Canucks: Projecting the opening night lineup

The Vancouver Canucks have been heavily involved in an unprecedented, action packed 2021 NHL offseason. Vancouver has acquired centre Jason Dickinson from the Dallas Stars, pulled off a blockbuster trade for Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland with the Arizona Coyotes, lost Kole Lind to Seattle in the expansion draft, and completed the first wave of free agency on July 28th by signing and re-signing a plethora of unrestricted free agents.

General Manager Jim Benning has backed up his own words from early in the offseason, and has revamped and retooled the Canucks squad for head coach Travis Green to work with. Benning’s work is far from done as the second wave of free agency is upon us, where many bargain contracts can be sought out, and restricted free agents Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson are left without long-term contracts (both players have been given qualifying offers) Dickinson also needs a new contract and has filed for salary arbitration.

As we begin to look forward towards the start of 2021-22 regular season, which is only 68 days away, optimism and questions around the roster continue to grow, with fans wondering how this edition of Canucks will fare in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division.

Let’s take a look at how the Canucks newest additions will fit with their current roster of players in order to build the strongest projected lineup for their opening night battle on October 13th against the Edmonton Oilers.

For the purpose of the projection, we’re going to assume the almost assured matter that Dickinson, Hughes and Pettersson will be with the Canucks come opening night. Remember, this is only a projection of what Travis Green’s lineup will be on October 13th. Nothing is set in stone, and everyone has differing thoughts on the matter.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Forward Line #1: JT Miller – Elias Pettersson – Brock Boeser

There’s absolutely no debate about who the Canucks first line should consist of. This line has it all, speed, power, size, skills, and leadership. Name it, and this line has it. All three players have consensus elite talent, give you bags of goals, and provide quality offensive zone time with high chance goal-scoring opportunities. This is a legit number one line in the NHL.

Forward Line #2:  Tanner Pearson – Bo Horvat – Conor Garland

The Canucks second line rounds out one of the league’s best top six forward groups. The captain, Bo Horvat, is one of better two-way centre’s around, providing 20+ goals, and 50-60 points every campaign. Conor Garland is an underrated winger in this league given how easily the Coyotes are overlooked, and has totalled 96 points (47 goals and 49 assists) in 164 NHL games.

Garland’s five on five efficiency, his speed, and right handed shot make him a good fit on the second line next to Horvat.

There’s some debate on who the LW should be on this line, however I believe Travis Green and his staff lean towards Tanner Pearson‘s experience and size, whilst banking on him to return to his 2019-20 form. Nils Höglander and the youngster Vasili Podkolzin could be other options to take Pearson’s spot in the top-6.

Forward Line #3: Nils Höglander – Jason Dickinson – Vasili Podkolzin

This projected third line for the Canucks should provide the fans with lots of excitement, however does come forth appearing as a bit of wildcard line. New trade acquisition, Dickinson will centre this line and provide responsible defensive hockey with little offensive output. If your looking for a comparison to Dickinson if you’ve never seen him play, think of him as a Phillip Danault like player. Dickinson and Danault are almost identical in size and float around the ice in a similar style. He’s never reached double-digit goals in a single campaign during his NHL career, but expect him to play a crucial defensive role on this line, allowing his two young offensive, high-octane wingers to go to work.

On Dickinson’s left, expect sophomore Nils Höglander to slot in. Höglander exploded onto the scene last year providing 13 goals, and 27 points in a tumultuous  season for the Canucks fans should expect him to take on a bigger role this season by providing even more offence knowing his centre has him covered defensively. Höglander should also be accompanied on this line by another young exciting Canucks prospect, Vasili Podkolzin.

After being the 10th overall pick  by the Canucks in the 2019 Entry Draft, Podkolzin has spent two years playing with St. Petersburg SKA in the KHL. After signing his entry-level contract in May, Podkolzin seems primed to skip any AHL duty in Abbotsford, and make the jump directly in the Canucks lineup. Podkolzin provides decent speed and agility to go along with his big frame. Combine that with his lethal release, his excellent wrist shot and slap shot, and Podkolzin fits the modern day NHL’s definition of a power forward.

This line will be an experiment and a work in progress, especially with two extremely young wingers, and it provides an incredible amount of potential that Canucks fans can look forward to.

Forward Line #4: Tyler Motte – Brandon Sutter – Matthew Highmore

There’s nothing too special about the Canucks fourth line. Each player provides little-to-no offensive output at their respective stages in their careers, but will provide high energy and good defensive work. Expect these three to get their fair share of minutes on special teams, specifically on the penalty kill. This line has the potential to be tinkered with through acquiring new players via a trade or by free agency, and leaves room for other forwards such as Zack MacEwen and William Lockwood to get some ice time.