Canucks: Sven Baertschi deserves another chance
2019 preseason
2018-19 was a big disappointment for Baertschi which led management to make some difficult summertime decisions. With a promise of a return to playoff hockey by Jim Benning, reviewing all the roster’s weaknesses was a must. Looking into things further, Baertschi’s injury struggles stood out. For too long he had left a hole deeply wounding the organization, holding the team back from where they needed to be. A 56 game absence from 2018-19, missing 29 games the year before and 14 the year before that was all supporting proof of that. It was time things needed to change.
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Missing nearly 60 games with lingering concussion issues, Baertschi’s contract was a tough one to move as nobody had seen him play, nobody thought he would be worth the risk. He himself thought otherwise. Sick of nagging injuries and being an unhealthy player, Baertschi was sent down a path where he was determined to return to his former self and make a splash inside the Canucks’ top-nine.
Passing the eye-test in the preseason with two goals and two assists in four games, Baertschi looked as if the concussion was in the rearview mirror. His chemistry with Adam Gaudette stood out and seemed to create a dynamic that would help propel this team into finally having a scoring top-nine.
But by then, in the eyes of management, the damage had already been done. It didn’t matter how good Baertschi was going to be in those preseason games. Regardless of the fact that his concussion held him back from being traded in the summer, the organization had already moved on from Baertschi being a contributing piece to this team. The trades and UFA signings that summer indicated that Benning was ready for a grittier approach than he believed Baertschi could provide.