The Canuck Way Mailbag: Burke, Virtanen, all-canadian division, more

Virtanen, Hawryluk & the all-Canadian division

General manager Jim Benning seems to still believe in Jake Virtanen, even though he’s probably caused him to rip his hair out on more than one occasion. In his most recent interview on Sportsnet 650, he said that he gave him some tough love after the playoffs and that he expects a lot more from him in 2020-21.

If Virtanen does not take a huge step forward this season, especially if he’s given a lot of time in the top-six, he will be dealt either at the trade deadline or during the offseason. Like Benning said,

"He’s going to have to have a good offseason, he’s going to have to come in excellent shape here for us, and he’s going to have to show us that he’s ready to do the things that we think he’s capable of, or he’s going to get passed by, by some other guys."

Benning isn’t wrong, as prospects like Hoglander and Vasili Podkolzin are coming up fast. Podkolzin will be Virtanen’s biggest competition as he will be joining the team sometime in 2021. His style of play is well-suited for Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson’s line and given his vast skill set as a two-way forward, he may be the piece that finally completes the ensemble. If Virtanen is smart, he will work like he’s never worked before and come to training camp in the shape of his life.

We all want Virtanen to succeed in the NHL, but I think his time in Canucks’ colours is running out. He has all the makings of a power forward, now it’s up to him to prove to everyone that Benning’s trust in him is justified. If he can’t do it within the two years of his current contract, his shelf life will probably expire in Vancouver.

If Jayce Hawryluk makes the team out of training camp, I really want to see him play next to Nils Hoglander (provided he makes the team too) and Adam Gaudette. His style of play should mesh well with those two, as he’s a speedy, high-energy forward capable of putting the puck in the net when given the chance. He’s also physical and has proven to be a positive play driver in the past too.

Hawryluk has limited experience killing penalties, but that should not be the reason he is left off the roster. The Canucks need more offence from their bottom-six this season, and that won’t happen with Loui Eriksson, Brandon Sutter, and Antoine Roussel taking regular shifts. He may not have experience in that role now, but I’m sure if he’s given the chance, he could become a strong penalty killer too. He has all the tools to do it, so why not give him the opportunity to learn the craft from experts like Tyler Motte and Jay Beagle?

Basically, Hawryluk is more valuable in the Canucks lineup rather than in the press box or in the American Hockey League. He brings something they desperately need more of in their bottom-six, offensive potential.

I think the Canucks are going to be competitive in an all-Canadian division, but not the team to beat. In my opinion that will be (cringe) the Toronto Maple Leafs. They finally improved their defence with TJ Brodie and Zach Bogosian and still have one of the most lethal offences in the NHL with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares driving the bus. Not to mention they also have a pretty solid starting goaltender in Frederik Andersen too. As much as I hate to say it, they will be a very tough out in 2020-21.

The Canucks have a lot of question marks going into next season, especially on defence where they lost a veteran warrior in Chris Tanev. He was their best penalty killer and logged a lot of key minutes on the top pairing with Quinn Hughes. Nate Schmidt will soften the blow, but he’s not the same type of penalty killer and rock-solid defender Tanev was.

They also need more scoring and pressure from their bottom-six, which was an issue in the playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights. I still maintain that if they don’t get more from players not named Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, and JT Miller, they will struggle mightily to repeat as a playoff team.

Finally, as much as we all loved Demko’s performance in the playoffs, we have to remember that he is still an unproven goaltender in the NHL. Holtby doesn’t exactly inspire confidence either, as he finished the 2019-20 season as one of the league’s most mediocre goaltenders overall. That’s not to say that the tandem won’t do well, it’s just that it’s not a proven strength of the team right now.

So basically, the Canucks could be the team to beat if all the question marks work themselves out. They have the talent and potential to do it, we just have to wait and see if the hockey gods think so too.

That brings us to the end of yet another The Canuck Way mailbag. Thanks as always for your questions, and for all your Canucks news and analysis, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @FSTheCanuckWay. Until next week, Go Canucks Go!