Canucks: Micheal Ferland proves why he’s in the lineup
The Vancouver Canucks had some difficult roster decisions to make prior to game 1 vs. the Minnesota Wild, but Micheal Ferland proved himself worthy.
With a logjam of physical players in the bottom-six, it was anyone’s guess as to who would fill the slot as the Vancouver Canucks‘ big, bad bully. Jim Benning did a great job putting the proper players in place for the position, and ultimately, head coach Travis Green had to make a difficult choice between Micheal Ferland, Jake Virtanen, and Zack MacEwen.
Despite Ferland struggling with lingering concussion symptoms for the majority of the season, Green inserted the Swan River-native into game one, and before long, Ferland showed everyone that he was clearly the right choice.
Shot out of a cannon on his very first shift, Ferland got in the ear of Marcus Foligno at the faceoff circle and the two agreed to drop the mitts. A worried Canucks fanbase watched with clenched teeth as Ferland took a spill early, but he quickly recovered back to his feet and landed a couple of right-handed bombs to cut Foligno wide open and win the tilt.
At first, it was a questionable move by Ferland, but it got him right back to playing his game. He was able to show his teammates and his fans that he’s 100% ready to go and he’s not holding back.
He served his five-minute major with a smile and didn’t miss a beat after that. It seemed as if every time he touched the ice he was being effective with the body and finishing every check. He was the perfect pest that the Canucks have so badly needed.
Tempers got the best of Ferland halfway through the third, but for good reason. Skating next to the opponent’s bench, Ryan Hartman of the Wild latched onto Ferland’s stick and didn’t let it go. Ferland didn’t appreciate the illegal move and lashed out with an illegal move of his own. He pulled his stick free and speared Hartman right in the stomach.
It was a bit of a nasty play, but the Canucks need a sprinkle or two of that every now and then. The Canucks need a player who’s not afraid to hold back, and Ferland proved he was that guy for Vancouver last night.
Next. Canucks: 3 takeaways from game 1 shutout loss to Wild. dark
All in all, Ferland did everything expected from him but score. He saw over 11 minutes of ice time, fought the Wild’s toughest player and won, dished out five crushing hits, and had 7 penalty minutes. Micheal Ferland is back, baby!