The Canuck Way Mailbag: Ekman-Larsson, Hoglander, free agency, more

Hoglander & third line centers

With how Nils Hoglander is performing in Sweden with Rogle BK right now, I firmly believe he can come into the lineup and make an impact right away. He may need some time to adjust to the smaller ice surface, but if his hockey IQ is anything like Elias Pettersson’s, I don’t think it will be a problem for long. His speed, agility, and creativity are suited to the NHL right now and to the Canucks lineup as well.

Hoglander ideally won’t play in the top-six but form a speedy third line with Adam Gaudette and possibly Zack MacEwen. If Toffoli is not re-signed, all bets are off, but for the Canucks to be a better team in 2020-21, the third unit has to be more of a threat offensively regardless of who is playing on it.

So to answer your question on ETA, I am saying as soon as the beginning of the 2020-21 season. He’s ready for the NHL and could be a 10-15 goal scorer right off the bat. I am not expecting a Pettersson-like debut, but he will surprise a lot of people and become a solid addition to the Canucks’ burgeoning young core.

That Hoglander question was a perfect segue into this one. In addition to another top-four defenceman, Benning has to be looking for a way to upgrade his bottom-six. The Canucks cannot go into next season with Antoine Roussel and Brandon Sutter flanking Gaudette. If that’s the third line going into opening night, then he has failed to improve this team.

We saw first-hand what a speedy third line forward can do in the playoffs for a team with Alex Tuch of the Vegas Golden Knights running around scoring at will against the bottom six of the Canucks.

The 2020 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning also had major contributions from their third line of Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, and Yanni Gourde which had 13 goals and 34 points between them. If the Canucks are going to be successful in the future, their third-line needs to be more of a factor offensively.

So to answer your question, I think the Canucks need to target a third-line center like Craig Smith, formally of the Nashville Predators. He is an intriguing option, as he is a five-time 20-goal scorer and probably would have hit 20 again if the 2019-20 season concluded with the usual 82 games. He could be a perfect fit on the third line with Gaudette and Hoglander. He would also be a solid addition to the power play as well.

As for your question on Jake Virtanen, I agree with your assertation that the Canucks can get a late first or early second-round pick for him. He still has potential, and with a change in scenery, he could realize it. I find it hard to believe that another team wouldn’t take a chance on a 24-year-old goal scorer for the price of a draft pick. He will at least score 15-20 goals, and with the potential thrown in, the risk is definitely worth it.

Second-round draft picks historically only have a 25 percent chance of making the NHL, so getting a proven goal scorer for that is a small price to pay, especially if you have already chosen a player in the first round. The Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils could be targeted as they have multiple picks in both the first and second rounds.

That concludes yet another edition of The Canuck Way mailbag. If all the rumours come to fruition in the next week, we could have a lot more to talk about and analyze. Stay glued to @FSTheCanuckWay and look out for the Tweet for the next one! I will be back to answer all of your questions!