Canucks: Sven Baertschi deserves another chance

Sven Baertschi has always been good enough to play in the National Hockey League and he deserves another chance to prove it with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Vancouver Canucks have come a long way since Sven Baertschi was considered the team’s best left-winger. Just a year removed from a concussion riddled season that sent him on a depth chart free fall, it seems that the 27-year-old native of Switzerland has been forgotten by Canucks management altogether. But why?

What happened

Before missing 56 games of the 2018-19 season, three years prior to that, Baertschi started to become a consistent point producer in the NHL. Stapled to the wing of Bo Horvat, the two created a unique chemistry that continued into the following seasons. Their momentum gained speed once more when Brock Boeser was added into the mix and Baertschi’s numbers soared above half a point per game (0.547).

With the Sedin twins now retired, the “B-line” was the best thing going for Vancouver at the time. But with Daniel gone and Baertschi now the next best left-shot winger in need of a contract, he got himself paid. A three-year deal was reached worth an annual amount of $3,366,666 US. It was a fair deal for both sides and Baertshi had three straight seasons of middle six numbers to back it up. The only red flag before his renewal was the fact that he’d never been an 82-game kind of guy. Minor injuries had a way of popping up and usually kept him sidelined at least once a year, but that’s quite common in such a high-intensity league. They took the chance anyway.

Expected to return to form and earn his $10 million, Baertschi struggled to stay healthy in 2018-19. Concussion issues held him back for the majority of the season and when the year came to an end, the tired and frustrated Baertschi only played in 26 games. Of the games he did play, he just didn’t appear to be himself. He lacked confidence chasing down the puck, and getting into the dirty areas, he grew fearful.