Jim Rutherford joined the Vancouver Canucks as president of hockey operations with a reputation as a man of action. In his previous jobs as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes, he never shied away from making a big, bold move.
Patrik Allvin, the Canucks’ general manager, doesn’t have much of a reputation but he’s a protegé of Rutherford, so it was safe to assume he had been coached in the ways of the blockbuster deal.
And yet, the Canucks have not only not made a blockbuster deal, but they haven’t made any deals at all. The only transactions the Canucks have made under Rutherford and Allvin have been the mundane, everyday transactions of moving players up and down from the minors.
There’s a pretty good reason why they haven’t made any trades, of course — the Canucks won’t stop winning.
Since Boudreau took over, the Canucks have a 21-8-4 record for a points percentage of .697 — fifth-best in the NHL in that time. They’re behind only the Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning, and tied with the Florida Panthers.
That’s heady company, as those are all teams at the top of the standings with a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup.
It’s very similar to what Boudreau accomplished in his first head coaching job in the NHL. He took over a Washington Capitals team that had an even worse record than the Canucks and took them to the top of the Southeast Division with a 37-17-7 record — a .664 points percentage, lower than what the Canucks have done so far.
The Canucks are still in a tough spot. The two teams currently sitting in Wild Card spots for the playoffs, the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, are three and four points up on the Canucks and they each have two games in hand. But they’re within reach. Where once it seemed impossible that the Canucks would get into the playoffs, it’s now well within the realm of probability.
With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine the Canucks pulling the trigger on any major deals ahead of the March 21 trade deadline.
It might all depend on this seven-game homestand, which conveniently ends on March 20. If the Canucks stumble, they could see their playoff dream slip away and Rutherford and Allvin might finally pull the trigger on some trades.
But if the Canucks rattle off some wins and make up some ground, we might see no trades at all.
Really, it’s a win-win situation for Canucks fans. Either the Canucks make some big trades that kickstart a (hopefully) glorious future or they keep winning and fans get to enjoy the excitement of a big playoff push.
The Canucks got their seven-game homestand started off on the right foot with a win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. I found myself asking, “Are they really going to do this?” when I watched this game.
- Let’s get one caveat out of the way early. The Canadiens are terrible — dead last in the NHL terrible — but they had also won 7 of their last 8 games heading into this game, thriving after their own midseason coaching change. Under new head coach Martin St. Louis, the Canadiens are a far more dangerous team and the Canucks winning was not a foregone conclusion.
- My word, what a game from J.T. Miller. He extended his point streak to ten games with an unreal 4-point performance, including a solo effort for a crucial third-period goal. I haven’t seen a J.T. this dominant since Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds took over the charts in 2006.
- “He’s definitely taken over as the catalyst and the leader,” said head coach Bruce Boudreau. “That’s wonderful to see because you need that at this stage of the season.”
- Here’s an interesting development — Elias Pettersson was third among Canucks forwards in ice time on the penalty kill, just behind J.T. Miller and Tyler Motte. Quinn Hughes was third among defencemen behind Travis Hamonic and Luke Schenn. Meanwhile, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has been a go-to penalty killer for the Canucks this season, barely played on the penalty kill at all, just 28 seconds. Hughes played 3:36 shorthanded.
- Pettersson has yet to be on the ice for a power play goal against and Hughes has been nearly as good, so it makes sense they’re starting to become go-to options on the penalty kill. In a perhaps related note, the Canucks killed off all four of their penalties in this game. Or maybe that’s because the Canadiens have the 31st-ranked power play in the NHL. Hard to say.
- Pettersson was outstanding all game, as he and his linemates, Conor Garland and Nils Höglander, poured on the pressure in the offensive zone, even though they couldn’t cash in on any of the chances they created. Like August Kruckow, that line set the tone early.
- With a certain amount of irony, then, that line was on the ice for the Canadiens’ opening goal. Höglander got knocked off the puck in the offensive zone and Luke Schenn gambled on keeping the puck in at the blue line, only for it to squirt past him for a 2-on-1. Hughes was in the spin cycle trying to track back to defend and couldn’t stop the cross-ice feed to Artturi Lehkonen, who beat an in-motion Thatcher Demko.
- Aside from that faux pas by Schenn on the goal, he had a strong game. He blocked three shots and had seven shot attempts of his own and, of course, had a game-high six hits. That included a board-rattler on Rem Pitlick in the first period. It seemed like Schenn was beaten after his shot was blocked, but he took a great angle back and sent Pitlick smashing into the end boards like Wile E. Coyote into a train tunnel painted on the side of a cliff.
- Brock Boeser led the way on a brilliant response shift after the goal, hitting the post and forcing a great save on a deflection a moment later. As Miller collected the puck in the high slot, Travis Hamonic beaver-tailed frantically for the puck. He eventually got it and justified his beaverishness by sending a slap shot past Boeser’s screen into the bottom corner, where bored students create flipbook animations in their textbooks.
- Höglander had a strong game offensively, creating some great chances, particularly a backdoor feed to Conor Garland for a one-timer in the second period, but it was his defensive game that stood out. His puck pursuit was relentless, particularly on this second period shift. First, he tracked down Cole Caufield in the neutral zone to create a turnover, then harassed Josh Anderson on the backcheck, running him into the boards to win another puck. He’ll quickly earn Boudreau’s trust with that type of game.
- This wasn’t exactly a signature performance for Thatcher Demko, who looked a little shaky on a couple of the Canadiens’ goals, but he did have one ridiculously good save, robbing Joel Armia with his glove. Even when he’s not at his best, Demko’s still the best.
- Brock Boeser gave the Canucks the 2-1 lead on the power play. It took just nine seconds: Miller jumped forward on the faceoff to pick up a loose puck, Hughes gave it back to him, and he relayed it to Boeser down low. His first attempt was stopped by Sam Montembeault but the rebound came right back to him and he flipped the puck upstairs.
- The Canadiens quickly responded with an odd goal. Under pressure from Lehkonen on the forecheck, Horvat sent a pass out of Ekman-Larsson’s reach, turning it over to Rem Pitlick, who immediately spun the puck towards the net. Demko uncharacteristically had trouble with it and Lehkonen, who Horvat had left alone in front, made like Umphrey’s McGee and jammed it home.
- Tied 2-2 heading into the third period, the Canucks needed their top players to step up. Enter Miller, who gave the Canucks the 3-2 lead all on his lonesome.
- It was a super sneaky play: Miller was waiting in the weeds by the bench, hiding behind a linesman. Then, as soon as Horvat came off for the line change, Miller darted towards Jeff Petry as he carried the puck up ice, stripped him of the puck, busted into the zone, and ripped a wrist shot over Montembeault’s glove. He then yelled like he was Goofy in an old Disney animated short.
- Then it was Pettersson’s turn for some brilliance. Miller carried the puck up ice on the power play and the Canadiens looked like they were waiting for the drop like EDM fans at the club. Just when you might expect the drop, Miller took a wide loop, then made the pass, giving Pettersson all kinds of space.
- Pettersson swooped past Ryan Poehling, then took advantage of Jeff Petry’s massive gap to fake a shot, then push the puck wide, changing the angle for Montembault. Pettersson’s shot was, frankly, unstoppable — it pinged the post like it was a cell phone tower and went in.
- The Canadiens didn’t let up. With the Canadiens goaltender pulled for the extra attacker, the Canucks got caught puck watching. Rem Pitlick was standing in the place where he was, which happened to be at the backdoor, and he drilled a one-timer that Demko had little hope of stopping.
- That’s as close as the Canadiens would come. Horvat hit the empty net with a minute left to seal the win with a little help from Pettersson, Pearson, and Hamonic.
- That’s 8 wins in the last 10 games for the Canucks. They haven’t all been pretty, but they’ve been wins. Can they keep it going? Honestly, I have no idea, and that’s when sports are at their most exciting.
