The Canuck Way Mailbag: Podkolzin, Boeser, Bure, prospects, more
The Vancouver Canucks continue to move through the offseason with no activity. As we inch closer and closer to training camp, let’s answer more questions!
The quiet offseason for the Vancouver Canucks and the rest of the NHL continues as we get closer to training camps.
More movement is sure to happen, but right now there isn’t much to talk about when it comes to news and chatter. But some prospects are still playing overseas and the USNDP started up this weekend, so hockey is being played somewhere.
So with all that said, let’s get to some more of your questions!
Who which dman is the best options to play with Quinn Hughes?
— Randy Dhillon (@RandyDhillon) November 6, 2020
The Canucks will have a few options when it comes to filling Chris Tanev’s shoes alongside the uber-talented Quinn Hughes.
They could load up the top-pair with the newly acquired Nate Schmidt to create a smooth-skating mobile tandem, take a risk and gamble on the assumption that Tyler Myers can clean up his defensive game or go conservative and play Jordie Benn on the right side, a spot where he seems to play his best hockey.
Of all those options I think Schmidt would be the best to pair with Hughes because of the way he plays the game overall. He is probably the second best defenceman on the Canucks now and should have the hockey IQ and mobility to keep up with him.
Benn would be an interesting experiment as well, but I just don’t think he has the skill set to play the elevated minutes Hughes gets on a nightly basis. He would have to play close to 20 minutes a night and improve substantially on his performance from last season. He may play better on the right side, but I’m not sure he can fill Tanev’s shoes as his partner for an extended period of time.
Which prospect is the sleeper at the next camp?
— mike higashi (@hirokidude) November 6, 2020
Apart from the obvious choices of Brogan Rafferty, Jack Rathbone, and Nils Hoglander (who technically are not sleepers since we talk about them all the time), I think Kole Lind is going to surprise a lot of people and force his way onto the roster. He had a breakout season with the Utica Comets in 2019-20 when he posted career-highs of 14 goals and 44 points in 61 games and really looked NHL-ready at times.
After struggling in his first professional season in the AHL, Lind adjusted his game and became a real presence in his second go-around. If he can bring the same energy and enthusiasm to the NHL in 2020-21, he could force general manager Jim Benning’s hand like Adam Gaudette and Tyler Motte before him. He has good hands around the net and is strong on the forecheck, skills that could be a good fit alongside Gaudette and Hoglander on the third line.
Lind will have some work to do to usurp a veteran but considering how much he improved over an offseason last season, I would not put it past him to take another major step in his development this season.
What do you think happens with Tanner Pearson after next season? Resigned, traded or does he sign with a different team?
— Mark Anthony (@MarkAnt93179735) November 7, 2020
If Tanner Pearson puts together another season as he did in 2019-20, then I think the Canucks will attempt to re-sign him. However, if they are in a position where they are out of the playoffs at the trade deadline, then Benning will probably look at trading him.
However, since head coach Travis Green likes matching Bo Horvat’s line against the best players on the other team, they will need a similar player to replace him. It may be easier to re-sign a proven commodity than to gamble on an unknown to fill the same role he had.
Ever since Pearson joined the team from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Erik Gudbranson trade, he has meshed well with the team’s makeup. He plays a hard, sometimes quiet game from the second line, and is one of the best two-way players on the team. Not to mention that he can also kill penalties, play a matchup role, and be trusted in key situations when his team is leading in the final minutes.
We may harp on the fact that he had so many empty-net goals, but the fact that he scored them means that the Canucks eventually won the game. It also means he was efficient at the end of the game defensively and wound up burying his chances when he got an opportunity at the empty net.
That alone is a valuable skill to have on your team. So if I was in Benning’s shoes, I would try and re-sign him, unless his expected salary starts eating into Pettersson and Hughes’ contract extensions.
I feel like the Canucks got away from using Boeser effectively on the PP last season.
— Brayden Ursel (@bkursel23) November 7, 2020
Will Green address this? Making it a priority to help Boeser find his finish.
Last year it seemed Boeser was passed on as being the trigger man. Hughes, Petey, JT, Bo all had more chances imo
Since Pettersson joined the team in 2018-19, we all had visions of two elite one-timers on the power play. The problem is, the Canucks have never used both of them in that capacity.
Pettersson is always set up on the right side for it while Boeser is never put in a shooting position for that same opportunity on the other side. Then when Tyler Toffoli joined the team, he was relegated to second unit duty where he rarely got any opportunities at all.
If the Canucks want to maximize both their offensive weapons on the power play, they have to start using both of them more effectively. Boeser has a great one-timer, but only when he’s getting a pass from an elite playmaker.
Related Story. Canucks: Brock Boeser is becoming more than just a goal scorer. light
It has to be perfectly placed in his wheelhouse or he won’t get his A-shot away. With Pettersson, he seems to be able to adjust his shot no matter how bad the pass is. Boeser, on the other hand, needs a little help from his friends.
I’m not sure Green and Newell Brown will make the necessary adjustments to allow Boeser to have more chances on the power play. Both Pettersson and Boeser need to be triggermen, not just one of them.
All of last season, it was clear that Pettersson was the primary target along with Horvat in the slot or bumper position. With Toffoli gone to the Montreal Canadiens, Boeser should resume his role on the first unit, but he also needs to resume his role as triggerman as well.
Pettersson or Bure?
— Adam Dane (@AdamDane7) November 6, 2020
That is a tough question to answer. Pavel Bure was one of the NHL’s most electrifying goal scorers while Pettersson is one of the most dynamic two-way forwards in the game today. They are different players with different skill sets, so I am going to take the easy way out and say both.
Bure’s primary skill was scoring goals at insane speeds. Even when it was diminished later in his career, he could still find the back of the net almost at will.
Pettersson, on the other hand, can do almost everything at an elite level. Obviously, he does not have the same speed and automatic goal-scoring acumen, but his overall package is much more impressive. His hockey IQ is off the charts, and he has a lethal one-timer and soft hands to match. His wrist shot, slap shot and playmaking abilities are no slouches either.
Basically, it would be amazing to have Pettersson and Bure on the same line in the same era. I would not be surprised if they both posted 120-point seasons and Bure was a 60-plus goal scorer. Too bad we don’t have a time machine.
Does Podkolzin line up in the Top 6 when the season starts, or will be still be under contract in the K?
— DanD'Amour (@DanielDAmour) November 7, 2020
Unfortunately, Vasili Podkolzin will be with SKA St Petersburg until the end of the KHL’s 2020-21 season. He can join the Canucks when their regular season comes to an end or they get eliminated from the playoffs. With the NHL potentially playing games into May, he could debut in the NHL as soon as mid-season.
When Podkolzin finally comes over to North America, I can see him fitting in well on Horvat’s line with his size, speed, and forechecking abilities. He plays the game with a high motor, strong work ethic, and impressive two-way game which would be a welcome addition to a matchup line like Horvat’s. He has endured a trying season in the KHL so far, but his increased role with Team Russia in the Karjala Cup appears to have re-ignited his game.
Podkolzin currently has four points in his first two games, which included an exciting game-winning shootout goal he scored on Saturday.
Hopefully, his SKA St Petersburg coaching staff are watching and start giving him more ice time when he returns to the team after the tournament. He also will be one of the key players for Team Russia when the World Junior Championships get going at the end of December, so more success could be around the corner for the young Russian.
Next. Which player is most likely to be taken by the Seattle Kraken?. dark
That brings us to the end of another The Canuck Way mailbag. Training camps are hopefully just around the corner, so more questions are sure to be had as we get closer to the start of the 2020-21 season. So enjoy Podkolzin’s success overseas as you await the tweet from @FSTheCanuckWay for the next Canucks mailbag