Vancouver Canucks: 5 Players Who Could Score More Goals in 2016-17

Sven Baertschi

2015-16 Points: 15 goals, 28 points in 69 games.

2016-17 Potential Goal Total: 19

The Vancouver Canucks have yet to re-sign Sven Baertschi, who becomes a restricted free agent on July 1st. But since Baertschi was fourth in goals for the Canucks this year, there is no reason to suspect it will not happen.

Baertschi started last season slowly, managing just three assists in the month of October, while averaging 10.8 minutes of ice-time. He then started to warm up, chipping in five goals and eight points from November to December. He also saw his ice-time increase by an extra shift to 11.2 minutes.

When the calendar changed Baertschi continued to gain steam, notching 60 percent of his total production for the season — 10 goals, 17 points — after January 1st. With his increased production Baertschi also saw a dramatic increase in ice-time, averaging 15.6 minutes a game to finish the year.

Sven Baertschi began last season as a wild card, and ended it as a fixture on the second line and a permanent wingman to Bo Horvat. If Baertschi can continue the pace he set for himself to begin the 2016 calendar year, he could see another career year in goals.

What Baertschi needs in order to score more goals: 

Stay the course. Sven Baertschi is a reclamation project who became a Jim Benning success story. The GM should re-sign him, and Baertschi likely deserves a multi-year deal.

The key for Baertschi then becomes to keep the same level of urgency on his new deal that he had with his one-year deal.

Sven Baertschi has never lacked for talent, but it was hard work that ultimately made him an NHL fixture and a scoring threat. He needs to continue to work hard in order to be effective.

Stick with Horvat. Willie Desjardins tried hard early last season to make Bo Horvat and Radim Vrbata a pair. In the end it was Horvat and Baertschi who had all the chemistry.

Related: Should Sven Baertschi Be Re-Signed?

Baertschi will almost certainly start the year back on Horvat’s line; his job is to play consistently enough to stay there. If the coach deploys Horvat as has already been suggested, Baertschi should get plenty of opportunity to challenge for 20 goals.

Bottom Line: Sven Baertschi needs to stay the course.

There were a lot of questions about Baertschi coming into the 2015-16 season, and for the most part, he answered all of them.

His next task is to prove that he was not a flash-in-the-pan. Last season needs to be a stepping stone toward something more.

Baertschi and the Canucks would both be well-served if he can play in October 2016 the same way he was playing in January. Baertschi was given three months to find himself last season, but he will not have that luxury again.

If he and Bo Horvat can stick together and keep their magic going, fans and coaches alike would be grateful.

Next: Number 3: Jake Virtanen