A new NHL season brings new hope and of course, burning questions about what the campaign might bring. During the offseason, Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin didn’t make any big splashes in free agency or the trade market. Instead, he shopped in the mid-tier and bargain bin department adding Carson Soucy, Ian Cole, and Matt Irwin on the back end and Teddy Blueger and Pius Suter up front. None of those players will move the needle offensively, but they might be the difference between a playoff spot and sitting at home watching the draft lottery.
How those new additions will fit into the lineup is one of many questions that will be answered during the season. So with that said, here are five more that will be on the minds of fans and the media as the Canucks prepare for what they hope is the start of a long stint as a playoff team.
1. Will J.T. Miller Perform To His $8 Million AAV Contract?
After a very successful tenure with the Canucks at a budget-friendly $5.25 million average annual value (AAV) where he put up 106 goals and 299 points in 283 games, J.T. Miller will now be getting paid a cool $8 million AAV for his services. He signed a seven-year extension last September worth $56 million and will be entering the 2023-24 season with high expectations from both the media and the fans.
You can’t say Miller isn’t worth the money. He’s been arguably one of the best trade acquisitions in the history of the franchise and has played like an $8 million man for the entire time he’s been in a Canucks uniform. In the four seasons he’s been in Vancouver, he’s posted two 30-goal campaigns, hit a career-high 99 points, and has been close to a point-per-game player. He’s had his share of controversy – namely the Collin Delia incident and on-ice argument with Luke Schenn – but you can’t deny the passion he has for winning hockey games.
Luckily, Miller’s questionable attitude and defensive game improved once Rick Tocchet came aboard as head coach. His style and personality appeared to jive with the new bench boss as he started to play better in his own zone and limit the mistakes and turnovers at even strength and on the power play. In fact, he became one of Tocchet’s favourite players.
“I gotta admit, the [3-4 months] that I was there, I didn’t see much of that from Millsy…He turned his whole thing around. There was a stretch there when he was one of the best two-way players in the league. He had over a point a game and was shutting down the other team’s best player. That line was great. He’s been terrific. He just wants to win. He wears his emotion on his sleeve sometimes, and I’m okay with that.”
Related: 3 Canucks Under the Microscope For 2023-24
If Miller can continue to play and act like he did after Tocchet was hired, the Canucks probably have one of the best 1A/1B centers in the NHL. His two-way game, faceoff prowess (55.2 percent average since joining the Canucks), and ability to put up 30-plus goals and over 80 points are easily worth $8 million AAV. He just has to do it consistently and keep the old Travis Green/Bruce Boudreau Miller at bay.
2. Who Will Play With Quinn Hughes on the Top Pairing?
For the first time in two seasons, Quinn Hughes will not have Schenn as his partner. He was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the deadline last season and subsequently signed a lucrative three-year contract with the Nashville Predators in the offseason. To counter the loss, Allvin signed Soucy and Cole in free agency, who both play a similar style to Schenn. Unfortunately, unlike Schenn, they are left-handed and will have to play their off-side to play with Hughes.
Other options include Filip Hronek, Tyler Myers, Christian Wolanin, Noah Juulsen, or Akito Hirose. Hughes played 219:02 at even strength with Myers last season and the pair was surprisingly effective in controlling the play, recording a 51.85 Corsi For percentage (CF%) [it’s worth noting, the Hughes – Schenn pairing recorded a 46.33 CF%, but they played 449:23 together].
As for the other defencemen mentioned, Hughes only played 19:08 with Hronek, 13:14 with Wolanin, and not at all with Hirose. The only other defender he spent significant time with was Juulsen at 120:01, and they posted a solid 54.55 CF%.
I’m sure Tocchet will experiment with a few partners before settling on his choice for opening night. For my money, I would bet Soucy or Cole will be the man beside Hughes when the lineup card is revealed for the game against the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 11. But considering Juulsen’s and even Myers’ advanced stats alongside him, I also wouldn’t be surprised if one of them emerged as the winner of this training camp battle too.
3. How Will the Canucks Deal With the Logjam in the Forward Group?
As it stands right now, the Canucks have a logjam up front with Jack Studnicka, Phil Di Giuseppe, Nils Hoglander, and Sheldon Dries all on the outside looking in (according to Cap Friendly’s depth chart). It will get even muddier if Tanner Pearson ends up being healthy and ready to compete for a job in the bottom-six. Basically, it will be seven forwards (including Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Aman) battling for two spots on the third and fourth lines.
Throw in the fact that the Canucks are currently over the salary cap, and will be significantly so if Pearson and his $3.25 million cap hit are not placed on long-term injury reserve (LTIR), something’s got to give. The simple answer is just placing people on waivers and sending them down to Abbotsford if they clear, but to be comfortably below the cap, a trade will have to be made. The obvious candidate is Conor Garland who currently makes $4.95 million AAV. He has seemingly been in trade rumors since Jim Benning was fired, and could be an attractive commodity for teams looking for offence.
The other could surprisingly be newly acquired Anthony Beauvillier, who will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. The Canucks might not be able to afford him and could decide to cut their losses before losing him for nothing. Having said that, I don’t believe they will trade him before the season begins. That move will probably happen closer to the deadline if the Canucks are comfortably out of the playoff picture. Regardless, this question will need to be answered sooner rather than later – especially if Pearson is able to continue his NHL career.
4. Will Nils Hoglander & Vasily Podkolzin Bounce Back?
Two of the Canucks most promising young players from the last few years both played in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season. Hoglander and Podkolzin only suited up for a combined 64 games in the NHL and scored seven goals and 16 points. Podkolzin was coming off an impressive rookie season where he put up 14 goals and 26 points in 79 games and Hoglander was demoted to the AHL for the first time in his career in December after his own impressive rookie campaign in 2020-21 and a 60-game stint in 2021-22.
Going into 2023-24, the panic button hasn’t necessarily been pushed considering Hoglander and Podkolzin are only 22 years old and nowhere near their athletic prime. However, with the Canucks’ need for young players to step up and take roles in the forward core led by Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko, at least one of them has to bounce back this season. The best case is both take up permanent spots in the bottom-six ala Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen and form a dominant third line alongside Suter.
5. Will Rick Tocchet Be the Coach That Returns the Canucks to the Playoffs?
It’s hard to believe, but the Canucks will be starting training camp with a different coach for the third straight season. Last season it was Boudreau trying to instill new systems into this group, now it will be Tocchet. Similar to Boudreau, Tocchet was hired during the season and finished with a winning record (20-12-4). The hope will be that the Canucks continue that momentum and start this season off on the right foot rather than what happened with Boudreau where they stumbled out of the gate.
The Canucks can’t afford a lengthy losing streak to start the 2023-24 season. It took them seven tries to get their first win on Oct. 27 against the Seattle Kraken and ended last October with only two victories. That can’t happen this season, as it was probably that slow start that cost them a spot in the playoffs. If Tocchet can sustain a similar record to what he finished the season off with, the Canucks will be a playoff team. With a better penalty kill along with improved defensive play, they should be able to play well enough to compete in the Pacific Division and secure a wild card spot. But only time will tell.
Similar to 2022-23, the Canucks enter this season with renewed optimism and hope after finishing the previous season with a winning record under a new coach. Hopefully this time, the “boost” doesn’t fizzle out as it did with Boudreau.
Canucks Have Other Burning Questions Going Into 2023-24
In addition to the burning questions above, Canucks Nation will also be wondering how Kuzmenko will follow up his record-breaking rookie season. He scored a ridiculous 39 goals and 74 points and broke Pavel Bure’s 34-goal mark he set in 1991-92. Questions will also surround Brock Boeser after Allvin stated in June that he was taken off the trade block. Will he return to his 2017-18 form this season after improved play and renewed enthusiasm under Tocchet? What about Ilya Mikheyev and how he will perform in his first healthy season with the Canucks?
All these questions and more will only get answered once they start playing for keeps on Oct. 11 against the Oilers and skate through to April 18 versus the Winnipeg Jets. Let’s drop the puck and get the 2023-24 season started already!
