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Canucks: What to expect from the powerplay next season

By Zaahid Lalani

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 12: Bo Horvat #53 of the Vancouver Canucks (3rd from left) celebrates his power-play goal at 4:29 of the first period against the St. Louis Blues in Game One of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 12, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 12: Bo Horvat #53 of the Vancouver Canucks (3rd from left) celebrates his power-play goal at 4:29 of the first period against the St. Louis Blues in Game One of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 12, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /
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Nate Schmidt. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Nate Schmidt. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Schmidt, who was acquired in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights on October 12th, is regarded around the league as a puck-moving blueliner who can put up points. He played a similar role in Vegas on their second unit, and should be a fresh addition to the Canucks’ lineup compared to Alexander Edler or Tyler Myers.

The arrival of Schmidt brings a plethora of scenarios. On one hand, he could be the piece that finally moves Edler off of the second unit. The veteran blueliner will turn 35 in April, and could benefit from reduced minutes to maximize his current potential. On the flip side, Green could decide to utilize a more traditional line combination and have both of them in the mix throughout the season. Both are viable options, but a decision will need to be made soon.

Overall, the Canucks still have many key players that can be effectively deployed on the powerplay, and there are many possibilities that Green can test out before the season starts. Unfortunately, he won’t have much time to do so.

As per the new agreement for the upcoming 2020-2021 season, training camps opened on January 3rd, 2021 for all teams that participated in the Return to Play plan last season. This period will last just over a week, and will not include any pre-season or exhibition games. Green will luckily have the opportunity to experiment with different line combinations during training camp, but he will also need to make the most of the little time that he has with his players.

As we countdown the days to the start of the regular season, there are still many questions that need to be answered.

Can Boeser re-establish his goal-scoring touch on the man advantage? Can we finally expect consistency throughout the entire season from both units? Could we see Nils Hoglander or Vasily Podkolzin make appearances on the second unit, granted they land a roster spot after training camp? And, most importantly, will this Canucks powerplay be able to hold their ground against the other six Canadian teams?

Of course, we can’t tell you what’s going to happen. We don’t have a crystal ball or divine psychic abilities. Only time will tell.

Next. Canucks: The team’s 2020-21 schedule has been released. dark

One thing is for certain, though. It will be crucial for the Canucks to have a strong start on the powerplay at the beginning of the season if they want any chance at succeeding in the highly-contested and intriguing North Division.

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