Not the start Vancouver wanted, but it’s the one they earned. But the Vancouver Canucks early returns on their play is reason enough for concern.
The No-Panic Panic
Two games into the season is, obviously, too early to panic. Especially if those two games are on the road. And in any other year, that might even be a believable statement to make. But in THIS city after THIS off-season with THIS little changed?
The new management team stitched together a plan: build around the veterans already here. Improve the forward corps. Rely once again on Thatcher Demko‘s brigandry. Try to ignore what’s happening to the defence. This is what would get the Canucks from regular-season misery to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Unfortunately, their suspension bridge is stitched together with red flags – and there’s some unraveling going on.
Mister 600
No player is under more pressure than the head coach Bruce Boudreau. When he failed to get an extension despite nearly dragging the Canucks into the second season, it surprised not only him but also fans who chanted his name. It was a shock for a coach who, despite only being a head coach since 2008, is one win away from 600. Even the most modest of projections have him in the top 20 winningest coaches of all time.
We should mention that this is the regular-season record. The rest we’ll leave unspoken out of politeness.
What else goes without saying is that the team was revitalized under his command. The Canucks early returns on the coaching change were immediate and glorious. The misery of the first 25 games in 2021-22 vanished immediately in a seven-game win streak. That they finished the season six points out of a playoff spot is almost irrelevant. The excitement of an unexpected chase became a news story of its own, and a good news one at that. But one which carried a caveat: that lousy start. Can’t have another one of those if they want to progress in 2022-23!
*ahem*
Finding New Buttons
We’re not going to pretend that a five-game road trip isn’t a lousy way to kick off the year. This trip in particular has improved or just good teams on it. Even the supposedly easy mark was under a new coach – something that is notorious for improving teams in the short term.* And lo and behold, the Philadelphia Flyers make their home crowd happy at the expense of Vancouver.
A regular refrain last season was the team getting off to slow starts, often giving up one or two goals before finding the scoreboard themselves. It didn’t seem to matter who was in net or who the opponent was, they played from behind. That certainly isn’t the case this year, going into the second period of each game with identical 2-0 leads. In each case, special teams abandoned them.
In fact, after Saturday, they shared the dubious honour of going -1 in total goals while up a man with the San Jose Sharks. One power-play goal for, two short-handed against. The Canucks early returns on work done to improve their special teams isn’t special.
Captain Canary
The captain of an NHL team is viewed in plenty of different ways. Some people think a letter on the jersey is irrelevant in a modern game. The rules are that players don’t talk to the refs without one, but that certainly isn’t enforced. They don’t have to be the most talented player on the team but at a minimum one of the hardest working.
Off the ice, the captain has certain responsibilities and is expected to maintain a level of decorum. They’re on the front line of public appearances and media events at a minimum. And, despite some old codgers’ deepest wishes, public relations matter to NHL teams just like any other business. Moreso, perhaps, because they are in the entertainment industry where the money spent is a luxury, not a necessity.
Bo Horvat is the public face of the team and has been very good at it. But he is also without a contract extension and the negotiations haven’t been smooth. He – and most of the veteran forwards – have had a rough time of it in these initial games. Horvat is at one secondary assist. J.T. Miller has been on the ice for all eight goals scored against Vancouver so far. Brock Boeser has just two shots in two games, shaking off preseason hand surgery. Tanner Pearson has three minor penalties already with uncharacteristically shaky board work.
Defence to the Rescue?
Let’s talk about the Giraffe in the Room. Tyler Myers, for all the flack he’s received in this market, is a second-pair NHL defenceman. He can do that job well enough that on a blue line as thin as Vancouver’s his absence is felt. The same might not be said of Tucker Poolman, but it’s hard to tell without him on the ice.
Despite Boudreau’s assurances that he “feels fine” Poolman leaving the game in Philadelphia is extremely concerning. His concussion-like symptoms had no obvious cause when they re-emerged, and given the team’s intimate history with Michael Ferland caution is absolutely mandatory. It’s nearly impossible to know how Poolman’s future may trend, which makes his use problematic. Even if he feels great, should the Canucks dress seven defencemen? Do they have a choice?
With those two out, the good news is that Luke Schenn and Kyle Burroughs have been rock solid. Normally Travis Dermott would be in the mix, but he, too, is out with an injury. Okay, Quinn Hughes just turned 23, but the fewer 28+ minute games he plays the better. The sooner the defence can return to full strength, the better.
It’s Just Two Games. It’s Just Two Games.
Our issue with that mantra is that the team should have been ready for this. The quick starts that aren’t are a refreshing way to mix up the slow starts. Getting leads early in games is great, but getting them early in the standings is better. What looks good for the team – and there is some stuff that looks good with this team – are individuals.
Andrei Kuzmenko may fade as the season drags on – the NHL season lasts much longer than the KHL one – but he’s a keeper for now. Conor Garland and Vasily Podkolzin are keeping their play up. Elias Pettersson looks great out there. But fears of a thin blue line lurk and points matter now just as much as they do in April. Special teams need to produce, especially the power play which is expected to be a top-ten group, minimum.
Injuries mean the Canucks early returns are, for now, incomplete. It’s a bit unfair to judge so soon, perhaps, but games started counting last week. They can’t wait for “everyone to be healthy” because that’s the reality of the league. Teams rarely have everyone healthy, and no one is going to wait for them.
The team opens at home on the 22nd – their first after ten days on the road. What happens in the next three games will determine the reception they get.
*See “Mister 600” above
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
