Rossi’s season began with the kind of opportunities that have since been difficult to find for the Austrian forward.

In Vancouver’s opener against the Edmonton Oilers, Liam Öhgren sprung him behind the Oilers’ defence for a breakaway goal, and two nights later, he scored on a rebound in tight before adding another when a deflection bounced off his shoulder and past Devon Levi.

The Canucks scored 13 goals across those two games. Of course, that production in the first two games was never going to be sustainable. But over their next seven, they produced just 15, dropping their average from 6.5 goals per contest to 2.14.

Through nine appearances, Rossi has registered 16 shots, including 11 during his seven-game drought. He’s good for 1.43 individual expected goals, so he’s converted his chances at a rate above expectations, but hasn’t generated nearly enough opportunities to sustain that production.

Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers was the latest example. Rossi managed just one shot in 13:35 of ice time, while Vancouver was outshot 39-17 and surrendered a two-goal lead. For a forward expected to help drive the team’s offence, getting into dangerous scoring positions more consistently will be the only way to bump the slump.

At five-on-five, the Canucks have been outscored 4-3 with Rossi on the ice while controlling 47% of shot attempts and 43% of expected goals. Both figures sit below break-even, although they compare favourably to Vancouver’s performance without him.

The team’s shot-attempt share improves by 5.9% during Rossi’s shifts, while its expected-goals share increases by 2.2 points. Vancouver has generally generated a greater proportion of shot attempts with Rossi playing, even as opponents have created the better scoring opportunities.

Across all situations, the Canucks have generated 94 scoring chances against 61 allowed during his minutes. They’ve also held a 33-21 advantage in high-danger opportunities, producing a 53.6% expected goals share. Yet despite those favourable numbers, Vancouver has been outscored 14-12 during his shifts.

The discrepancy between his all-situations and five-on-five results suggests much of the stronger chance generation has occurred on the man advantage. So although Rossi’s overall impact compares reasonably well with his teammates, Vancouver is still surrendering a greater share of expected goals when he’s playing at five-on-five.

Rossi hasn’t had much stability so far this season.

During approximately 54 five-on-five minutes alongside Linus Karlsson, Vancouver has controlled just 33.3% of shot attempts and 12.5% of high-danger attempts. Neither team has scored with the pair together.

In a similar amount of time with Paul Cotter, the Canucks have controlled 53.3% of shot attempts but only 31.6% of high-danger opportunities and are outscored 1-0. But even when Rossi and Cotter have helped Vancouver generate more attempts than its opponents, relatively few have come from dangerous areas.

It’s a striking comparison with Rossi’s late-season success alongside Brock Boeser and Öhgren. Malhotra reunited the trio for Vancouver’s opening two games against Edmonton, but the results were mixed despite Rossi’s early production. In 16:32 together at five-on-five, the Canucks were outscored 2-1 and controlled just 47.1% of shot attempts, generating 16 while allowing 18.

After the 9-7 loss on Oct. 1, Malhotra moved Paul Cotter between Öhgren and Boeser. So the original combination has yet to receive another extended opportunity together.

The samples are limited, especially with the combinations changing frequently. However, the lack of five-on-five offence across multiple partnerships raises questions about whether Vancouver’s current deployment is getting the most out of Rossi.

Manny Malhotra has experimented with Rossi at centre and on the wing throughout the opening nine games.

Against Calgary on Oct. 3, Rossi played alongside Elias Pettersson and Karlsson, recording 20:09 of ice time, including 7:17 on the power play. He finished with one shot and no points despite those opportunities.

By Thursday’s matchup in Florida, the 25-year-old was centring Öhgren and Karlsson on Vancouver’s third line. His total ice time had fallen to 13:35, with just 1:27 coming on the man advantage.

After six consecutive appearances on the first unit, Rossi was moved to the second group Oct. 13, with Jonathan Lekkerimäki getting the promotion. His struggles included a scoreless performance against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 8 despite nearly five minutes with the man advantage.

Before the season, Rossi spoke positively about Malhotra’s approach and the expectations his new coach had established.

“You play pro, you’re here for a reason, and you’ve got to be prepared,” Rossi said during a Sept. 25 appearance on the Canucks Insider podcast.

Whether Malhotra’s adjustments have contributed to Rossi’s difficulties or were prompted by them is difficult to determine this early in the season. However, it seems to be proving difficult for the former Minnesota Wild to rediscover his offence with so many different linemates.

Expectations were higher entering the year. His 22 points in 33 games with Vancouver last season represented a pace of roughly 55 over an 82-game schedule, compared with approximately 36 at his current rate.

Still, Vancouver’s five-on-five results have been somewhat better during Rossi’s shifts than when he’s on the bench, and his finishing has exceeded expectations, while the environment around him has struggled to create dangerous opportunities as a whole. Finding some stability could help revive his production, but Rossi has a responsibility to create more chances himself.

For a player who has scored every five-on-five goal during his minutes, getting his linemates involved may be the biggest key to unlocking more production.