrik Allvin if the Canucks had interest in the player as a free agent in the summer, he admitted there had been some internal discussion, but clearly there wasn’t enough organizational belief to make him an offer. That didn’t seem like a ringing endorsement and so the Canucks looked elsewhere to round out their roster. At 25, it’s hard to imagine there is much more of a development path for Brannstrom. For better or worse, he is probably what he is at this stage. That was enough for him to log 74 and 76 games in Ottawa the past two seasons. But we know how much Rick Tocchet values size on the blueline and with Quinn Hughes cemented as the team’s captain and best defenceman, he’s not going anywhere. So is there room for Brannstrom who profiles as a lesser-version of Hughes? Brannstrom likely isn’t thrilled being in the American Hockey League to start the season, but it’s on him to embrace the opportunity, do the most he can with it and play his way back to the NHL. It would be in the best interest of both the player and the Canucks organization, if Brannstrom proves he doesn’t belong in the minors and forces the big league club to give him a look.