The best evidence for how good Elias Pettersson can be at his best, just look at Andrei Kuzmenko.
The Russian winger came just one goal shy of 40 in his first season in the NHL while playing on Pettersson's wing. There was an argument to be made that the Canucks should have sold high on the winger at the trade deadline that season, which saw them miss the playoffs by 12 points. Instead, they signed him to a two-year extension just four days after hiring new head coach Rick Tocchet.
When Kuzmenko proved not to be a fit with Tocchet the following season, they finally traded him to the Calgary Flames as part of the deal to get Elias Lindholm.
Now, as the Canucks head into Calgary to face the Flames on Tuesday night, Kuzmenko will be a healthy scratch. He has just one goal in 29 games this season. Life without Pettersson is tough.
Pettersson won't be in the lineup either, of course. He's been playing through injuries this season, only just stepping away now that he's dealing with, to my understanding, multiple different issues.
There has to be an element of frustration there for Pettersson. Anyone with eyes can see that he hasn't been 100 per cent healthy this season but it shows up in the numbers too. Where he was once a top-tier skater in terms of speed, he's now in the 50th percentile, according to the NHL's EDGE data, and his shot velocity has dropped significantly as well. He's made it clear that the tendinitis in his knee has not gone away but he's played through it without complaint and has been relatively effective in spite of it, leading the team's forwards in scoring.
His reward for playing through injuries? Getting called out publically by his general manager.
With both Pettersson and Quinn Hughes out, the pressure is on the team's remaining stars to get the job done. That means the top line of Jake DeBrusk, J.T. Miller, and Brock Boeser will need to produce, while the team as a whole needs to limit the mistakes that led to the team's embarrassing collapse against the Seattle Kraken.
"It's opportunity," said Rick Tocchet. "In any sport, you always want opportunity. Hopefully, you're ready for it...We have guys who are playing more than they usually play, which is a good thing for them."
Can other players step up in the absence of two of the team's stars? Can the team execute for a full 60 minutes against the Flames? Can their defence corps, comprised entirely of third-pairing defencemen, give the Canucks first and second-pair minutes?
It's fine. Everything's fine. The Canucks are fine.
Vancouver Canucks projected lines
According to Tocchet, the Canucks won't be changing the lineup after their loss to the Kraken, apart from switching up their starting goaltender.
With that in mind, here are the Canucks' projected lines:
The Canucks' starting goaltender will be Kevin Lankinen and it's fair to wonder if he'll get more starts than Thatcher Demko as the Canucks' number one has yet to fully find his rhythm coming off a long recovery from injury.
Calgary Flames projected lines
The Flames are just one point behind the Canucks in the Pacific Division, with a 17-12-7 record. They're coming off a 3-0 shutout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, so will be hungry to score some goals on Tuesday night.
The Canucks are 1-0-1 against the Flames this season, falling to them 6-5 in overtime in their home opener after coughing up a three-goal lead, then comfortably won their second meeting.
Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Flames in scoring with 15 goals and 27 points in 36 games, with Nazem Kadri close behind with 13 goals and 25 points. Their top line will be the focus of the Canucks' shutdown efforts.
Here are the Flames' projected lines, courtesy of Sportsnet's Pat Steinberg:
Jonathan Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Martin Pospisil
Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Matt Coronato
Yegor Sharangovich - Connor Zary - Jakob Pelletier
Ryan Lomberg - Kevin Rooney - Walker Duehr
Kevin Bahl - Rasmus Andersson
Joel Hanley - MacKenzie Weegar
Jake Bean - Brayden Pachal
Dustin Wolf
Dan Vladar
The Flames' starting goaltender will be Dustin Wolf, who has been very good for the Flames this season. His .912 save percentage is just outside the top ten among regular starters in the NHL this season and he's only lost two games in regulation in his 17 starts.
