f you are new to Vancouver Canucks fandom, the annual “Should the Canucks panic now or later?” talk may surprise you. Don’t let it. It’s as normal as being surprised by snowfall lasting more than an hour.
If you live on the coast for the greenery, be ready to pay for it with rain. If you follow one of Vancouver’s sports clubs, you pay for it with pain.
The Canucks Fan Panic Scale From “What Now?” to “What!? NOW!!!”
Starting the season with three straight losses wasn’t what anyone in CanucksLand hoped for. After all, last season’s team only lost three straight once, and not until February. Still, it’s only five games in. Surely there is little reason to panic yet. Surely.
Ah, my friend! You underestimate the power of Canucks fans to fear at the drop of a puck. The star goaltender is missing for “mystery illness” reasons, the star forward is missing on the scoresheet, and the star defenceman is skating over 26 minutes a night. Options galore!
Though we agree it’s a tad early to set jerseys on fire. As a sop to any fevered brows out there, we offer not only a reason for concern but a possible cure. If that doesn’t work, we also offer some bright, shiny keys for you. Enjoy!
Postponing Canucks Panic
Isn’t it amazing what two wins can do? The difference between being winless in three and having points in four of five games can happen just that quickly. It’s a relief, but there’s always the possibility of relived trauma just under the surface. And the longer you’ve been a Canucks fan, the more memories you have to choose from.
But we are here to reassure you. There is nothing worth panicking over just yet, no matter what 12 hours a day of Canucks fan radio may tell you. Everything’s… well, not fine exactly, but not too bad.
Forewarned About Forwards
Starting at the start: Elias Pettersson. He of the $11.6 million, eight-year contract starting now. He has scored 191 points in his last two seasons, so shouldn’t he have at least six by now?
Aatu Räty was sent down already after looking like he earned a spot! Is he a washout already? Daniel Sprong was sat down for two games, too! Bad signing or WORST signing? Vancouver has 14 goals in five games, and that’s just not enough!
Deep Breath
The Canucks added a lot of players to the forward ranks in the offseason. Danton Heinen, Jake DeBrusk, Kiefer Sherwood, and Daniel Sprong are all expected to play major roles with the team. Räty can be included in that list, as he only played three games with them last season.
That’s not just some turnover, but turnover in a group that worked very well together last year. Every line is affected. That it’s not always working right away is disappointing, but not a total shock.
Jingle! Jingle!
Dakota Joshua is skating with the team again, joining them for practice before the Flyers game. He’s not going to play against the Blackhawks, but he is closer. Sherwood looks like a great pickup, but the return of Joshua’s mix of scoring and aggression is more than welcome.
The Canucks might not need to improve when they can just wait a few weeks and it will happen.
Defensive on Defencemen
Quinn Hughes getting 100 points would be amazing, but no one wants that at the expense of his playoff health. He was run into the ground last year, but who does the team trust to take his ice time? Same problem as ever: after Hughes and Filip Hronek, it’s question marks all the way down.
Carson Soucy and Tyler Myers are decent, NHL-level defenders. But making them the second pair is a bit of a reach. After 50 minutes together, they have a 36% Corsi rating, getting outshot 36 to 62.
Advertising the Vincent Desharnais and Derek Forbort Twin Towers duo is fine and all, but they’ve played together for 11 minutes. They weren’t great minutes, either, but small sample size and all that. And who the heck is this little Erik Brännström guy?
Deep Breath
Everyone knew going in that the team wanted more size on the back end. There were questions about moving the puck out of the zone, with hopes one of the new giants could manage it. That hasn’t worked yet, but a third-pair experiment or two isn’t fatal.
There isn’t a whole lot on the farm that’s exciting right now, it has to be said. Kiril Kudryavtsev or Sawyer Mynio might surprise, but any callup now is going to be a veteran. Brännström is a puck mover, though a high-risk one. Christian Wolanin or Mark Friedman are decent, low-ceiling guys.
If the team is looking to stabilize the defence without the Canucks making a panic move, there are options.
Jingle! Jingle!
Know who’s available as a veteran, puck-moving, mobile defenceman? Cam Fowler. It’s well known he and the Anaheim Ducks have had their issues with each other. The Ducks want to end their record of futility soon, and the 32-year-old Fowler is worth moving for pieces.
He plays the left side, works both special teams, and averages 38 points every 82 games for his career. Fowler has a good health record, partially because he’s not a very physical player despite his size. But the Canucks have plenty of size on the blue line.
He’s a good player with another year left on a decent contract, so getting him won’t be cheap. Anaheim isn’t in any kind of cap squeeze, which means they might be willing to retain some salary. Vancouver would like that.
If Vancouver’s serious about being a challenger for the Stanley Cup in the next two years, they need to improve their defence. They’d also need to convince Fowler to come to town, as he has a four-team trade clause. He’s been with Anaheim his entire career but also hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2017.
Stop! In the Name of Goals!
Oh, no! The up-and-coming Goalie of the Future hasn’t been that good! Actually, you could say that Artūrs Šilovs has been downright mediocre in his two games this year. His opening-night loss to the Calgary Flames was improved upon in his loss to Tampa Bay, but neither night was great.
If he really is to be their next starter – maybe as soon as this season – Šilovs needs to show it.
Deep Breath
He’s also 23 years old and has played 11 regular-season NHL games. He’s got ice water in his veins and can let bad goals roll off his back in time for the next faceoff. Šilovs is going to be fine, whether he ends up as the Canucks starter or not.
Besides, he was always scheduled to be the team’s backup this season, if not Abbotsford’s starter. Team management was already looking for a veteran for Šilovs to beat in camp. It just so happens that the one they got is a capable starter in his own right.
Kevin Lankinen has done well enough in his three starts so far to keep the net for now. Actually, he’s been excellent with one shutout already. Those numbers are going to regress as the year continues, but he’s got the inside track to stay in Vancouver on Thatcher Demko‘s return.
What? Canucks Panic?
Add to all this the fact that coach Rick Tocchet wants to add more offence this season. He’s changed what worked best last year – zone entry and hold – to include more dynamism. Practice can only tell you so much. Plan all you want, but remember the opponent gets a say.
The team has kept the reputation Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin brought with them from Pittsburgh. If they feel like they need to make a deal, they’ll work on four of them. If they don’t, they’ll work on two.
But panic won’t be a part of any of them.
