In the edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, it might be time for head coach Rick Tocchet to change his forward lines. Meanwhile, Quinn Hughes reaches the 30-point mark and continues his impressive season. Also, Nils Hoglander gets fined for a slew foot.
Should Tocchet Make a Change to the Forward Lines?
Canucks’ head coach Tocchet has rolled almost the same lines since the start of the season, especially in the top six. Elias Pettersson has lined up with Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko, while J.T. Miller has centred Brock Boeser and Phil Di Giuseppe. Meanwhile, the bottom six have seen changes due to injuries or players being healthy scratched.
Furthermore, the Canucks have hit a tough stretch in their season. After a hot start to the regular season, they’ve lost three of their last six games. Therefore, changing up the top six might be something Tocchet could do to help the team heat up. In the 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 20, Tocchet started making changes to the second line late, replacing Di Giuseppe for Anthony Beauvillier. The line scored the third goal for the Canucks.
Related: Canucks Should Not Trade Hoglander for Help on Defence
A change to Pettersson’s line may also be coming, as Tocchet commented on the trios play after the Nov. 19 loss to the Seattle Kraken.
“That line has to push the pace. I don’t like the word slow, but they’re trying to play too methodically. They have parts of their game that are like ‘wow’, but they have to push the pace.”
Adding Hoglander to the top line could help with the pace, but the question is, which winger would he replace? Mikheyev has played well throughout the season, while Kuzmenko has struggled to produce. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Canucks move him to the third line. Kuzmenko needs something to get him going, as he has struggled to score this season. However, placing Mikheyev on the third line with a healthy Pius Suter and Conor Garland could work out better than Kuzmenko with the two.
Hughes Reaches 30
Hughes continues his impressive play in the 2023-24 season. He’s already tied his career high with eight goals and posted a league-leading 30 points in 19 games. Hughes is the second fastest Canuck to reach 30 points, as Tony Tanti posted 30 points in 17 games during the 1983-84 season. Additionally, he is the first defenceman since Bobby Orr (1974-75) to be the first NHL player to reach the 30-point mark in a season. The Canucks captain commented on his personal success this season.
“It doesn’t really mean much at the end of the day,” Hughes said. “I want to be in the playoffs and be on a successful team and successful organization. We’ve been successful to start the year and have to keep going.”
The Canucks made the playoffs once during Hughes’ career, back in the 2019-20 season. The defenceman was a rookie and posted two goals and 16 points in 17 playoff games.
If Hughes continues to produce at this rate, he’ll finish with 35 goals and 129 points. He will be the third defenceman to record more than 103 points, along with Orr and Paul Coffey. Additionally, he will likely be a lock for the Norris Trophy and a nominee for the Hart Memorial Trophy.
Hoglander Fined
The NHL fined Hoglnader for slew-footing Kevin Labanc in the Sharks game on Nov. 20. The forward was fined a maximum of $2,864.58. The penalty occurred late in the second period and resulted in a five-minute major and ejection for intent to injure. The Sharks forward was not injured on the play.
Hoglander has scored five goals and posted eight points in 17 games this season. He has played better as of late, but the play was reckless. Hoglander does play better when he engages physically but will have to avoid making dangerous plays.
