The Vancouver Canucks have been a consistently inconsistent team this season, sporting a record of 9-5-3 (21 points) in their first 17 games. While they are currently in a playoff spot and a few games above 500, they have not looked like a contender or anywhere close to the dominant team they were in 2023-24 when they picked up 50 wins and won the Pacific Division. You can point the blame at many things (and people), but in the end, they are just not playing solid enough hockey to be considered anything but a borderline playoff team at this point.
Related: Rick Tocchet’s Comments Show Canucks Are Not Meeting His Standards
It’s not all doom and gloom, though, as some players have stepped up in recent games – namely a couple of Swedes – one up front and one on the backend. Let’s dive into the first regular-season edition of Canucks’ 3 Up, 3 Down to find out who they are.
Plus One: Elias Pettersson Is Back
One of the positives to come out of this homestand is the return of Elias Pettersson. While he has played in all 17 games so far, fans have only really seen the player who deserves to be paid $11.6 million for seven games this season. After starting with only one goal and four points in his first 10 games, he has turned the corner offensively and has five goals and seven points in his last seven. His elite wrist shot and one-timer have seemingly returned, and he has forced the issue in all three zones, displaying a Selke Trophy-like two-way game that has eluded him for a while now.
Pettersson has also found different ways to score goals, using his hand-eye coordination to tip a few pucks by goaltenders while also expertly screening them. Bottom line, Petey is back to being that slick Swede Canucks Nation fell in love with when he joined the team in 2018-19. Now, hopefully, he can stay that way for the rest of the season.
Minus One: JT Miller Struggling to Find His Two-Way Game, Benched Against the Predators
Unfortunately, the return of Pettersson has also seen the disappearance of J.T. Miller, well at least the two-way behemoth we saw last season. He does have 16 points in 17 games, and six in his last five, but alongside that, he has not looked good defensively and seems to have lost the confidence of his head coach. Rick Tocchet benched him in the third period against the Nashville Predators on Sunday, with his team trailing 4-2. You would think Miller would be logging a ton of minutes in that situation given his offensive prowess, but the 103-point man from last season only saw two shifts in the final frame finishing with a season-low 11:41 of ice time.
“I liked our 5-on-5. Penalty kill wasn’t good and that was the difference in the game…I liked the effort in the 3rd, came back, had the puck a lot. That’s a good positive.”
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 18, 2024
🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet discusses tonight's game against the Predators.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/ZxI3EGlqVe
Tocchet was pretty curt after the game when asked about Miller saying, “I just went with the guys that I thought could get us back in the game.” He also responded with a quick “no” on whether it was due to Miller being injured.
Watching the game, it’s easy to see why the benching was warranted as Miller was largely invisible offensively and saw his three-game point streak snapped. He also was held without a shot and struggled to contain the Predators’ power play, showing a lackluster effort on the sequence that led to Steven Stamkos’ second goal of the game, directing traffic rather than aggressively attacking the puck carrier. Usually, he responds positively to Tocchet’s tough love, so I would expect a better game from him on Tuesday against the team that drafted him, the New York Rangers.
Plus Two: Erik Brannstrom Has Found a Home on the Canucks’ Blue Line
When the Canucks acquired Erik Brannstrom from the Colorado Avalanche and immediately placed him on waivers, I don’t think many people thought he would eventually become a factor on the blue line. But that’s exactly what he has done, and probably deserves more minutes than he’s receiving right now. Since playing his first game on Oct. 17 against the Florida Panthers, he has steadily improved and added another dimension to the defence. His mobility, edgework and passing are akin to Quinn Hughes, and while his skill set is not at a Norris Trophy level like the Canucks captain, he has made a difference in how the Canucks move the puck through the neutral zone. He has also added some offence with two goals and six points in 14 games.
After 266 games in Ottawa burdened with being the centerpiece of the Mark Stone trade, Brannstrom has found a home with the Canucks. “I think it was meant to be,” said Brännström. “It was a weird couple of weeks for me before coming here but it has been really good since I got here. I feel like I am at home. I really like the city, my teammates, the coaches, and how we play. It just feels great that I’ve ended up here.” If he keeps playing like this, general manager Patrik Allvin will probably have an extension ready to be signed when Jan. 1 comes around.
Minus Two: Carson Soucy & Tyler Myers Have Lost Their Mojo as a Pairing
Every team has a shutdown pairing that they throw out against the other team’s top lines. Last season, the Canucks seemingly found a pretty good one in Carson Soucy and Tyler Myers. They matched up against Connor McDavid for most of the playoffs and were relatively effective at limiting his chances. So, when Myers was re-signed and Soucy started the season healthy, it was a no-brainer to have them as a pairing again. But, for whatever reason, they have become one of the worst duos in the NHL 17 games into the season. They have not only struggled defensively, but have a heck of a time moving the puck cleanly out of their zone. They get hemmed in more often than not, and as a result, have bled goals and high-danger chances.
According to Natural Stat Trick, with Soucy and Myers on the ice at five-on-five, the Canucks have been outscored 11-4, outchanced 78-45, and have allowed 25 high-danger chances. As you might guess, their Corsi for percentage (CF%) is also abysmal at a paltry 38.24 percent, meaning that the team rarely drives play when they are on the ice. All in all, I think it might be time for a new second pairing.
Plus Three: Kiefer Sherwood Continues to Make His Presence Felt
Another positive of the Canucks’ season so far has been Kiefer Sherwood. Signed as a free agent in the offseason to a two-year deal, he has exceeded expectations and has become one of the play drivers and impact players in the bottom-six. So much so that Tocchet felt he needed to be elevated in the lineup. He started his first game in the top-six on Sunday, lining up alongside Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk, and scored a goal against his former team, the Predators. He now has four goals, almost halfway to the total he had all of last season. Along with his offence, he is bringing the trademark physicality and pest-like qualities that attracted the Canucks to him in the first place, currently leading the league with 105 hits. He is on pace for over 500, which would obliterate the record that Jeremy Lauzon set last season (386).
Minus Three: Canucks’ Identity From 2023-24 MIA Too Many Nights
As mentioned off the top, the Canucks have been wildly inconsistent this season. Their identity as a hardworking, heavy forecheck team that plays solid two-way hockey has come and gone throughout their first 17 games, sometimes even period to period. I think they have played maybe two or three games where you could say they resembled the team that won 50 games and gave Tocchet the Jack Adams Award in 2023-24. Tocchet keeps saying it’s a work in progress, but that work needs to be done soon, or they will fall into bad habits that could plague them the entire season.
Too many times, the Canucks have looked like the teams that eventually cost Travis Green and Bruce Boudreau their jobs. They began the season blowing leads left and right (Boudreau), and now they can’t seem to score first (Green). They have allowed the first goal in 11 of their first 17 games and have been forced to come from behind way too many times. While it hasn’t cost them in the standings too much yet, it’s tough to go through an entire season not dictating the pace to start a game. Scoring first allows you to get to your identity quicker, rather than straying from it to get back on even terms. Last season, the Canucks were one of the best at starting games on the right foot, scoring first in 53 of their 82 games (64.6 percent of the time). This season, they have opened the scoring in only six, a paltry 35.3 percent of the time. No wonder they are struggling to find their identity.
What’s Next for the Canucks?
The Canucks will try and right the ship (again) when they face the Rangers on Tuesday in the final game of this six-game homestand. They have gone 2-3-0 so far and will attempt to make it an even 3-3-0 before heading onto the road for a six-game trek out east where they will face the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Minnesota Wild. Fortunately, their road record is an impressive 6-1-0 where their identity has come out of hiding more often than not.
