Thursday October 1 - Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers - 6:00 p.m. - Sportsnet 360 - TSN140
It's October! The real hockey season is less than a week away, and we've got a pretty intriguing tilt on tap from Edmonton to entertain us tonight.
With two games to go before the 2015 preseason comes to a close, the Vancouver Canucks continue to trim their lineup and take a hard look at the prospects who are pushing for jobs.
On Thursday, big right wing Alex Grenier was dispatched to the Utica Comets. After a strong playoff with the Comets last spring, Grenier failed to stand out despite dressing for five of six exhibition games. I thought Grenier looked decent at the Kraft Hockeyville game, but he became less noticeable as camp rolled along.
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Friday morning, defenseman Taylor Fedun was placed on waivers. I thought he was reasonably solid during his three preseason games. He should be effective for the comets and will be a right-side injury callup, if needed.
The latest cuts leave the Canucks with 26 skaters in camp—17 forwards and nine defensemen. Subtract the injured Chris Higgins, and Jim Benning will need to make four more cuts before the regular season begins.
All the excitement over the strong preseason showings of rookies Jared McCann, Brendan Gaunce and Ben Hutton has helped us gloss over the fact that some other established Canucks have been less-than-impressive during preseason.
I'm not ready to panic yet about established vets like the Sedins. They've earned the right to coast a little bit and I expect to see them step up their play when the games start counting.
In my new piece for Canucks Army, I looked at five less-established players who have underperformed—several of whom could ultimately be playing themselves out of jobs.
Click here to read.
The Canucks held a full skate yesterday, so we have limited information so far about the lineup they plan to send to Edmonton. Here's what we know:
Benning has said that "a lot" of prospects will play in Edmonton. I'd assume most of the underperforming vets from my list will also see action as it comes down to crunch time.
Here's a look at tonight's lineup for Edmonton. Yes, Connor McDavid will play, centring the top line between Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl.
McDavid has tallied four assists in his three games so far, but has yet to notch his first goal. Edmonton's preseason standout has actually been a different center, Anton Lander, who leads the entire NHL with five exhibition goals. Watch for him on the third line tonight.
Jake Virtanen should also be in the lineup for Vancouver, which makes for an interesting reunion.
(EDIT): Virtanen is playing tonight, as are McCann and Ben Hutton. Hutton has gotten ink in both papers since his excellent game in San Jose.
Click here for Brad Ziemer's story from the
Vancouver Sun and
here for Ed Willes' piece in
The Province.
Ziemer asked Dan Hamhuis if he'd given Hutton any veteran tips during his standout preseason.
“Nothing,” Hamhuis said. “I haven’t given him any advice. Just keep doing what he is doing. When a guy is going well, you let him be and stay out of his way and that is kind of what we have been doing. He is playing really well.”
Hamhuis says Hutton reminds him of a young Chris Tanev:
“He reminds me of Chris when he first came in,” Hamhuis said. “He’s a good skater, he skates himself into good areas and out of bad areas and he is composed with the puck. He has got guys barrelling in on him and he makes composed veteran-style plays out there.”
For those who are concerned about Hutton's ability to make the transition from the college game, he doesn't see a problem:
It’s almost easier because the guys are always in the right spot,” he said. “You just have to make the tape-to-tape pass and jump up in the rush. So sometimes it’s easier, but obviously there are elite hockey players coming down on you as a defenceman, so you have to be ready to defend and the coaches have really helped me with some tips, some small things, that really help.
I've been thinking a lot about Torey Krug over the last few days—an undrafted college standout from Michigan State whose NHL future was far-from-assured when he first joined the Boston Bruins as a 21-year-old after three NHL seasons.
As a result of the 2012-13 lockout, Krug did end up playing his first full pro season in the AHL. He's now a top-four mainstay on Boston's blue line.
Krug and Hutton are different types of players: Krug's just 5'9" and is best known for his point shot on the power play.
Maybe the Chris Tanev comparison is more apt—though Hutton is certainly showing stronger offensive instincts in the early going. They're the same height at 6'2" but Hutton's starting his pro career at a reasonable 183 pounds, while it has taken Tanev years to fill out to 185.
I was so impressed with Tanev from the minute he arrived in Vancouver that I'd forgotten he actually spent significant parts of three seasons in the minors—39 games with the Manitoba Moose in 2010-11, 34 games with the Chicago Wolves in 2011-12 and 29 games with the Wolves during the lockout in 2012-13.
It wasn't until after the lockout ended that Tanev became a full time Canuck.
My takeaway? It certainly won't hurt Hutton's development if he does start the season in Utica. And the Canucks look like they've stumbled on an asset that will be valuable to them for years to come.
The question is whether the Canucks, who know they need every point they can get right out of the gate, can afford to get by without Hutton's skillset when the regular season begins?
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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