The Canuck Way
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Canucks: 3 reasons the team didn’t qualify for the playoffs

By Zaahid Lalani

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 18: Alex Galchenyuk #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bo Horvat #53 and Jalen Chatfield #63 of the Vancouver Canucks watches the shot of Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs ring off the goal post behind goalie Braden Holtby #49 of the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of NHL hockey action at Rogers Arena on April 17, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 18: Alex Galchenyuk #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bo Horvat #53 and Jalen Chatfield #63 of the Vancouver Canucks watches the shot of Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs ring off the goal post behind goalie Braden Holtby #49 of the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of NHL hockey action at Rogers Arena on April 17, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /
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VANCOUVER, BC – APRIL 18: Jimmy Vesey #24 of the Vancouver Canucks skates with the puck during NHL hockey action. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – APRIL 18: Jimmy Vesey #24 of the Vancouver Canucks skates with the puck during NHL hockey action. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

Bottom six nowhere to be seen

It’s no surprise that the bottom half of the Canucks’ roster struggled mightily this past season.

For starters, the team seemed to be changing their third and fourth lines on a nightly basis, with players moving in and out of the line-up like clockwork. Throughout 56 games, head coach Travis Green dressed 14 different players in his bottom six. Those players combined for a measly 51 points over that span.

Aside from Tyler Motte, who was limited to only 24 games this year, every other spot in the bottom six was up for grabs every game, but no one was really able to hold onto it and make a significant, long-term contribution.

The Canucks’ third-line centre woes continued to be a glaring issue. Before being traded at the deadline, forward Adam Gaudette was only able to put up four goals and three assists in 33 games, to go along with a minus 13 rating.

On paper, Brandon Sutter appeared to be an upgrade, recording 12 points in 43 games, as well as a face-off win percentage of 55.53, but he also spent time on the wings, and had yet another season cut short by injury. Same goes for Antoine Roussel and Jay Beagle, who missed a combined 47 games throughout the year.

Both Vesey and Travis Boyd were a bust after being claimed off of waivers, combining for five points in 39 games. What’s even worse is that three of those points happened in the last four games of the season, when the team was essentially mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

Of course, there were some bright spots.

Jayce Hawyrluk was able to do a decent Motte impression, providing energy and grit at both even strength and on the penalty kill while Motte was injured. Tyler Graovac played the fourth line centre role well, and was able to record four points in 14 games as an added bonus.

Fans were also able to get their first looks at some of the team’s highly-anticipated forward prospects, including Jonah Gadjovich, Kole Lind and Will Lockwood. None of them made their way onto the scoresheet, but that wasn’t necessarily expected of them. The trio were finally able to get their feet wet at an NHL level, and we’re all hoping that they’ll be able to continue their development with the Canucks next season.

At the end of the day, the bottom six did have its moments, but that wasn’t good enough. The most successful teams are able to run four lines on a nightly basis and, at this point, the Canucks are just hoping that their third and fourth lines can just find some consistency.

Next. 3 takeaways from the year-end media availability. dark

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