Canucks: Jake Virtanen confident he’s not being ‘showcased’

When watching Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen celebrate the first of two goals he scored last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, you could almost hear his sigh of relief all the way from your living room couch.

It’s no secret that Virtanen has had a “mixed-bag” of reactions when it comes to his overall play this season. As a matter of fact, through the last couple of years, Virtanen has faced a lot of criticism for not being the player he’s expected to become.

But after scoring 18 goals and adding 18 assists in 69 games as a middle-six forward in 2019-20, his promise of being a capable top-six guy with a physical edge began to come to fruition in the eyes of many. At least until Virtanen got his first real taste of NHL playoff hockey.

To say the least, it didn’t go very well for the New Westminster native. He finished the tournament with just three points (2 goals, 1 assist) through 16 games and didn’t turn out to be the “crash and bang” style playoff player people thought he would be.

This led to the Canucks’ General Manager actually questioning his ability during the team’s 50th season wrap-up report. Ultimately, Jim Benning ‘expected more from Jake‘, but decided to offer him a two-year contract extension worth $5.1 million anyway.

Virtanen put in work through the offseason after heavy criticism of being the only player to ever show up to camp out of shape twice in one year (thanks to the pandemic). In his summer home in Kelowna, Virtanen made a good effort in hitting the gym on a daily basis with the new dad of the team, Tyler Myers.

Despite the difficult training schedule, Virtanen struggled early this season and hasn’t had much puck luck at all. Coming into last night’s matchup, Virtanen had just 3 goals through his previous 44 games played.

The luck had to turn around eventually. He must have heard me call him out on Twitter because when it happens, it happens. Virtanen opened the scoring with the first shot on goal. It was even a goal some people would consider to be that of a power forward.

Virtanen wasn’t done there. He took his talents into the second period and tallied another impressive goal. This time it was down the right side, his better side. Instead of bringing the puck towards the net with power and speed, Virtanen fires it with confidence over the shoulder of the Maple Leafs goaltender. An absolute snipe. Check it out:

Is Virtanen being showcased?

Virtanen knows all too well what it’s like to be inside Green’s doghouse, so for some people, it’s a bit of a headscratcher to see a player who’s been so inconsistent get another crack at the top-six.

But with rumours swirling that Virtanen is on the trade block, wouldn’t it make sense to try and pump his tires in an attempt to raise his value and attract a buyer? Yes, it would completely make sense! But according to the man himself, he doesn’t believe that to be the case.

“I think it was a good game by the team and I felt like it was one of my better games tonight, but I don’t think that they’re trying to showcase me or anything like that,” said Virtanen. “I think the management has faith in me and they’ve talked to me a little bit about that but I want to try and stay a Canuck for as long as I can.”

If he’s being showcased or not, his two-goal game can only be a good thing for everybody. He earned the second two-goal game of his NHL career. The Canucks proved that they can beat the best team in their division. And the Canucks get a glimpse of what they are paying for in Virtanen.

“That’s the player we envision,” Canucks coach Travis Green said. “He was getting places, he was taking the puck, he was playing with authority, taking pucks wide and using his speed, shooting. If he can bring that game to the table every night, he’s a very effective player in the league. I was happy for him to have a big game tonight for us. That’s the player that we’ve envisioned from Day 1.”

Whether a trade comes or not, this is a good game for Virtanen to learn from. Hopefully, he can keep the momentum going and turn it into something positive for himself and his teammates.