The Canuck Way Mailbag: 3 stars, Demko, Boeser, Hoglander, Juolevi, more

The Canuck Way Mailbag continued…

A week or two ago I would have said that anyone saying that Brock Boeser isn’t the first star of this team is completely out to lunch because he’s been absolutely excellent. The Minnesota native leads the team in points (29) and goals (14) while completely restoring faith in people that he’s an incredible player worth keeping around.

But over the last little while, another potential first star has emerged in the Canucks starting goalie. As mentioned above, Demko’s play between the pipes has been the best regular-season hockey of his career. He’s gaining confidence with every passing game and he’s starting to bring that same confidence in his fans that they had when Jacob Markstrom was between the pipes.

At this point in the season, for me, it’s a toss-up deciding which of these two players gets the top spot. But for the third and final star of this team, it has to be the rookie forward, Nils Hoglander. He’s cooled off points-wise over the last span of games, but the relentless “dog on a bone” work ethic is something else.

His transition to the NHL has been smooth, fitting in on any line he’s been assigned. Whether it’s on the team’s shutdown line with Bo Horvat or the top line with J.T. Miller and Boeser, Hoglander has found a way to be effective. His 12 points and rank him fifth in team points by a forward, even ahead of Stanley Cup winner, Tanner Pearson.

https://twitter.com/Macusian12345/status/1370793431962775552

Given the statement made by general manager, Jim Benning recently, the Vancouver Canucks shouldn’t be truly competitive for another two seasons. With that in mind, it’s wise that he sells at the deadline rather than signing players who are already at the peak of their careers or slightly over the hill.

The COVID-19 circumstances naturally drop trade deadline value because of federal restrictions (at least outside of the North division), but the Canucks need to take what they can get for players facing a contract year. Guys like Tanner Pearson, Brandon Sutter, Tyler Motte, Alex Edler, Travis Hamonic and Jordie Benn should be traded for almost anything.

Even players like Jake Virtanen and Adam Gaudette shouldn’t feel safe. If Benning can add a multi-year contract (Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel) to a deal that moves Virtanen or Gaudette for picks, it’s probably worth pulling the trigger.

Benning needs to abandon the “day-to-day” approach and come up with a real plan to help this team.

It’s difficult to gauge the thought process behind Francesco Aquilini and Benning when it comes to new contracts for the team’s coaching staff. Green has become a respectable head coach in the National Hockey League, and it’s widely thought that if Vancouver doesn’t find the money to ink him to a new deal, he’ll be scooped up almost immediately by another team.

But Green isn’t the only staff member in need of re-signing. Goalie coach, Ian Clark has an expiring contract that needs to be re-upped immediately. He’s one of the best goalie coaches in the world, and he’s got the resume to prove it, turning both Markstrom and Demko into top-tier netminders.

Quite honestly, my guess is as good as yours when it comes to a question like this. I don’t have the inside knowledge to give a real answer, but my guess is that ownership is waiting on a lot of things due to the uncertainty of this team’s future. That and money. Money talks and the Canucks have been surprisingly hesitant with spending this year.

But with management feeling the heat under their seat, it makes sense that deals haven’t been handed out yet. If the Canucks decide to cut ties with Benning in the offseason, a new manager might feel the need to clean house and bring in an entirely new set of fresh faces.

That’s all the time we have for this week’s The Canuck Way Mailbag. Come back next week for some more of it, but make sure you get in on the fun too. Ask a question when we drop the Tweet every Friday!