Vancouver Canucks: Perfecting the Youth Movement in 2016
The Youth Movement that the Vancouver Canucks have brought along is just the beginning.
The Vancouver Canucks’ struggle for youth has been well documented. Although only two of the “New Era” draftees (Jake Virtanen and Jared McCann) have hit the NHL so far, there is a plenty of evidence that a significant youth movement has settled in on this lineup.
The Canucks find themselves with four skaters under 23 years of age and two currently 23 years old. The four under-23’s have combined for 52 points so far this year over 163 total man-games-played. Include the two 23-year-olds and you get 70 points in 213 total man-games-played.
But this is just the beginning. And you know it too.
Perhaps the years of finishing in the league’s top-five under GM Mike Gillis and Coach Alain Vigneault have numbed us to how great a pain it is to raise the next generation of winners. We see the struggle embodied in our Pacific Division “rival” Edmonton Oilers. Not much more to be said there.
Vancouver has 11 players in the lineup under 27 years old.
There is not refuting that the team is getting younger. According to Stats.Nhlnumbers.com, the 2014-15 Canucks squad was the 10th oldest in the league.
This year, the Canucks are the 15th oldest team in the NHL, and considering the number of “ancient” players — players 34 and older — the Canucks are carrying, that is a great feat for Benning & Co. You know that.
But it is just the beginning. How? Simple — Virtanen has just 26 games of NHL experience. So here it is, the Canucklehead Lament, on the labouring NHL-level youth development work that lies ahead for the Vancouver Canucks.
Who cares if they get into the NHL? They need to stick around.
Alright, let’s start with some questions. Guess how many Vancouver draft picks in the past five years have seen NHL action.
Nine.
Guess how many of them played more than 10 NHL games.
Six.
Guess how many are playing with the Canucks right now.
Four.
What does that tell me? The Canucks have not had success developing their picks — at least during the last years of the Gillis regime. Nicklas Jensen and Jordan Schroeder fell out of favour with the new regime and are still struggling to find favours with their new teams.
The Canucks cannot afford to make any more mistakes in player development. They have two top-10 overall picks on their roster right now — Virtanen and Bo Horvat. They have a fifth-round steal in Ben Hutton, the only NHL-calibre defenceman drafted and developed by the Canucks in the past 11 years (the last one being Alex Edler in 2004). Don’t forget about McCann.
So for this week’s Canucklehead Lament, here is my take on how the Canucks should perfect the youth movement in the development of these four precious players.
Next: No. 1: Perfecting the Development of Bo Horvat
No. 1: Perfecting the Development of Bo Horvat
Bo Horvat is the biggest piece to the Vancouver Canucks’ puzzle. He also is the most established piece to the puzzle right now. Drafted ninth overall in the draft preceded by Nathan MacKinnon, Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Drouin, Sean Monahan, and Darnell Nurse, he might be the one under most pressure to develop into a franchise player.
After all, he is worth a Cory Schneider. Of course, the Canucks chose Horvat over Max Domi, Valeri Nichushkin and Curtis Lazar.
Horvat’s Keyword: Confidence
Horvat should know by now that this is his team five years, ten years from now. He is a lock on the top-six, and he is the only one with the potential to become a first-line centreman from what we can see.
In each of his NHL seasons, he had to grind out the first half before making Vancouver “Bo-lieve” in the second half. He needs to stay confident in his dry first halves, turn on his engine a little sooner in the season, and know that he is the “next one” on Vancouver ‘s agenda.
Depth Chart: 2C Struggles vs. Brandon Sutter
Currently on the Canucks’ depth chart, Horvat is battling Brandon Sutter for the second-line centre spot. Above him is Henrik Sedin, the captain and the undisputed star of the team. Horvat should have no doubts whatsoever that if he works hard, that Captain Hank’s spot will be his in a few years’ time.
What Vancouver Needs to Do
Get Horvat a strong right winger. Radim Vrbata has done an admirable job playing with Horvat after he started out his Canuck tenure as the third Sedin. Now that Vrbata is set to leave Vancouver after this season, it is going to be crucial for Vancouver to import and grow a top-six calibre right winger for Sven Baertschi and Horvat to work with.
The right winger should be a catalyst on that line to get it working sooner rather than later in the season.
Give Horvat all the opportunity to trump Sutter. Sutter and Horvat are pretty similar players. They are both defensively strong and speedy in their different ways. But Horvat is built as a stronger scorer than Sutter is.
If Horvat were to trump Sutter, he will need to trump him on the scoring department. Bo showed just recently that he can do that. It is on coach Willie Desjardins to utilize him more offensively now that Sutter is back and Linden Vey‘s line is carrying a fair bit defensively.
What Horvat Needs to Do
Don’t just try to overcome Sutter, work with him. Two things. Firstly, there is no need for Horvat to view Sutter as any form of a threat. Refer to the part about being confident. Secondly, while Horvat is a late-season player, Sutter is showing that he can produce early in the season, scoring eight points in the first 16 games of the season. Solving his first-half struggles will be key.
Next: No. 2: Perfecting the Development of Jake Virtanen
No. 2: Perfecting the Development of Jake Virtanen
Jake Virtanen is the product of the highest draft pick the Vancouver Canucks has had since drafting the Sedins, thanks to the Lost Season under John Tortorella. Here is his outlook after a disappointing show at the 2016 World Junior Championship.
Virtanen’s Keyword: Pride
Hey. He is a sixth-overall pick. Sad how he had to choose a checking forward’s life and not a scorer’s one in his first 26 games of the season. He needs to have a degree of pride knowing that he can show Vancouver why he was drafted sixth overall.
Depth Chart: Fourth-line Right Winger
Although Virtanen is the most prolific right winger on the roster right now, the emergence of Jannik Hansen and the demotion of Vrbata to the second line have bumped Virtanen to the fourth line, not to mention the entrance of Emerson Etem.
What Vancouver Needs to Do
Trade Vrbata before too late. This is a risky move. Hoping that Virtanen can step up and score on the right side of Horvat and Baertschi after just recently finding his legs after the World Juniors? It is going to be difficult for Virtanen but should he pull it off, Vancouver can trade Vrbata knowing that it won’t hurt its playoff chances too badly (Vrbata was never a playoff scorer anyhow).
Should Virtanen pull it off, Vancouver can also divert its cap space this offseason on getting more help on the first line or on the top-four defence instead of having to consider replacing Vrbata. A win-win for everyone, but a risky move rushing Virtanen.
What Virtanen Needs to Do
Overcome Emerson Etem. Etem has solidified his spot as the team’s third-line right winger. Just like the situation with Sutter and Horvat, Etem and Virtanen are similar players — strong skaters, physical, and young. Virtanen obviously has more offence in him. He will need to leap-frog Etem to get himself that second-line honour and do so through offensive production.
Next: No. 3: Perfecting the Development of Ben Hutton
No. 3: Perfecting the Development of Ben Hutton
Is Ben Hutton the best steal from the Vancouver Canucks’ Mike Gillis era? The fifth-round pick of the 2012 draft stayed under the radar until blowing everyone away to start the 2015-16 season. As the only defenceman on this list, the pressure is on both the Canucks and Hutton to make this work.
Hutton’s Keyword: Patience
I think Hutton’s story is too good to continue for long: a fifth-round pick making an impact this big in his rookie season? Don’t get too excited Hutton, and you too, Vancouver. Be patient lest he falters come April.
Depth Chart: Top-five Defender
He is not a top-four defender quite yet. But he is obviously not a top-six equal with Luca Sbisa. So what is he? A top-five defender. Then is Alex Biega in the top-four? Matt Bartkowski in the top-four? Oh, Lord. Don’t ask me.
What Vancouver Needs to Do
Extend Dan Hamhuis and play Hutton with Hamhuis. Dan Hamhuis is a veteran and the only defenceman on the Canucks blueline who is a verified top-four player. His veteran presence will calm Hutton’s D-zone work down, and allow the rookie’s offensive IQ work wonders. Plus, Hutton would be getting top-four minutes!
Read: Dan Hamhuis is Underrated and Unappreciated
There is a case to be made, without mentioning Hutton’s name, that Hamhuis should stick with the Canucks. Simply put, why trade a 33-year-old coming off a major facial injury? Vancouver is going to have to take a discount because of his injury, no matter how well he plays in the coming month leading up to the trade deadline.
What Hutton Needs to Do
Keep being better than Matt Bartkowski and Yannick Weber. Hutton is having the best season out of all the Canucks rookies. Have a listen to Ben Kuzma there, from TSN1040. Essentially repeats my point on how this season is a win-win season for the Canucks.
The best thing Hutton can do this season is putting himself in the position for a promotion to the top-four next year. That means staying ahead of Bartkowski and Weber. Be mobile, be steady, be offensive, and be smiling.
Next: No. 4: Perfecting the Development of Jared McCann
No. 4: Perfecting the Development of Jared McCann
To round out our list, here is Jared McCann, a part of the Vancouver Canucks’ share of the Ryan Kesler trade. He was not expected to make the NHL this year, but he impressed early and earned himself a spot alongside Virtanen.
McCann’s Keyword: Versatility
Read on, and you will find out why he needs to be versatile if he wants to stay in the Canucks lineup.
Depth Chart: Fourth-line Centre, if anything
This is obviously not his full potential. The first thing right off the bat — he is in the role part of the lineup and he is not benefitting at all. 12 points in 44 games is okay (Horvat had 25 points in his 68-game rookie campaign), but a fourth-line pivot role is not okay.
What Vancouver Needs to Do
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Be creative with the lineup. When McCann looks up and sees what he must do to get 15+ minutes of ice time each game, he sees a 20-year-old Horvat, a 26-year-old Sutter, and a 35-year-old Henrik Sedin. None of them are going anywhere anytime soon.
So, even if McCann wins a fourth-line role from Adam Cracknell or Linden Vey, that’s all he can be — a fourth-line centre with the untapped potential to be a second-line centre.
Why not try him on the left of Sutter? That frees McCann up from the defensive responsibilities of being a centre, allows him to learn to take draws from Sutter, gets him top-six minutes, and mutually benefits Sutter and the 26-year-old’s production.
That, though, will have to come at the expense of a left winger like Alex Burrows, unless if you don’t mind having his $4.5 million contract on your fourth line.
What McCann Needs to Do
Be open to change, be open to learning. Hope McCann knows that he has a bright future ahead of him. It sucks to have three bonafide top-six centremen ahead of you on the depth chart, doesn’t it?
Whatever Vancouver does, it is going to be to McCann’s benefit. He is going to have to be open to the queer things that his coach Desjardins might pull on him and learn to adapt to the needs of the lineup.
Next: The Bottomline.
The Bottomline.
It is a great work developing players from the Junior leagues, the NCAA, the ECHL, and the AHL. But all is lost if the player is staggers while making the jump to the NHL and withers away due to NHL competition.
That’s why these tops picks and these four precious players need to be perfectly developed. They are crucial pieces to the Vancouver Canucks for the coming decade-plus years.
There’s another reason why the Canucks have to be so careful with these four’s development.
The Canucks are planning to slow down the next wave of youth movements. That means that the Canucks are going to have to work with what they have at the NHL level already — Horvat, Virtanen, Hutton, and McCann.
The Canucks have a lot coming up the system. Brock Boeser, Thatcher Demko, and Nikita Tyramkin, as well as the numerous others that find themselves in the CHL and the AHL. Who knows how much younger this Canucks squad can get?
But it’s not only about how much youth you have in the lineup. It’s about winning with the youth, and about the youth winning games for you. Developing these four is going to be your foundation going forward. And that was the Canucklehead Lament. Thanks for reading!
Next: Vancouver's Playoff Chances: History is On Their Side
What do you say to the development of Horvat, Virtanen, Hutton, and McCann? Let us know in the comments below and tweet us @FSTheCanuckWay!
*Stats and drafting history courtesy of HockeyDB.com