VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 29: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks scores on Devan Dubnyk #40 of the Minnesota Wild during their NHL game at Rogers Arena October 29, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 5-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Vancouver Canucks are back with a vengeance, and so is The Canuck Way mailbag. Here are the answers to this week’s best questions ahead of puck drop.
Last week, the return of The Canuck Way mailbag turned out to be nothing short of a smashing success. It’s a weekly chance for fans of the Vancouver Canucks to get involved, ask questions, and further discuss the latest, most up-to-date news in hockey.
All you have to do is follow @fsthecanuckway on Twitter, look for the mailbag tweet at the end of each week, ask a Canucks-related question, and then find your question and answer when the article drops! Okay? Okay! Let’s jump right into it. Here are the best questions this week!
Yes, hockey is officially on the horizon in the city of Vancouver, and The Canuck Way couldn’t be more excited. It felt like robbery having the Canucks’ regular-season cut short. The team was fending off feisty competition as they went, and they were on the verge of claiming a real 2020 NHL Playoff spot.
But of course, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to ratify the CBA on Friday, and the Canucks still get their equal shot at Lord Stanley’s Cup. It would have been nice to see the 50-year squad pull it off the old fashioned way, but nonetheless, Elias Pettersson and the entire team of Canucks are back on the west coast and ready to open Day 1 of Training Camp
Plenty can happen between now and puck drop on August 1st, but this is a terrific starting point. And a big plus for the young core of talent on the Canucks is the fact that they got, basically, an entire summer vacation before they’ll be jumping right back into the belly of the beast. My point is, this team should be coming out guns blazing.
Personally, I think the Canucks will have a very strong top-six forward group when hockey returns, but depending on the health of Micheal Ferland, Vancouver could potentially have the deepest top-nine across the board.
Acquired in the summer on a four-year deal, Ferland was brought into the mix as a legit playoff performer who can bang. Obviously his debut year with Vancouver didn’t go quite according to plan, concussions kept him sidelined for the majority of the season, but signs of hope and a return to normalcy for Ferland are beginning to show.
Do you remember what he was capable of doing to the 2015 Canucks? Single-handedly, he took on tough guys like Kevin Bieksa and Zack Kassian with ease, and the Calgary Flames advanced to the second round. If Ferland can be the player he was back then or even a shade of the man, he could really help round out the top-nine, especially next to two hungry players like Jake Virtanen and Adam Gaudette.
Who would you start alongside Petey and Miller: Toffoli or Boeser?
After what we saw in Tyler Toffoli‘s 10-game audition at the tail-end of the regular season, one might think it would be an absolute no-brainer to keep things that way, but I have to disagree for a couple of different reasons.
First off, Travis Green has almost three weeks to sort out his lineup. That’s more than enough time to see who is clicking and who has the best chemistry heading into the Play-In series versus the Minnesota Wild. Mix it up, roll the lines, flip them around again, and keep doing it until the Canucks have the perfect fit.
That being said, the Lotto Line was damn good all season long, and Brock Boeser on line one might be what’s best for everybody. Next to Pettersson is where he’ll find his scoring touch, and at this point, Vancouver is yet to see what the reunion Toffoli and Tanner Pearson can really do.
Being part of one of the best lines in hockey, the couple of two-way forwards won a championship for the LA Kings back in 2014. It’s mouthwatering to ponder the thought of what they could really accomplish while flanking the wings of Canucks’ captain Bo Horvat.
The Brock Boeser trade rumours are swirling all over Twitter. Who are three players worth targeting as a return for his services?
If Boeser is in fact trade bait in the offseason, expect Jim Benning to shop him for a legit top-four defender. Vancouver has a surplus of right-shot forwards and with Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher coming to the end of their current contracts in Van-city, it’s a great way to acquire an even better replacement.
Obviously, Matt Dumba is the first player on the minds of most hockey knowledgeable Canucks fans and honestly, it makes a lot of sense. Boeser is a native to the state of Minnesota, while Dumba brings that raw physicality along with a right side howitzer of a slapshot. He would be an amazing fit next to Quinn Hughes, and he’d instantly become our second-best blueliner.
Zach Werenski from the Columbus Blue Jackets would be an excellent fit in Vancouver, but it might take more than just BB6 to land his services. The 22-year-old already has over 300 NHL games under his belt and he led all CBJ defenders this year in points (20 goals, 21 assists). His 20-goal campaign is simply mindblowing, and I think he could rise to new heights in Vancouver.
Lastly, the Carolina Hurricanes would make for a good trading partner. The Hurricanes have a logjam of too many potential top-four defenders and they could use some extra goals on the right side. The ceiling of these potential trade targets isn’t quite as high as Werenski or Dumba, but maybe Benning could snag Haydn Fleury and a high draft pick.
Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild and Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /
More questions and answers…
The Boeser trade rumors were all over the place when Matt Sekeres tweeted out that the Canucks were looking to move the American sniper to either create cap relief or bring in a quality top-four defender, but the Canucks actually have more options than just him.
Other than Boeser, the Canucks have a few different assets that they could package together in a deal for a top-four defender. As much as it pains me to say it, a Virtanen package is the next best option, and I think some people could be surprised at how much value he could land the Canucks in a return.
The soon-to-be 24-year-old has turned the corner of becoming a legitimate top-six player, and although he hasn’t accomplished the feat of a 20-goal season just yet, he sure would have if COVID-19 didn’t get involved this year.
He’s an RFA this offseason and depending on his upcoming playoff performances, he could want more money than the Canucks are willing to fork out. Tack on the fact that Ferland is more or less the same player as Shotgun Jake (when he’s healthy), and suddenly he seems expendable.
He won’t get the Canucks what they want in a trade by himself, but adding a sweetener might just swing a defender in the four, five, six range to Vancouver.
The scouts are high on this guy for good reason and his statistics show a pretty dominant two-way game playing for Harvard. Right now, he’s a player I can see fighting tooth and nail for a roster spot as a 7th man, but honestly, Rathbone’s numbers show he has the ability to develop into a top-four defenseman in the National Hockey League with quality power play quarterbacking skills.
“Great pick by the Canucks, great kid who comes from a great family. He is a slick puck-moving defenseman who defends well. Offensively he is really good as well, has a bomb of a shot from the point. He passes like a pro.” – Pro Scout
Will Olli Juolevi see time with the Canucks next season? Or is it another full year in the AHL?
Good question. Tough answer. Two things come to mind when I think about Olli Juolevi possibly playing for the Vancouver Canucks next year: Rathbone and what happens in the 2020 offseason.
As a left-shot defender, the Canucks main roster is more or less already spoken for, which makes the NHL jump even more difficult for the 22-year-old Fin. Quinn Hughes will be back for another year of domination, Alex Edler would rather die a Canuck before ever moving on, and Jordie Benn still has a year left on his deal. Add on Rathbone if he elects to go the NHL route, and suddenly Juolevi is facing an uphill battle.
Being a black ace for the Canucks will be good for Juolevi and should serve as a great indication as to where his overall game is at. Regardless, whether he’s ready or not, Juolevi should get some NHL ice time at one point or another next year. He likely won’t be a main roster player to start the 2020-2021 season, but he’ll get his chance to prove himself when a Vancouver Canuck falls to injury.
How far will the canucks go in these play ins/ playoffs?
Without a doubt, I’d love to say the Vancouver Canucks have what it takes to win the Stanley Cup this year, but the chances are slim. I believe they will get past the Wild quite easily, but round two gets a whole lot more complicated against a team like Colorado Avalanche.
Report: Multiple sources believe Rathbone can make Canucks team. dark. Next
What do you think Canucks fans? Can the Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup this year?
