Canucks Preview: Final two games against the Winnipeg Jets
It feels like the never-ending season for the Vancouver Canucks.
The team has played 12 games in 23 nights since returning from their COVID-19 outbreak in mid-April, and still have seven games remaining on their schedule, including back-to-back contests against the Winnipeg Jets, starting on Monday night.
The Canucks have played seven games against their Manitoba opponents so far, with Winnipeg coming away with wins in five of those contests to lock down the season-series. However, the two teams haven’t played each other since the end of the March, and, as we all know, a lot has changed since then.
Despite punching their postseason tickets earlier this week, the Jets have been on a downward spiral as of late. The team has lost eight of their past nine contests dating back to April 17th, including their most recent 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. The Jets are currently holding onto the third spot in the Scotia North Division, but that could easily change after this two-game mini-series against Vancouver.
The Canucks, on the other hand, have essentially kissed their playoff dreams goodbye. Despite securing more wins than the Jets since returning to play in mid-April, the team currently sits dead-last in their division, 14 points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the fourth and final playoff spot in the division.
And with their 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night, the Canucks also fell to 29th in the league standings, only above Anaheim and Buffalo, and should realistically start setting their sights beyond their remaining games, and towards the draft lottery instead.
Let’s take a look at three factors for the Canucks leading up to their final two regular season games against the Jets:
How will Jonah Gadjovich play in his NHL debut?
There has been a lot of excitement about Jonah Gadjovich this past week.
The former 2017 second-round pick was recalled from the Utica Comets on May 1st, and immediately flew to Winnipeg to complete his mandatory seven-day quarantine, expecting to suit up at some point during this two-game series.
And it looks like all signs are pointing towards that happening.
Gadjovich was seen at the morning skate on Monday, wearing #41 and skating alongside his new teammates for the first time since training camp back in January.
Wearing #41, Jonah Gadjovich joins morning skate in Winnipeg. pic.twitter.com/xASDntJ5XH
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 10, 2021
In typical fashion, Green hasn’t announced if Gadjovich will be playing on Monday night, or if he’ll make him wait another 24 hours.
Regardless of when he’ll makes his NHL debut, there’s a lot to look forward to with Gadjovich.
The 22-year-old winger has had a breakout season in Utica, registering 15 goals and three assists in 19 games played, good for just under a point-per-game pace. What’s even more impressive is that 11 of those tallies came at even strength, something that this current Canucks’ team, their third and fourth lines in particular, is considerably lacking.
Although we probably won’t see Gadjovich slot into one of the top two lines, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he makes an immediate impact on the bottom six forward group. Gadjovich brings size, grittiness and a solid net-front presence, and could even provide a much-needed spark for the team’s second powerplay unit.
He won’t be the fastest skater on the ice, nor will he rack up a ton of points on a nightly basis, but Gadjovich knows that’s not his role to fill.
He still has to take big steps in his development, but many Canucks’ fans are hoping that these remaining regular season games will be a chance to see the team’s next up-and-coming, middle-of-the-pack power forward.
Which version of Braden Holtby could we see?
It’s been a tale of two stories for Braden Holtby during his first year in Vancouver.
The former Washington Capital netminder struggled mightly out of the gate, posting four wins in 12 games played, to go along with a mediocre .894 SV% and 3.57 GAA. The team played with very little confidence when Holtby was in net, ultimately solidifying his 1B position in the team’s goaltending tandem as a result.
Fortunately, he was able to turn his gameplay around.
Since returning from their COVID-19 outbreak, Holtby has been much better between the pipes. During the six games that he has played so far, he holds a 3-3 record, as well as a much-improved .910 SV% and 2.87 GAA. Two of those victories came at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs, his team’s first two contests in just under a month, where he stopped 74 of 79 shots faced, including a save-of-the-year candidate against Wayne Simmonds.
Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Since those two games against the Maple Leafs, Holtby holds a 1-3 record and is currently riding a personal three-game losing streak. His last glimpse of action was on May 3rd against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, where he allowed four goals on 31 shots faced, meaning that he might be a little rusty.
Holtby was also the only goalie fit to play when the team returned to action in mid-April, with other netminder Thatcher Demko still on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list at the time, which is why he got the start.
Had Demko been healthy enough to play, it might’ve been a different story for Holtby. Plus, since then, head coach Travis Green has been quite adamant that the crease will belong to Demko moving forward, and it’s clear that the coaches and management want to continue to groom and develop their 25-year-old netminder of the future much as they can.
Regardless of all of this, the Canucks’ number one priority should be to keep their players as healthy and well-rested as possible for the remaining stretch of the season, meaning that a Holtby appearance should be expected on Tuesday night.
Fans aren’t expecting a win from the former Vezina-winner at this point, especially with how the team in front of him has been playing lately, but hopefully we’ll be treated to a strong performance from Holtby if he does end up as the starter on Tuesday night.
Could we see a more youthful blueline?
If Canucks’ Twitter had their way, the answer to this question would be an overwhelming “yes please”.
For the past few days, fans have been clamouring at the idea of a new-look blueline, particularly on the left side.
And, to be honest, they might be onto something.
Despite his inconsistent defensive capabilities and horrendous plus/minus rating this season, Quinn Hughes is a lock to remain in the line-up for the rest of the season. No question there. The kid knows how to put up points, and the team is hoping that these remaining games will be an opportunity for Hughes to iron out some of his issues before heading into the offseason.
And with Olli Juolevi continuing to add games to his professional hockey tenure so far, as well as Jack Rathbone putting up consistently strong performances over the past three contests, it might be time for Green to roll with the young guns for the remainder of the season, putting Alex Edler on the outside looking in.
Realistically speaking, the chances of this happening are low.
Green has a history of relying on veteran players on a nightly basis, with Edler often being his go-to, number one choice in that aspect. The 35-year-old still logs 20+ minutes of ice time each game, and continues to play solid roles at both even strength and on the penalty kill.
On the flip side, however, you can’t ignore the fact that Edler’s gameplay has taken a big step back this year. More often than not, the blueliner is a defensive liability when he’s on the ice, unable to keep up with today’s fast-paced style of play.
Yes, he still has a year or two of good hockey left in the tank, and some Canucks’ fans (including this writer) wouldn’t mind seeing #23 return to the club next year on a short-term, team-friendly, third-pairing/seventh defencemen type of deal.
But when you factor in his expiring contract, as well as the team’s cringe-worthy track record of signing UFAs in a timely manner, regardless of how much they express that they want to stay in Vancouver, it’s actually more realistic to expect Hughes, Juolevi and Rathbone to make up the left-side of the defensive core next season, with Edler out of the picture.
So if that’s the case, why not try it out for the next seven games to see what you’ve got to work with? Wins aren’t needed at this point, so it doesn’t matter too much if the rookies drop the ball completely.
In addition, this experiment wouldn’t happen every game.
Keep in mind that Juolevi has suited up for 21 games this season, and would be eligible to receive a salary bonus if he hits 27, so we all know the owners aren’t going to let that happen.
Plus, you’d be able to properly rest Edler in the coming weeks, which could benefit the team in the long run if they do end up bringing the Swedish veteran back next year.
As alluded to before, Canucks’ fans would be completely on board for this move, but we’ll see if Green and co. feel the same way.
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What are your predictions for the final two games of the season between the Canucks and Jets? Make sure to drop a comment below!