Vancouver Canucks D Luca Sbisa Surprises with Strong Performances

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luca Sbisa has consistently been made fun of by fans over the years, but his play to start the year might change that.

When the Vancouver Canucks were down by a goal last night, head coach Willie Desjardins decided to shake up the lineup as he’s been known to do. One of the changes he made was to pair Chris Tanev with Luca Sbisa and throw them out there with the Sedins.

Sbisa was named to Team Europe for the World Cup of Hockey and only managed to get into one game against Canada. It’s very likely that gave him the kick in the rear-end he needed to work harder in training camp to prove to the Canucks he was still a capable NHL defenseman.

Of course, with his lack of ice time at the World Cup, Sbisa did not gain any new fans with the Canucks. Coming into the season, a Tanev-Sbisa pairing was talked about as a potential pairing to give Sbisa a babysitter. This pairing would have theoretically allowed Troy Stecher to make the team and he would have been paired with Alex Edler.

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However, three games into the season, Sbisa has earned himself a spot with Tanev because he’s been playing well enough to be paired with him. He hasn’t had any incredibly awful turnovers yet, he’s physical and his positioning seems to have improved since last summer. He almost got himself a goal too, but it was disallowed due to a kicking motion.

I will admit, he did have one bad shift in the third period against the St. Louis Blues, where he looked like the old version of Sbisa but aside from that he has been a different player through three games. Canucks reporter Jeff Paterson even went so far as to call him one of the top five Canucks through the first three games of the season.

Of course, we have to take in account that the Canucks have only played three games this season. They’re typically strong out of the gate under Willie Desjardins before falling back to earth.  So, it’s quite possible that Sbisa suffers that fate and in November we’re talking about how Sbisa is a detriment to the Canucks roster.

However, if Sbisa continues his play throughout October and into November, we could see a scenario where Stecher gets an NHL call-up. Through three games, Philip Larsen has not revitalized the power play like he was advertised to do. If that keeps up, the Canucks will be looking for somebody to step into that role. With Sbisa playing well, it could allow for Stecher to step into the lineup and be paired with Edler.

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The Canucks’ start to the season has been the strangest we’ve seen in a long time and nothing exemplifies that more than Sbisa’s current level of play. For years, he’s been the butt of everyone’s jokes but now people are singing his praises. There is a very good chance that ends sooner rather than later, but for now, let’s enjoy it while it lasts.