3 preseason takeaways from Canucks vs. Flames (September 25th)

The Vancouver Canucks are officially back on the ice.

The team suited up for their first two preseason games of the year on Sunday, squaring off against the Calgary Flames both at home and on the road.

Similar to training camp, the roster was split up into two separate groups, giving fans and media a first glimpse of the players in action, both new and returning.

The Canucks appeared to add more firepower to their home roster, with players like Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat and Conor Garland leading the charge.

Meanwhile, at the Saddledome, the team had to rely heavily on the services of sophomores such as Nils Höglander and Jason Dickinson, while also opening the door for newcomers like Dakota Johnson and Curtis Lazar to make their mark.

Unfortunately, neither team could make their way into the win column, with the road squad getting hit with the uglier scoresheet.

Despite the losses, however, there were still a few intriguing storylines that emerged from the on-ice action, giving us lots to talk about heading into the week.

Here are 3 takeaways from yesterday’s split-squad preseason contests:

Podkolzin’s offensive prowess

It’s safe to say Vasily Podkolzin will crack the opening night roster.

The 21-year-old sophomore looked impressive in his preseason debut, skating alongside Horvat and Garland on the second line.

Like many of his teammates, Podkolzin was quiet in the first two periods, but managed to make his mark in the third period.

After receiving a pass from blueliner Tyler Myers, Podkolzin confidently deked his way towards the net before cheekily slipping the puck five-hole to cut Calgary’s lead in half.

Podkolzin, who registered 14 goals and 12 assists in his rookie campaign, finished the night with one goal, four SOG and five hits in just over 20 minutes of ice time. It might be tough for the Russian rookie to crack the team’s top-six forward rotation but, if he continues this style of play for the rest of training camp, he’d definitely be making a case for himself.

Rathbone continues to impress

Could this be the year that Jack Rathbone cracks the roster? Based on last night’s play, he’s definitely making a case for himself.

The 23-year-old blueliner started the game on the first defensive pairing alongside veteran Luke Schenn, a position that was previously held by Quinn Hughes during the 2021-22 campaign.

Rathbone was also given the task of the PP1 quarterback and, to the delight of fans and media, didn’t look out of place in that role, either.

Rathbone led the team in ice time with just over 25 minutes, which included 8:00 on the man advantage and 5:07 on the penalty kill. He also registered three SOG and three blocks.

Given the backlog of blueliners on the left side, it still might be an uphill battle for Rathbone to make the opening night roster but, if he continues to play at this level, the coaching staff will definitely need to give him a well-deserved look.

Other notes:

• Vincent Arseneau gave fans something to cheer about in the first period, dropping the mitts and even holding his own with veteran fighter Milan Lucic.
• Fans at Rogers Arena were also treated to the line combination of Pettersson, Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev, who have looked dangerous and intriguing together during training camp. Even though only Pettersson made his way onto the scoresheet, the trio showcased good chemistry and puck possession, with the young Swede centre also drawing two separate penalties during the game.
• The trio was short-lived, unfortunately, as Mikheyev left the game in the second period and did not return.

The Canucks will have two days off before hitting the ice at Rogers Arena on Thursday night against Seattle. Puck drop is set for 6:30pm PST.

What are your thoughts from the split squad games against Calgary? Let us know in the comments!