Fansided

Canucks: Early season mailbag through five games

By Jamey Vinnick |
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 02: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at the Bell Centre on February 2, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 02: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at the Bell Centre on February 2, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
1 of 3
Next

Five games are in the books and the Vancouver Canucks have already seen the ups and the downs of the season. Vancouver has two regulation losses against  Buffalo and Detroit, but did come back with a nice 4-1 win over Chicago on Thursday. But after five games,  it’s time to run with the first Canuck Way mailbag of the season.

Here are the questions we took from the fine folks of Twitter and our answers.

I am adamant in my belief that the Lotto Line needs to be together right now. Vancouver’s offense has been wildly inconsistent so far, and they flat out need their best players together. Now to be fair, they did try that against Chicago and the line did not look good. But Brock Boeser is still trying to get back in rhythm after missing the first three games with injury.

The other issue is that JT Miller is a wildcard in his own end. He’s not necessarily a bad defensive forward, but he’s not really someone you want on your checking lines. His strength is his offensive game and that needs to be the focal point of his game. The best way to bring out his offense? Pair him with Boeser and Elias Pettersson.

Special shout-out to my younger brother for adding a question here. There just has to be more energy and consistency up and down the lineup. The Lotto Line does need to produce more, but the Canucks also need more offense from the bottom six.

The defense is going to be an adventure. That is unfortunately not going to change because of the personnel they have back there. But if they can at least serviceable production from the bottom three guys, they’ll be okay.

But ultimately, the Canucks special teams must improve. The powerplay has been a nightmare, with the 21.1 percentage not telling the true story. The hope is that by having Boeser and Quinn Hughes healthy that it will work itself out.

The penalty kill though has been dreadful. 71.4 percent isn’t gonna get the job done, and keep in mind that another two goals were scored in the immediate seconds after powerplays expired. The Canucks offer no resistance on zone entries, and they don’t have the horses on defense to make up for it. The Canucks badly need Tyler Motte back, which is hopefully coming soon.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 15: Oliver Ekman-Larsson #23 of the Vancouver Canucks looks to pass during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on October 15, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 15: Oliver Ekman-Larsson #23 of the Vancouver Canucks looks to pass during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on October 15, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

I was admittedly not a fan of the Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade. I didn’t think he had anything left and that the contract would kill the Canucks both now and in the future. It may still do the latter, but OEL has been solid this year. He hasn’t made any glaring mistakes, and his offensive play is a major upgrade over the rest of the defensive corps save for Hughes. He gets shots through and on net, which is a welcome sight for those who watched Alexander Edler for so many years (Love Eagle, but come on.)

He looks to have recovered from his knee injury, but also seems to be playing with a lot more confidence. It’s a long season and five games is a small sample size, but I have no complaints about OEL so far.

Conor Garland in my opinion has been the Canucks best forward through five games. He is truly everywhere. Yes there are some reckless plays and yes there are some moments that make you ask why?

But for a team that has had long stretches of being completely lethargic this year, Garland, along with Nils Höglander have been two of the only energizer bunnies on the Canucks.

He’s a fun, pesky player in the realm of Brendan Gallagher or even a Brad Marchand without the cheap shots (and the elite scoring ability). The Canucks badly needed a true top-six winger to play with Bo Horvat, and Garland has been that. Oh and he also leads the team in scoring.

EDMONTON, AB – OCTOBER 13: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at Rogers Place on October 13, 2021 in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB – OCTOBER 13: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at Rogers Place on October 13, 2021 in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images) /

Whenever Pettersson is even mired in a mini-slump, the questions are gonna be raised, and rightfully so about his play. Yes, it’s a little disappointing that Pettersson only has three points in five games and his lone goal came on a lucky bank shot.

Part of what makes Pettersson a star is that he does everything well, excluding faceoffs. His defense has been strong, he’s carried the puck well and he’s created offense. The points will come, and they’ll likely come as the Lotto Line settles into a rhythm and the powerplay begins to click.

Pettersson will indeed produce like the star we’ve all grown to love. Keep in mind too, that these are the first five hockey games he’s played in seven months. He didn’t have a full training camp, so it’s natural that there may be a little rust. But at the end of the day, Pettersson is gonna be just fine.

Next. Canucks: Recapping their 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. dark

That includes this week’s edition of The Canuck Way Mailbag! Be sure to look out for the Tweet asking for questions so you can ask a question and get featured in next week’s mailbag!

Next
Home / Analysis