The Canucks will likely have Chris Higgins back in the lineup when they play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday night. The veteran winger has been sidelined with a fracture in his right foot since opening night, when he sustained the injury blocking a shot versus the Calgary Flames, but now, according to Higgins, he's ready to go.
"I feel good," Higgins said Tuesday. "I think I should be available for tomorrow."
That's great news for the Canucks, save Sven Baertschi, whose hold on a regular spot in the Canucks' middle six was tenuous even before Higgins was cleared to play. And after Willie Desjardins' tepid praise for the Swiss winger following Monday's win over the Flyers, it seems clear the coach won't be straining to make room for him. Expect Baertschi in the press box Wednesday night.
But lamenting Baertschi's shabby treatment is Daniel's job. My focus is elsewhere. The return of Higgins is going to help the Canucks. Here are eight things he brings:
Puck possession.
Higgins scores from time to time, which is nice, but even when he's not putting in goals, he's putting in work. Higgins has been a positive puck possession player throughout his time in Vancouver, taking the puck to the right end of the ice and keeping it there. He boasts a 54.36 corsi rating as a Canuck, and while that number has been in a slow decline since the Canucks slipped out of Cup contendership a couple seasons ago, he's still yet to finish a season below 50%.
The Canucks could use a player that tips the ice in their direction. While they've looked good to start the year -- they're winning, after all -- their team corsi rating is near the bottom of the league; Ryan Miller is one of three goalies to have already faced over 300 shots. Fortunately, Miller's been up to the task, but the Canucks don't want to be relying on their goaltender to win every game. In fact, they want the puck as far away from him as possible, ideally, and a player like Higgins has a strong reputation for playing at the other end of the ice, regardless of who he's with. Higgins would look great on a line with Jared McCann and Derek Dorsett, for instance, should Desjardins decides to leave the Baertschi-Horvat-Hansen line intact. McCann and Dorsett have the worst corsi ratings of any Canucks, at 42.57 and 41.77, respectively. Chris Higgins could do wonders for their line's effectiveness.
Veteran presence.
Typically, I roll my eyes whenever somebody ascribes veteran presence to a player, since that usually means there's little else to write home about, save for the intangible (and conveniently untrackable) qualities that come with being older. But in Higgins' case, there's actually something to this. Willie Desjardins is inundated with kids this season. He has enough to make a full line. In fact, he did, and it terrified him. When crunch time rolled around, the trio of Horvat, Baertschi and Jake Virtanen spent most of their time on the bench, untrusted by the coach to handle the crunch. (Desjardins seemed confident they knew nothing of the crunch.)
It wasn't until Desjardins ended the experiment, sprinkling his youth about the lineup, that he finally seemed at ease with the kids. Higgins will help with this, giving the coach yet another veteran with whom to deploy his rookies. Both McCann and Horvat would benefit from a skilled and experienced winger -- one who can help on the defensive side of things, and keep the cycle going along the boards when the puck's at the other end.
Either that or Higgins will just be another body to play when the kids get benched, in which case, they won't benefit very much at all. But Willie will.
Abs.
Six of them, to be precise, and that gets us to eight things total. I did not lie to you.
Plus, have you seen this guy's "middle six"? You could grate cheese on those abs. I wouldn't, of course, because I'm lactose intolerant, and that wouldn't be food safe. But you could.
