On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal discussed the Canucks’ winless start to the season following their 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vancouver has now dropped three straight games, but if they manage to secure a win tomorrow against the Florida Panthers, they will be at four points in four games — the same position they were in last season through four contests.
“In the grand scheme, there are reasons to be concerned,” Harm noted. “Pettersson’s form, the goaltending situation, and the bottom-four defence are legitimate question marks that could impact the team if they make the playoffs. But in terms of just making the playoffs, I’m not worried yet.”
Elias Pettersson has been scrutinized by fans and the media. The 25-year-old Swede has struggled to find his form after signing a massive eight-year, $92.8 million extension last season. Despite only being three games into this season, Pettersson’s issues trace back to January of last year, during which he failed to score a five-on-five goal in his last 34 games for Vancouver.
“This is a guy who had six points in his first three games last year and was the first player in the league to hit 25 points,” said Jeff Paterson, who made an appearance on the show. “Now, he’s got a shot here and a backcheck there, but it’s not enough for an $11.6 million player. His shot isn’t there — he used to blow goalies away with his one-timer. He’s not challenging defenders one-on-one, he’s not two steps ahead like he used to be. When he’s at his best, he plays off his instincts. It’s in there, he hasn’t forgotten how to play, but no one’s going to pull him along. It has to come from him.”
Quads added, “The biggest issue through three games is that the stars haven’t been their stars. If you look at teams across the league, what’s going to separate you if you’re the Canucks? It was their goaltending when they had Thatcher Demko at his best. From a production standpoint, their top players haven’t delivered. This team hasn’t looked right since that strong first period against Calgary — it’s been downhill ever since.”
Harm elaborated on the Canucks’ defensive struggles, particularly with the bottom-four defenders. “We knew going into the season that a Forbort-Desharnais pairing would have trouble,” he said. “But what’s been worse than expected is Carson Soucy’s slow start. Last year, he showed he could be a bona fide second-pair defenceman. He’s got the size, skating, and instincts, and he should be the team’s clear third-best defenceman, but he hasn’t been that so far. Against Tampa, the Canucks were outshot 12-1 with him on the ice at five-on-five, and for the season as a whole, it’s 26-9. Soucy’s sluggish start is making the bottom-four defence look worse than it should be.”
Harm went on to suggest that if Soucy’s performance picks up, it could help stabilize the Canucks’ back end. “If Soucy plays better, it will lift that group to some extent. It won’t fix their back-end depth issues, but it could make their blueline serviceable for the regular season until upgrades can be made. Through three games, the defence hasn’t been serviceable.”
You can watch the full segment below:
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