3 takeaways from the Canucks’ disappointing 4-0 loss to the Jets

After starting the month 8-2, the Vancouver Canucks have now dropped two straight contests.

Last night was one of the most frustrating games to watch this year, which is saying a lot considering how this season started. The team didn’t play particularly well, but unlucky bounces plagued the Canucks for the entire match, and it seemed like the hockey gods just didn’t want them to win.

Even so, there’s no point in making excuses with time running out, so Vancouver will need to win Wednesday’s rematch if they hope to still make a run at a playoff spot.

Here are three takeaways from last night’s 4-0 loss against the Jets.

The injuries are piling up

With both Jay Beagle and Brandon Sutter sidelined, Tyler Graovac made his season debut on the fourth line, playing beside Antoine Roussel and Zack MacEwen.

The team is seriously shorthanded at the moment, as Elias Pettersson will be out until March 31 at the earliest after being placed on long-term injured reserve, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Vancouver signed Jimmy Vesey and Travis Boyd over the last few days.

Unfortunately, things got even worse last night since captain Bo Horvat limped off the ice after taking a shot off his foot.

As mentioned in the tweet, we should give credit to the Jets for trying to help Horvat to the Canucks bench, which just shows the character of the players even with them competing against each other.

Horvat did not return to the game and Vancouver hasn’t provided an update on his situation at the time of this writing, but I’m sure we’ll learn about the injury soon. With the captain sidelined, the Canucks only have three centres left on its active roster: Graovac, J.T. Miller, and Adam Gaudette.

That’s not ideal, to say the least.

The continued struggles of Edler and Schmidt

Alex Edler had a great start to the season and Nate Schmidt has arguably been the most consistent Canucks defenceman this year, but they’ve struggled mightily of late.

Edler, in particular, has lost multiple steps and seems to be skating in quicksand at times. The veteran will turn 35 in less than a month, and it seems like his days of being a legitimate top-four defenceman have quickly come to an end. This was particularly evident on Blake Wheeler’s opening goal last night:

Edler’s too slow to make a successful pinch in the offensive zone, and by the time Wheeler stole the puck, it was all over. In fact, Edler doesn’t even appear within the frame until the goal has already been scored. That’s how flat-footed he now is.

The question now is, will Edler be willing to waive his no-move clause ahead of the trade deadline? This has been brought up seemingly every year for half a decade now, and his answer has always been no. I can’t see him changing his mind this year, especially with COVID complicating everything in the world.

There’s no doubt that Edler is one of the greatest Canucks of all-time, but the team should only prioritize re-signing him in the offseason if he’s willing to sign a cheap, short-term deal.

Schmidt, on the other hand, is still a very effective top-four defenceman but has made blunders recently too. I think it’s worth asking whether his mistakes are a product of his own play or caused by Edler’s struggles. Personally, I think it’s probably a mix of both, and the team should really consider breaking up their pairing.

Would it make sense to experiment having Schmidt alongside Jordie Benn and Edler with Tyler Myers for a game? It certainly wouldn’t hurt, as both pairings have been struggling recently.