Last Word on Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2023-24 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks.
2023-24 Vancouver Canucks
2022-23 Season
Hoo, boy. Where do you start with this team? The previous season ended oddly optimistic, with the Canucks going on their usual “good enough to ruin a draft spot” run. It’s a yearly tradition that doubles as a self-inflicted wound. Vancouver frequently asks for a team-friendly schedule late to boost a playoff run and encourage rest. It, uh, doesn’t often work out that way.
In any case, the 14-5-2 run to end the 2022-23 season made some people happy. The new coaching team installed “structure” and the management team learned how to not bad-mouth their staff or players for a week. Win-win, really. This all happened after the team’s running battle with their captain ended with his trade.
Leading into that, on the other hand, was an utter disaster. There was, of course, Bruce Boudreau leading a much more relaxed team into the 2022-23 season. That management was horrified he was still the coach put a bit of a damper on things, but otherwise? Goodness and light, right up until the season actually began.
A shaky Thatcher Demko and lightly injured Ilya Mikheyev helped kick off the year with a seven-game losing streak. The home opener was a blowout loss to the Buffalo Sabres. And the penalty kill gave up at least one goal in 15 of their first 16 games.
For several months it looked like the Canucks wouldn’t just have the worst PK in the league. They were aiming at the worst in NHL history. Neither Collin Delia nor Spencer Martin is Thatcher Demko, so his injury did not help matters.
Anything Good
It wasn’t ALL miserable. The off-season winning of the Andrei Kuzmenko sweepstakes, for instance. Not only did they win his services, but he actually lived up to the hype and beyond with his 39-goal, 74-point season. Quinn Hughes had possibly the quietest point-per-game season of any defenceman in recent history. Elias Pettersson topped the century mark for the first time.
Beyond that, there was… uh… Hm. Oh! Some of their college signings look like they have NHL potential. So that’s good. Let’s move on, shall we?
2023 Offseason
Technically, the trade that brought Filip Hronek to Vancouver happened during the season. But given that he only played four games before going onto the injured reserve list, it sure doesn’t feel like it. It was an expensive move for what is likely to be a middle-pair defender who has arbitration rights at the end of the season.
Still, Hronek gives Vancouver some positional stability. A natural right-side defenceman who plays both special teams and provides some offence has long been sought, and now they have him. He’s certainly not going to hurt the team and should be a nice second option behind Hughes.
The rest of the defence has undergone major revision as well. While some college signings have potential, for this season any playoff push is going to rely on newly-arrived veterans. There is a bit of finger-crossing that Carson Soucy or Ian Cole can step up from their usual third-pair roles. If Tyler Myers is moved, the Canucks may have five – including Hronek – new players on the blue line.
Up front, the bottom six have been totally revamped, adding a lot of talent to the penalty-killing specifically. There is reason to believe that the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks won’t have nightmares of refs raising their arms when they sleep. That increased depth should help them avoid being a lopsided, top-heavy team.
In goal, the team acquired Casey DeSmith from the Pittsburgh Penguins as an NHL-level backup, losing Spencer Martin. Missing that reliable #2 hurt the Canucks when Demko went down and they can’t afford a repeat. At the same time, they moved the high-risk Tanner Pearson to the Montreal Canadiens, opening space up front.
The big news, of course, is the buyout of Oliver Ekman-Larsson‘s contract. Just how much the cap hit is going to haunt the Canucks is a question for the future, though. The open space on defence and over $7 million in savings has been taken full advantage of this year.
Lineup Projections
Forwards
Ilya Mikheyev – Elias Pettersson – Andrei Kuzmenko
Phillip Di Giuseppe – J.T. Miller – Brock Boeser
Anthony Beauvillier – Pius Suter – Conor Garland
Nils Höglander – Teddy Blueger – Jack Studnicka
Extras: Nils Åman, Dakota Joshua
Top Six
There is some flexibility here, and if Mikheyev doesn’t make opening night there are options. Most likely is Beauvilier temporarily getting that prime position, though Boeser has also had his looks. Kuzmenko flips to the left side when that happens, but that doesn’t seem to hamper his skills.
Kuzmenko isn’t likely to hit last year’s 27.3% shooting again, but with Pettersson as his centre, he won’t drop off by much. Pettersson is playing for a new contract and wants to earn every penny. That being said, his scoring may drop slightly as he takes defending against top-level opponents more seriously.
Di Giuseppe may seem like a surprise name this high up, but he compliments Miller and Boeser very well. He understands what needs to be done and does it, getting the puck to his more talented linemates. It’s a decade since his draft, and Di Giuseppe wants to play a full NHL season. Not a bad sleeper pick in a deep fantasy draft – and dirt cheap, too.
Bottom Six
Most notable are the names at centre. As mentioned, either Blueger or Suter is going to be first over the boards in any short-handed situation. The revitalized Studnicka is playing like his career is on the line because it likely is. This could be the final NHL stop for the 2017 second-round pick and he’s taking the threat seriously. Whether that lasts through the season or not will be seen.
Garland is still in his odd No Man’s Land (But Mine) with enough talent to play on a top line, but never quite finding the right fit. He’s frequently the best player on his line, and he will be here again, but he needs to use his linemates. If the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks are going to win a playoff spot, Garland finding chemistry with someone – anyone – is needed.
Our projected fourth line stands out for being a bit of a last-chance spot for Nils Höglander. He’s struggled to replicate an excellent debut, but never complained about being misused or the pressure he plays under. Höglander has plenty of skill and can really flourish in a slightly protected role where he’s going to be a surprise scoring threat.
Defence
Quinn Hughes – Carson Soucy
Ian Cole – Filip Hronek
Christian Wolanin – Tyler Myers
Extra: Noah Juulsen, Guillaume Brisbois
Top Four / Bottom Pair
Can we just replace every name but Hughes with question marks? Late into the preseason, and it looks like the front-runner for the part of his caddy is rookie Cole McWard. That’s rather unbelievable, given the “playoffs-or-bust” stakes of this season. Our expectation is that McWard will be returned to the AHL by the season’s start.
But is his replacement Soucy? Earlier in the offseason, that seemed like the hope of general manager Patrik Allvin, but coach Rick Tocchet seems unimpressed. In fact, Tocchet seems unimpressed by any pairing, talking about defence “by committee” happening this season.
Now, every coach changes up who is on the ice given certain situations. But this sounds less like “we need to lock it down” or “we need a goal NOW” than it does “nothing else is working, so why not?” The obvious – and easy – prediction is Hughes playing 28 minutes a night, Hronek 24, and everyone else as they fit.
If you’re looking for an unusual betting line, it might be Ethan Bear‘s return to the team in the New Year. The injured and unsigned player is keeping in shape in Vancouver, and won’t be ready until late December. The team wants him back and he liked playing here, but a trade will have to happen to fit him in.
Goalies
This is, of course, Thatcher Demko’s net. In a year where everything needs to go right, Demko’s good health remains at the top of the Canucks wish list. He’s looked good in preseason games and with the new coaching style and revamped defence his numbers should return to normal. At least he won’t feel as abandoned as he sometimes has been in the last two seasons.
DeSmith is capable of stretches where he’s the starter. Ostensibly, he’s only here as the backup, but should anything happen to Demko, DeSmith can take the net for five or six games in a row. Any longer and the team’s in trouble, but this is a capable and proven player.
Players to Watch
Quinn Hughes
Yes, this feels like a deadline choice by someone who doesn’t know the team, but there are reasons for picking Hughes. First off, he’s astoundingly competent and more people should appreciate that. He walks the blue line beautifully and has taken his role as power play quarterback seriously.
He’s also the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks captain, and it will be interesting to see if that changes his on-ice presence. He’s always taken his role as a spokesman for the players as a simple assumption. It’s something he does because he has the clout to do so. Now he’s representing the team as well, and this isn’t an easy town to do that in.
More than that, though, is his determination to improve. He’s heard plenty about not scoring as much as other top-end defencemen and he’s taken it personally. Expect his shot rate to skyrocket over previous seasons, getting three per game on net. Will he get 76 points again? It seems likely, though more of those points will be goals.
Elias Pettersson
And you thought the LAST name was a cheat! But no. Again, there are plenty of reasons to watch Pettersson play that are this-season specific. It’s not just that he’s fantastically entertaining – he doesn’t hit often, but he’s effective! It’s that this year has stakes, personally and for the team.
As everyone and his dog know by now, Pettersson is in the final year of his bridge deal. That deal was signed when he had shown his offensive chops with a point-per-game season following his Calder Memorial Trophy-winning debut. Last year pushed him into another realm entirely, becoming a genuine two-way force on the ice.
No doubt there were offers made by the team already, but it seems that Pettersson is happy to bet on himself. This could be the best individual season Canucks fans have seen from a player since… Well, put Markus Näslund‘s scoring with Henrik Sedin‘s assets and see what happens.
The result may make the Canucks accountant weep but for everyone else? Tears of pure joy.
Prediction for 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks
Ever seen a Royal Rumble where they just keep introducing new wrestlers every two minutes or so? That’s this year’s Pacific Division.
Vancouver has improved dramatically in weak positions – depth among forwards, right-side defence, backup goaltending. But all four Pacific Division teams that made the playoffs last year hit 100 points or higher. And one of the teams that didn’t make it – the Calgary Flames – had a legendarily discordant season where nearly everything went wrong.
And they still beat Vancouver by ten points in the standings.
So sure, Vancouver is better. Are they better enough to either crack the top three or take a wild card slot from the Central Division? Yes, they are. But it isn’t going to be easy.
We’re picking one of the two wildcard spots for Vancouver.
Main Photo Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
