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Canucks: Tyler Motte needs to be re-signed immediately

By Matthew Zator

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 19: Tyler Motte #64 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his short-handed goal against the St. Louis Blues at 13:15 of the first period in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 19, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 19: Tyler Motte #64 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his short-handed goal against the St. Louis Blues at 13:15 of the first period in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 19, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /
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Stars like Elias Pettersson win you games. It’s warriors like Tyler Motte who win you Stanley Cups. Here’s why the Vancouver Canucks need to re-sign him.

The Vancouver Canucks are a team built around Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, there’s no doubt about that.

But to win championships, you need players like Tyler Motte in your lineup. Ever since he came to the team via a 2018 trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he has excelled in a fourth line role and as a penalty killing specialist.

His warrior spirit and infectious work ethic have made him a favourite not only of the fans, but of head coach, Travis Green as well.

“At times, I’ve been asked why he’s in the lineup but, man, this guy is an important part of our team,” Green said last month, per Ben Kuzma of Postmedia. “He goes to a lot of the hard areas — especially against a team like St. Louis —  because you have to fight for space and it’s not just about the PK with him.”

I don’t think anyone is questioning why Motte was in the lineup now. He’s obviously an integral part of the Canucks burgeoning core and has endeared himself to his teammates with his work away from the puck and on the penalty kill, as linemate Jay Beagle can attest to (per Kuzma).

"Unsung hero is right — you nailed it…This guy doesn’t get that much credit. He brings it every night and just keeps getting better and I’ve seen him grow over the last two years. And the way he has played this year, it’s pretty special to play with him."

Without him, the Canucks are not the same team.

He elevates his line with his speed, forechecking and physicality despite being only 5-foot-10 and 192 pounds. He was second only to J.T. Miller in hits with 118, but did it in half the games. So if you translate that to a full season, he blows everyone away. He also has shown the ability to score goals when given the chance.

In the playoffs, he scored four times, including two beauties: One on a breakaway and one where he dangled past Alex Pietrangelo for a highlight reel dandy.

I genuinely believe Motte has more offence in his tank, if given the opportunity. I see a lot of Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen in him. Both of them started out as low-scoring fourth line players but blossomed into consistent 15-20 goal scorers. I’m not going to put that sort of pressure on him, but I really see it happening, especially if he is given more talented linemates to work with.

Even if he doesn’t produce more goals and points, he’s still a valuable part of the Canucks in the role he’s been playing so far. As I explained in a previous article, he’s the perfect utility man and makes the fourth line run like a well-tuned Ferrari.

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The Canucks and Motte seem determined to get a deal done, which is what we want to hear. Apart from Jacob Markstrom and Tyler Toffoli, he should be one of the priorities to sign moving forward. Fortunately, he’s probably the easiest and cheapest to get done. So, what’s taking so long?

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