November 6th, 2024
JC Clemas
Introducing the Canucks Panic Meter. In this, I will discuss current popular Canucks narratives and rate them on a scale from 1-10 based on how much they worry me (1 being the least worrying, 10 being the most worrying). Canucks fans are really talented at panicking about anything and everything, so I want to look at those worries and determine whether they’re valid or not.
Elias Pettersson
The last time I was writing about the Canucks, it was about EP40. Since that article, he has continued to be an insignificant presence on the ice. I’m not even sure what the problem is at this point. Maybe he still needs more time to get up to speed after being injured for a while last season. Maybe he just needs to have one productive game and then the points will start flowing in. Maybe he’s in his own head? Whatever it is, he needs to figure it out quickly. I’m alright to have some patience with him, but it gets to a point where he needs to at least produce something, or make himself visible on the ice for an entire game. In the game against San Jose, he just wasn’t really anywhere to be found. He only has 15 shots on the season through 10 games now, a number that has him tied with Pius Suter, a guy who averages 6 minutes less per game and primarily plays on the 4th line. Pettersson’s thinking way too hard with the puck right now. It seems like when he gets a dangerous scoring chance, he just second-guesses every option. Pettersson is at his best when he’s not doubting himself. He’s also at his best when he’s actually shooting the puck. If he doesn’t get back to his normal self (or even a fraction of it) soon, we could be in some trouble. It’s still early though, and I’m still willing to give him time to figure it out before judging too much.
PANIC METER: 6/10
Filip Hronek
I may be treating Filip Hronek a little too harshly to this point in the season. He really hasn’t been all that bad so far. The problem is that he’s playing like a $3 million defenseman while making $7.25 million. Through 10 games, Hronek has amassed 0 goals and 3 assists, a stark contrast from the red-hot pace he was on last year at this point (10 points in 10 games). The thing that really concerns me here is not just the fact he has been slow at the start of this season, but the fact that this seems to have carried over from the last half of the 23-24 season and the playoff run. His production dropped off dramatically towards the end of the regular season, once failing to record a single point in a 10-game stretch. In the playoffs, he only managed 1 goal and 1 assist in the 13 games. His defense also faltered in this time, and analytically, he dropped off a cliff. Mix that information with his start to this season, and you can maybe understand why I’ve been on his case. The thing is, even though he played a good game against San Jose, there were still little things in there that bothered me. Most notable of those was the interference penalty he took late in the 3rd for absolutely no reason, which made me yell at the television as if he could hear me. I desperately need Hronek to pick it up soon, because the defensive depth is struggling harder (I’ll get into that) and I do not wish to see Quinn suffer a broken back from carrying this team.
PANIC METER: 8/10
Power Play
Watching the Canucks’ power play has made me want to do a nosedive through a wall quite a lot of times so far this season. The team currently sits at 23rd in the power play rankings with a 16.1% success rate, which is utterly brutal for a group that possesses the talent it does. Pettersson, Miller, and Hughes all have significantly fewer points than they had at this point last season, and this power play is partially to blame. They struggle to enter the zone, they struggle to set up the formation, and they struggle to shoot the puck on net. It has been a frustrating thing to watch. Neither DeBrusk nor Garland has been able to get them going, so maybe it’s time to give someone else a shot in that 5th spot on the first unit. Daniel Sprong is the name that sticks out to me the most when pondering that question, but Höglander, Heinen, or Hronek are all options that I wouldn’t mind seeing with that group. They could also split up the group completely, as they did last season at one point, and run evenly skilled power play units back-to-back. Or really, just shoot the puck. I’m willing to watch any new ideas Tocchet has to get them going a bit. This problem is not one that worries me all that much, though. Especially with the penalty kill performing the way it has. I am more than fine to watch games where neither side scores a power play goal at any point. Besides, the Canucks’ power play is far too skilled not to pick it up at some point, so I’m entirely confident that they will still end up close to the top 10 in the league in this statistic. At least we aren’t watching the Leafs’ power play. Yikes.
PANIC METER: 3/10
Incomplete Games
We’ve heard it from the Canucks themselves: they have yet to play a full 60 minutes this season. Blueger holds that belief, Boeser said that their effort is not good enough (quoting McDavid?), and I’d be surprised if Rick Tocchet hasn’t let them hear it in the locker room multiple times. Their effort has been pretty much the opposite of his philosophy at times this season. The main thing about this that concerns me is how slow the team looks at times. Looking at the roster, they really don’t have a lot of great skaters. Hughes is one of the best in the league, Sprong can fly out there, and others have some speed, but it is not a main selling point of the Canucks at all. There are more important traits to have, but it can get annoying sometimes when they lose races to the puck time and time again. While I’m mainly referring to their actual skating speed when I say slow, they also appear to be a lot slower with their decision-making. As mentioned with Pettersson, they just seem to be taking too long to make plays, and aggressiveness from the other teams really throws them off. With all that said, I don’t think their quest for a full 60 should take too long to accomplish. They’re too good to not figure it out eventually. Plus, the fact that they’re in the top 10 in the league (in point percentage) while not liking their own performances is a good confidence booster that they’ll be more than fine. Dakota Joshua will save us.
PANIC METER: 4/10
Defensive Depth
The Canucks top pair of Hughes and Hronek has not been as dominant as it was last year so far, but it is still one that the team will likely be able to rely on all season long. The depth is another story. Besides the aforementioned pairing, 6 defensemen have found a spot in the lineup for at least a game this season: Carson Soucy, Tyler Myers, Vincent Desharnais, Derek Forbort, Erik Brännström, and Noah Juulsen. Besides Brännström, the depth has been severely underwhelming. Carson Soucy was incredible for the Canucks in the regular season last year but has struggled early. Tyler Myers seems to have regressed from his impactful previous campaign as well. Desharnais and Forbort was a pairing I knew would not be a needle-mover, but I did not realize they would struggle as much as they have. Juulsen has pretty much been Juulsen: good physicality, awful with the puck on his stick. He’s fine as a 7th defenseman who occasionally slots into the lineup, but cannot be a regular. They have been on fire on the penalty kill in the early goings of the season, but we need to see some impact at even-strength as well. The defense is lucky that Kevin Lankinen has been one of the best goalies in the league so far because Artūrs Šilovs’ stats definitely reflect their performances a lot better. This team needs to make an addition on defense, but with absolutely no money, I’m not sure where that’s going to be. What I do know is that as it stands right now, this is not a Stanley Cup-winning defense. My hopes are not high for the possibility of acquiring Rasmus Andersson, and I’d expect a depth defenseman to come in at some point instead. Maybe we should’ve overpaid Zadorov. It’s too late now.
PANIC METER: 9/10