Canucks Recap: Three stars of the week (Mar 7th – 12th)

3. Adam Gaudette

Truth be told, the third and final spot on our list was quite hard to fill this week, but it’s probably about time that we recognize Adam Gaudette.

It’s been an interesting season for the 24-year-old Massachusetts native.

After a few healthy scratches during the playoff bubble experience last summer, there were many questions surrounding Gaudette’s role with the team, particularly at the centre position.

Both coaches and fans alike are hoping that Gaudette will eventually be able to take over the third-line centre role from current titleholder Brandon Sutter, but the process hasn’t been as smooth as expected.

Gaudette has only registered six points in 26 games this season, and his minus 10 rating is the second-worst amongst all players. Like the rest of the bottom six forwards, Gaudette had not been able to consistently (or meaningfully) contribute to the team, and he was sporting a 15-game goalless heading into Monday night’s contest.

Despite the defensive and offensive struggles, Gaudette has been a fixture in the line-up and, most recently, has taken full advantage of his new assignment as right-wing on the third line. He logged just over 13 minutes of ice time, including some time on the second powerplay unit, and appeared to be creating good scoring opportunities in front of Price for much of the evening.

He registered two shots on goal and was finally able to bump the slump with a Boeser-like blast that was in and out of the top corner faster than it takes Tyler Myers to lie down on the ice during a 2-on-1 attack (make that two weeks in a row for that reference).

More importantly, Gaudette’s last-minute game-tying tally allowed the Canucks to secure at least one point against their French-Canadian opponents, and it was the second contest in a row that the Canucks were able to come away with a win when trailing after two periods.

Gaudette still has a gigantic hill to climb if he wants to establish himself a bonafide third-line centre for the rest of the season and for the foreseeable future in this city, but this past week was an encouraging start.

Honourable Mention: Alex Edler

On Saturday night, Alex Edler played his 900th game as a Canuck, becoming only the fourth player in franchise history to accomplish this feat.

Edler is currently the longest-serving player on the team, and he sits fourth all-time for games played, only behind Trevor Linden and Henrik and Daniel Sedin. He also holds the record for most points by a defenceman with 407 (and counting), and only needs one more tally to hit the 100-goal mark.

The 34-year-old blueliner only has one more year left on his current deal, but most people would love to see Edler wrap up his career with the team that originally drafted him 91st overall in 2004 (as long as the price is right, of course).

Here’s to many more broken records for Alex!

Upcoming games:

• Saturday, March 13th – Edmonton Oilers @ Vancouver Canucks (7:00 pm PST)
• Monday, March 15th – Vancouver Canucks @ Ottawa Senators (4:00 pm PST)
• Wednesday, March 17th – Vancouver Canucks @ Ottawa Senators (4:00 pm PST)
• Friday, March 19th – Vancouver Canucks @ Montreal Canadiens (4:00 pm PST)

Who do you think played well during this past week? Make sure to drop a comment below!