Vancouver Canucks: Why they need to hold onto Jake Virtanen

Jake Virtanen has mustered just 32 goals and 59 points in 210 NHL games, but the Vancouver Canucks need to stay patient and trust that he’ll break out.

Five years after drafting him with the No. 6 selection, the Vancouver Canucks are still waiting for Jake Virtanen to reach his full potential and grow into a reliable top six forward and consistent 20-goal scorer.

Virtanen showed signs of breaking out during the 2018-19 season, posting career bests in goals (15) and points (25) in 70 games. Had he played all 82 contests, perhaps Virtanen would have hit 20 goals once and for all.

The Canucks signed gritty forward Micheal Ferland to a four-year worth $14 million last week, and you can’t help but wonder if the team might be ready to move on from Virtanen in the near future. Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province detailed how Ferland is the type of player that Virtanen “might have been” as well as “the player you wish he was.”

In signing Ferland, the Canucks have a proven 20-goal scorer who can play anywhere in the top six. Ferland has good size (6-foot-1, 217 pounds), and he’s dished out at least 149 hits in each of the last four seasons.

But just because the Canucks added a more proven power forward and goal-scorer, it doesn’t mean they should move on from Virtanen. Even if the Canucks have the chance to trade Loui Eriksson if it means attaching Virtanen as a sweetener, general manager Jim Benning shouldn’t do it.

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The 23-year-old hasn’t fully developed yet, sure. He’s only appeared in 210 NHL games over a four-year span. But again, we’re talking about a young roster player who showed the ability to become a 20-goal man last season.

And even if Virtanen never becomes a top six forward, his size, superb skating and physical style of play would make him a reliable third liner. You need depth to win Stanley Cups.

Even if Virtanen doesn’t become a 20-goal and 40 to 50-point forward, it doesn’t mean he won’t have value to the Canucks when their next championship window opens. If he’s destined to play more of a grinder/shutdown forward role in the bottom six, so be it. That’ll work just fine.

We’ve seen too many teams get burned after giving up on a young roster player too early. The Arizona Coyotes gave up on Dylan Strome (the No. 3 pick from 2015) and sent him to the Chicago Blackhawks in November of last season. Strome made the most of his new home and tallied 17 goals and 51 points for Chicago in 58 games.

The Minnesota Wild traded Alex Tuch (the No. 14 pick from 2014) plus a third round choice to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 for picking Erik Haula in the expansion draft. Tuch scored 20 goals and 52 points for Vegas this past season.

If the Canucks were to trade Virtanen, it’s unlikely they would receive equal value. They don’t want to make the same mistake as teams like Arizona and Minnesota in giving up on young players that just require more time to develop.

Virtanen can still be a 20-goal scorer. If not, he can still play a key role in helping this team develop into a championship contender. Even though they signed a Virtanen comparable in Ferland, it doesn’t mean the Canucks should give up on their 2014 first round pick. If you ask me, Virtanen is on the verge of finally putting it all together.