Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has been juggling the lines almost every game trying to find the right mix for the playoffs. With only six games remaining on the schedule, it’s crunch time, and the Canucks are nowhere near where they want to be, roster and performance-wise. That said, here are my ideal line combinations for Game 1 of the first round.
Elias Pettersson – JT Miller – Brock Boeser
Tocchet has inexplicably avoided this potent trio for the majority of the season. They have only played 122:46 together at five-on-five and rarely do they start a game as a line. They have been used sparingly since Feb. 1 – only 14:06 – and the Canucks have struggled to score since the All-Star Break, Elias Pettersson in particular. The Lotto Line was once the best top line since Henrik and Daniel Sedin were joined at the hip with Alex Burrows, and the West Coast Express, which featured Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi riding shotgun with Brendan Morrison.
So why is Tocchet so hesitant to throw all his offensive weapons in one basket? Mostly, it’s because it depletes his center depth, making Teddy Blueger his second-line center when Elias Lindholm isn’t in the lineup. But with Pettersson struggling to score, this line gives him the best chance of re-igniting and returning to the dominance he showed in January. That month, the Lotto Line was reunited and Pettersson scored 14 goals and 21 points in 13 games – nearly half his production over the full season. Digging deeper into the numbers, Pettersson, Boeser, and Miller played 100:25 together at five-on-five, outscored the opposition 11-4, and potted seven high-danger goals. While they were out-chanced 52-48 and outshot 66-45, they were scoring goals, which is something the Canucks desperately need right now.
All of this is to say that Tocchet needs to reunite his uber top-line for Game 1 of the playoffs – regardless of the opponent.
Dakota Joshua – Elias Lindholm – Conor Garland
The Dakota Joshua-Conor Garland connection has been strong all season long. There have been games where they look like they have Sedin-like chemistry with Garland’s behind-the-back spin passes or no-look dishes on 2-on-1s. The duo has been beyond fun to watch. So much so, that it doesn’t matter who their center is – be it Blueger or Miller – they are dominant. Again, like the Sedins, some players play better with them, but their chemistry remained the same no matter who was on their line.
In this scenario where the Lotto Line is reunited, Lindholm – if he’s healthy – should center Joshua and Garland when the puck drops on the postseason. This line has the potential of being great, especially if Lindholm’s ailment is behind him and he returns with vigour and more like the player that scored 41 goals centring Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau.
You could argue that Joshua and Garland are a poor man’s Tkachuk and Gaudreau respectively. While Joshua won’t ever put up multiple 100-point seasons, he has the size, physicality and ability to get under the skin of his opponents – just like Tkachuk. He also hits everything that moves (he leads the Canucks with 221 hits) and stands up for his teammates. As for Garland, he’s just as slippery as Gaudreau, always finds a way to possess the puck and never gives up on a play. I would argue he has way more competitive energy on the boards than Gaudreau and although he doesn’t have a lot of experience in the playoffs, will likely be more impactful when the games become tougher down the line.
The more I talk about this potential combination, the more I want to see it in the playoffs. The caveat? Lindholm has to be healthy and closer to the player he was in 2021-22. Unfortunately, that’s a big ask with how he has played so far with the Canucks since coming over in a trade from the Flames.
Nils Hoglander – Teddy Blueger – Vasily Podkolzin
This combo could be a solid energy line in the playoffs with Nils Hoglander‘s intense forechecking abilities and scoring touch and Vasily Podkolzin’s ever-improving game. In fact, Blueger might thrive with these two given they are similar to Garland and Joshua, two linemates he had success with before Joshua was hurt in December.
Hoglander has come a long way since last season when he was toiling in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Abbotsford Canucks. He has become a reliable two-way player, and probably one of the best forecheckers on the team, next to Garland, of course. His 23 goals are a career-high and he is 19th in the NHL in even-strength goals with all of his production coming at five-on-five. Most of the time when he’s on the ice, the play is in the offensive zone, as he carries an impressive 52.7 Corsi for percentage (CF%) and a plus-20 in the plus/minus column. Basically, he’s become a responsible player in every area of the ice, something that former head coach Bruce Boudreau could never say about the 5-foot-9 Swede.
Podkolzin meanwhile has re-engaged his status as an NHL player after spending the entire 2023-24 campaign up the freeway in Abbotsford. Since returning to the parent club’s lineup, he hasn’t looked out of place and it could be argued that he makes the Canucks a better team with him than without him. His confidence is growing with each passing game, and it won’t be too long before he’s scoring goals in bunches.
Maybe Podkolzin is saving his best for the playoffs. While he doesn’t have any experience in the NHL, he played a memorable 16 games for SKA St. Petersburg in 2020-21 where he led the team with six goals and 11 points. He was a beast in those Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) playoffs and is looking more and more like that player every day.
Podkolzin only has two assists, but is playing responsible hockey and has upped his physical game with 52 hits already (in 14 games!) matching the amount he had last season in 39 games. That type of physicality makes a difference, especially in the grind of the playoffs. All in all, this line has the potential to be an X-factor for Tocchet and company if put together.
Ilya Mikheyev – Pius Suter – Sam Lafferty
Finally, we have the fourth line comprised of the struggling Ilya Mikheyev, Pius Suter and Sam Lafferty. They have been shuttled up and down the lineup with skilled players, yet only have four goals between them since Feb. 1. They are only together because of the line combinations above them. With that said, on paper, based on their skill set and history in the league, they could surprise everyone and become a productive combo in the playoffs. Only Lafferty and Mikheyev have experience in the postseason, but do have goals and points to show for it with Lafferty scoring a goal and three points in 2023 and Mikheyev two goals and four points in 2022, both with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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Mikheyev, Suter and Lafferty are also great defensively and won’t be a liability on the ice – even when they are not scoring. Ideally, you want every line to be producing offensively in the playoffs, but as long as they are not the reason for goals against, I think Tocchet will be fine throwing this trio over the boards.
Will Lindholm Be Available For Game 1?
This is the most ideal lineup with everyone healthy. Unfortunately, right now, everyone isn’t healthy with Lindholm on the shelf with a wrist injury. He has been skating and is on the current road trip, but with rumours circulating via Elliotte Friedman that he might be out for the rest of the regular season, his status for Game 1 is still unknown. If he isn’t available, the aforementioned lines will change with Suter or Lafferty jumping up to the third line to center Hoglander and Podkolzin and Blueger reuniting with Garland and Joshua (which wouldn’t be a bad thing if they can rekindle their chemistry from earlier in the season). Nils Aman or Phil DiGiuseppe would then return to the lineup and slot in on the fourth line.
Hopefully, Lindholm will be healthy and close to 100 percent when the postseason starts on April 20. While he hasn’t been an offensive threat since joining the team in February, he is still a legitimate top-six center capable of winning an insane amount of face-offs (60.4 percent with the Canucks) and making a difference on special teams. That alone will help them in the playoffs with puck possession and killing a key penalty or waning minutes at the end of a game that could be the difference between a series win and a series loss.
Regardless of the lineup, playoffs are only a few weeks away from returning to Rogers Arena. Are you ready Canucks fans?
What are your ideal line combinations for the playoffs? Let us know in the comments below!
