The Vancouver Canucks are having a phenomenal start to the season. They are 13-5-1 as of today and have been steamrolling through teams each night. Their best players (Captain Quinn Hughes, Elias Petterson, J.T. Miller & Thatcher Demko) are all playing at their best (top level), and the supporting cast (Sam Laffetry, Dakota Joshua & Teddy Blueger) is helping out, as they get secondary scoring. But no one imagined how well they would be out the gate, given how last year went finishing 6th in the Pacific Division with 83 points with a lot of questions surrounding the team. Now last year there was a lot of noise surrounding how the firing of head coach Bruce Boudreau went, some players wanting out, and the team being at the cap and still struggling. But in comes Patrik Allvin, a former Swedish hockey player himself, and he has worked hard to stabilize the franchise. He brought in some new people like Emilie Castonguay, as the Assistant General Manager, and executed some interesting trades or moves that seem to have paid off.
First and foremost, he traded former Captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders (and kept J.T. Miller), in exchange for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty, and a 2023 1st round pick. Bo Horvat was an excellent player and captain and played his heart out for the team but there was a lot of division amongst fans on whether he should be kept or traded or his peer JT Miller (given his big contract). But they did and it seems to have paid off thus far. Within that trade, he then traded to Detroit for Filip Hronek to give Quinn Hughes a good D-pairing partner. Together they have been dynamic on the blue line and it has allowed Hughes in being more on the offensive, as he has 8 goals and 22 assists thus far in 19 games. It has given Quinn a strong defensive partner. Hughes, who was also named captain in the off season after Horvat left, has taken the leadership role to heart. He has been so good, there is discussion right now for him to be in the Hart and Norris conversation. He is so electric and fun to watch, his skating is so smooth and his shot is lethal, that it has allowed him to become one of the faces of the franchise.
But Allvin didn’t stop there, as he traded Tanner Pearson and his big $3,25 million contract and a 2025 3rd round pick for back up goalie Casey DeSmith to the Montreal Canadiens, and it has paid off. In 7 games he is 4-1-1 with a .917 SV%, something that is not very common for a back up. But he is playing hard for the team and giving them a chance to win every night as Demko can rest and not be overplayed (something common from previous years). He also picked up Sam Lafferty from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2024 5th round pick, to bolster the bottom lines.
He continued to make a few other moves, but none of this happens without hiring Rick Tocchet as the head coach and the system he has brought in. Rick Tocchet, who previously coached the Arizona Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning (as a head, not assistant), has really brought a smart team system to help the team be successful. Vancouver previously struggled with their special teams. Their Penalty Kill was 71.60%, while the league average was 78.69% (so very low) and their Powerplay was 22.71%, while the league average was 21.31%. But thus far this season, the PK is 76.67% and their Powerplay is 30.99%, so a vast improvement. But the team isn’t about criticism, as he called them out after their loss and effort against the Philadelphia Flyers. Now other teams will adjust and will be able to figure out the Canucks. But for the time being, this type of coaching is helping the Canucks be successful and can help them throughout a long 82 game season stay in the playoff hunt. This team is vastly better from last year and has some superstars on it.
They also have their top guy Elias Petterson (not the other one who is in the minors) who also has 8 goals and 20 assists in 19 games. We all know this is a contract year for Elias, who is currently on a bargain contract for $7,35 million, but he is also needing to be re-signed for next year and beyond. Will he take a big 8 year contract from the team or look at Auston Matthews in Toronto and take a 4 year deal like him to bring him to Free Agency once more before he is 30 for one final big pay? Tough to say, as there will be a lot of speculation. But he can get paid and the number would initially start around $11 million.
They are also looking at what to do with Connor Garland who changed agencies and may or may not be open to a trade, or possibly bringing in another RHD. Also what do they do with Myers, who is a very polarizing player for the fans. Lots of questions still remain for the team.
But it primarily starts with Allvin, for the hard work ethic, leadership and supporting cast (upper management and team level) being brought in. I look forward to seeing what they can do, including the playoffs, as Tocchet hasn’t had much success in the playoffs, so we will see who they face and how they fare. But it is safe to say that Vancouver is a playoff team and they can make some noise if their top guys continue to produce as top guys. I’m sure Canuck fans are really happy and enjoying the ride (so there is no need to talk about the tension between former GM Jim Benning and Trevor Linden about drafting options).
But thoughts? Who will the Canucks face in the playoffs? Can they finish first in the Pacific and beat out Vegas? What will Petterson resign for? Will Garland be traded? Would they still buy out Myers or trade him? And remember to tune in each week to get all the latest news in the world of hockey.
For more hockey news, different takes or if you want to chat about anything hockey give me a follow @hockey_two on TWITTER and give us a follow on YouTube, or at https://twoguysandhockeytalk.com/.
- Pawel ‘The Cat’
