I have to be honest, I don’t care for either of these ideas. Sutter’s only offensive weapon is his shot, and he struggles to use his linemates effectively. In contrast, Boeser’s release makes him most effective in a duo with a playmaking centre. It’s hard to think of a worse fit.

In the case of the Horvat-Baertschi line, while they’ve struggled in every area of the game so far, I still think the biggest issue is that they haven’t been creating anything offensively. Adding a recovering Antoine Roussell isn’t going to help them in that area. If anything, I’d like to see Eriksson and Baerstchi switch places. Pettersson and Goldobin have excelled together, and looked good with Beartschi in the preseason. Adding Eriksson to the Horvat and Boeser line pairs him with a shooter, which has traditionally been something he’s needed to be successful, while also adding a two-way presence to a line that’s struggled defensively.

Nikolay Goldobin has earned a spot on this team for the time being, and I would argue Brendan Leipsic has shown enough to keep him on the roster for now, too. That means the most likely candidate to end up on waivers has to be Markus Granlund. He obviously had a breakout performance two years ago, but Travis Green did not utilize him in a way that indicates he thinks much of his offensive capabilities. He’s also the least likely forward on the roster to get claimed if the Canucks try to sneak him down to the AHL.

Traded: Michael Del Zotto, Sam Gagner, Ben Hutton

Extended: Brock Boeser, Nikolay Goldobin, Tyler Motte, Alex Edler, Brendan Leipsic

Let go: Markus Granlund, Derrick Pouliot, Anders Nilsson

It’s still too early to say who they’ll sign as a free agent, but I could see them being in on all of the big-name forwards and defensemen that make it to July 1 without an extension. Out of the players that are currently set to be free agents next season, I think Sergei Bobrovsky and Tyler Myers would make the most snese given what the team has done in the past.

I think there have been times where the Canucks have managed their call-ups poorly, but the issue is also exacerbated by geography. The Comets are obscenely far away from their parent club and that can definitely cause trouble when injuries occur.

In general, I’m not a fan of asking a defenseman to play forward, even on your fourth line. Players have positions for a reason, and asking someone to play out of position seems like a bad idea. The reverse would seem downright absurd.

I don’t see any problem with putting them on the same line. I don’t think Boeser’s issue is that he’s playing passively. I think the issue is probably a physical one. He’s returning from a horrific injury and needs time to re-adjust. If anything, I’d think putting him with a dynamic player like Pettersson would help him get back in the groove offensively.

While he’ll undoubtedly go cold at some point over the season, I think Elias Pettersson has proven he can come in and be a difference maker at even-strength. I also think Brandon Sutter will still play more minutes than him at even strength. You can’t win ’em all.

29-45-8

To be honest with you I only have a cursory understanding of how the different expected goal models work, but my guess would be that it’s impossible to know the effects of smaller gear until we have at least a season-long sample size to draw from. If and when adjustments occur, they would probably have to come next season.

Loui Eriksson is never going to be worth the contract the Canucks gave him, but it was always my belief that he was capable of more than we saw over the last two seasons. For a number of reasons, his effectiveness was limited over the past two seasons, and he was pushed down the lineup. I’d imagine that if he can stay healthy, we could see a stark improvement in his production given the right linemates and an increased offenisive role.

For a deeper look at Eriksson as a player, I recommend taking a look at this article I wrote during the offseason:

Can Elias Pettersson eclipse 407 points over three seasons? No.

That Panarin has all but ruled out a return to Columbus next season indicates that he probably has a destination or two in mind. If he were only after a big paycheque, I would think he’d more open to remaining a Blue Jacket. So, my guess would be that Vancouver isn’t a likely destination for him.

Bobrovsky is much more intriguing to me. For better or for worse, the Canucks under Jim Benning have always looked for shortcuts over the process of rebuilding the roster. Benning has also emphasized the importance of the position when speaking with the media, and chased a big-name goalie in free agency successfully once before.

By most accounts, time is running out for this front office to prove they can take the team to the next level. They have some legitimate talent up front, but with the exception of Quinn Hughes, they still look pretty barren on the back end. Nothing can disguise those problems quite like a superstar goaltender. I’m sure in a perfect world they’d prefer for that goaltender to be Thatcher Demko, but unfortunately he looks further away from taking the reigns than many had hoped he would be a year ago. I would not be surprised if the Canucks break the bank to acquire Sergei Bobrovsky in July.