The Vancouver Canucks have only played two games with Marcus Pettersson, Filip Chytil, and Drew O'Connor but they're making a great first impression.
It's not just that Chytil and O'Connor have a goal apiece, while Pettersson has played solid defensively, but just how much better the team looks as a whole with their injection of speed and puck-moving ability. With those three players added to the lineup, the Canucks look more dynamic and dangerous than they have all season.
Canucks fans haven't even gotten a chance to see what the new additions look like with Quinn Hughes, who will miss his third straight game on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks while dealing with a lower-body injury.
That's the unusual upside to Hughes getting injured — the Canucks are having to find a way to win without him. The other potential upside is that Hughes' lower-body injury will give him more time to rehab his hand injury that he's been playing through for the last month.
At this point, it really seems like the best thing for Hughes would be to sit out Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs as well and then skip the 4 Nations Face-Off, which runs from February 12 to 20. That would give him nearly four weeks off in total to recover from both of his injuries.
Of course, it's completely understandable that Hughes would want to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off. It's a rare opportunity to play for his country as well as a chance to play with his brother, Jack Hughes. But if he's not healthy enough to play for the Canucks right now, then it wouldn't seem right for him to risk further injury by taking the ice for what is ultimately a meaningless tournament.
In any case, the potential of a healthy Hughes joining this reinvigorated Canucks squad is tantalizing. Hughes has a strong case for not just the Norris Trophy but the Hart Trophy this year because of how he's carried this Canucks team. With the addition of Marcus Pettersson and the emergence of Elias Pettersson on defence, the Canucks suddenly don't have to rely solely on Hughes to move the puck.
Vancouver Canucks projected lines
The Canucks sent down Linus Karlsson and called up Nils Åman this week, which makes a lot of sense. Karlsson's lack of footspeed makes it tough for him to keep up on what should be a high-pace, hard-forechecking fourth line. Not that Åman is that much faster but he has a stronger defensive game that makes him more reliable in a fourth-line role.
Here are the Canucks' projected lines:
At practice on Wednesday, the Canucks went with the lines that they switched to in the second period of their last game against the Colorado Avalanche. Those lines were very effective against the Avalanche and for good reason.
The issue with putting Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser on one line is that they have plenty of skill but not enough speed. The speed of O'Connor and Chytil made more room for Boeser to find soft spots in coverage to use his shot. Likewise, Conor Garland's high-pace game and work along the boards helped give DeBrusk and Pettersson more puck possession.
Dakota Joshua joined Pius Suter and Kiefer Sherwood on a third line that was tasked with matching up against Nathan MacKinnon and head coach Rick Tocchet praised Joshua's work in that role. Look for the Suter line to match up against Macklin Celebrini against the Sharks.
The Canucks' starting goaltender will likely be Kevin Lankinen, even though Thatcher Demko shut out the Avalanche on Tuesday. Nothing has been made official yet, however.
San Jose Sharks projected lines
The Sharks are dead last in the NHL right now with a 15-34-6 record and a minus-62 goal differential. In theory, they shouldn't present much of a problem for the Canucks but, in practice, the Sharks have not been an easy out for the Canucks this season.
While the Canucks have won their two previous meetings with the Sharks, they've both been one-goal games. It took a last-minute goal for the Canucks to win their first meeting, then the Sharks pushed back hard in the third period of their second meeting, with the Canucks barely holding onto the lead.
Macklin Celebrini is, of course, the one to watch. He has 17 goals and 39 points in 43 games this season to lead the Sharks in scoring. He also leads all rookies in points per game.
Here are the Sharks' projected lines:
William Eklund - Macklin Celebrini - Tyler Toffoli
Fabian Zetterlund - Andrew Poturalski - Will Smith
Barclay Goodrow - Luke Kunin - Collin Graf
Carl Grundstrom - Colin White - Walker Duehr
Jake Walman - Henry Thrun
Mario Ferraro - Jack Thompson
Shakir Mukhamadullin - Timothy Liljegren
Alexandar Georgiev
Yaroslav Askarov
The Sharks' starting goaltender is expected to be Alexandar Georgiev, though that is unconfirmed. Georgiev has an .875 save percentage this season across 30 starts with the Avalanche and Sharks.
