Vancouver Canucks LW Chris Higgins in Utica is a Win-Win

The Vancouver Canucks sending down left winger Chris Higgins to Utica is a great move for everyone involved.

When you first heard that the Vancouver Canucks had put Chris Higgins on waivers to demote him to the AHL Utica Comets, how did you feel? How did you feel from the fan’s perspective, from Vancouver’s perspective, and from Higgins’s perspective? You know how I felt?

Bad. I felt really bad.

It is a personal hint of guilt for Higgins. I picked him as the first half’s “least exciting player” in my midseason awards. You know, he is one of the few remaining from the glorious 2011 Stanley Cup Finals run and the “Golden Era” under Alain Vigneault. I admit. I have been tough on him.

But it was necessary to waive him with the bodies coming back from the injured reserve. And it was unlikely that he was going to be claimed, as he still had about $5 million left on his contract through to the 2016-17 season.

And now, in hindsight, I applaud GM Jim Benning for overcoming the fears of losing Higgins for nothing after a few teams were legitimately interested in the veteran 32-year-old when he was put on the trade block.

So here it is, my last ode to Higgins and his 141 points for the Canucks in 306 games, on how his demotion to the AHL is a win-win for everyone involved. My best of wishes to Higgins. I hope he sticks with a new NHL team sooner rather than later.

Next: Benefit for the Canucks' third line

Benefit: Vote of confidence for Linden Vey and Emerson Etem

After Linden Vey was waived at the beginning of the season, did you see him sticking with the Canucks ever again? I didn’t. The 24-year-old forward now seems to have regained the coach’s confidence on the third line, logging 15+ minutes of ice time in each of the last four games.

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Funny, because “the last four games” translates to “when Emerson Etem played”.

The two Canucks who have played the most minutes with Etem are Vey and Alex Burrows. The three make up the Canucks’ third line now after Etem bumped Higgins for the job. Losing Higgins effectively opened up a spot for regressing Burrows to play on the third line, which is where I believe he will play the best as he starts losing his scoring touch.

When Higgins — supposedly one of the most defensive-minded forwards — gave way to Etem, the third line has been coach Willie Desjardins’s favourite for defensive assignments. Vey has started 59.4 percent of his starts in the defensive zone, the highest of all the Canucks who have played more than two games this season.

An interesting stat to note, the Canucks are 7-3-2 in the twelve games that Vey has played this season. With the addition of Etem to the lineup, the Canucks had to subtract Higgins from their lineup. It seems like his absence has breathed life into Vey and the third line.

The enhanced role of the third line also gave Bo Horvat a lot more breathing room offensively, prompting him to go on a six-game point streak. You can bet that Sven Baertschi now has an undisputed grip on the second-line left winger role and that confidence is helping him support Horvat’s play. Baertschi has also logged 15+ minutes in each of the five games the Canucks have played without Higgins in the lineup.

The Canucks are 3-1-0 in the four games they have played without Higgins.

Next: Benefit for the Utica Comets

Benefit: Higgins can help nurture the future Canucks

If there is anything a 32-year-old can do on a team of 20-year-olds, it is bringing leadership.

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Higgins has yet to play a game for the Comets and it is possible that he never will. As the AHL heads into its All-Star break, the Comets will not play until January 23rd. There still is a chance that the Canucks can trade Higgins before then.

Higgins will be a great mentor with his defensive game. He did post top-ten possession numbers on the 2014-15 Canucks squad alongside 36 points in 77 games, after all. He will be great for Brendan Gaunce and Hunter Shinkaruk.

It is hard to see where the Comets will place him in their lineup, though. After Vey got called up and Nicklas Jensen was traded, Utica’s first line was decimated. The best-case scenario for Higgins would be to play the off-wing to the right of Gaunce, who will either play as the team’s top centreman or as the second-line left winger behind Shinkaruk. If Higgins stays on the left wing, it is hard to see him bumping Shinkaruk, but a line of Shinkaruk-Gaunce-Higgins should be a good first line for Utica.

That being said, the Comets need to make a push. They have gone 3-5-1-1 in their past 10 games and find themselves in danger of falling from third to fifth place in the North Division. As expendable as Higgins was in Vancouver, he will be a great boost for the Comets.

And his abs. I wonder if he will give away the secrets to his abs to some of the Comets down there…

Next: Benefit for Higgins himself