They almost let it slip away, but a sweet overtime goal by J.T. Miller earned the Vancouver Canucks another two points as they kicked off their four-game road trip with a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Poor Brady Tkachuk, made to eat snow while trying to cover at the blue line for a pinching Thomas Chabot.
And what a pass by Quinn Hughes to spring Miller free!
Hughes' scoring pace has dipped a bit of late — five assists in his last 10 games. That gives him 25 points in 32 games for the year so far, which puts him third in Canucks scoring behind Brock Boeser (29) and Miller (27), but still tied with Jeff Petry for second in the league in scoring by defenseman, behind only Victor Hedman (26 pts in 27 games).
Hughes' plus-minus has also levelled off. A month ago, he was worst in the league at minus-14. Now, he's at minus-15. And while that now ties him with Erik Gudbranson and Brandon Montour for seventh-worst in the league, the top six players are all from Buffalo — led by Rasmus Dahlin at minus-27. The Canucks' expansion cousins are 0-9-1 in their last 10 games and now comfortably in last place in the league in both points and points percentage. So anytime you think things are bad in Vancouver, remember — it could be worse.
Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is that Hughes' season has steadied significantly since he's been paired with Travis Hamonic, who has been solid since returning from his upper-body injury nine games ago.
The Canucks were 2-3-0 to start the season, before Hamonic was injured. During the 18 games that he was on the shelf, they went 6-10-2. And since he's been back, they're now 6-3-0, including the 6-1-0 stretch in their last seven games.
After Monday's win, they're back to two games below .500 for the first time since Feb. 4.
Here's how the average ice time broke down for Vancouver's defensemen while Hamonic was sidelined:
Tyler Myers - 18 GP - 22:54
Quinn Hughes - 18 GP - 21:42
Alexander Edler - 17 GP - 21:14
Nate Schmidt - 18 GP - 20:45
Jordie Benn - 17 GP - 14:50
Olli Juolevi - 11 GP - 14:19
Jalen Chatfield - 8 GP - 14:09
Brogan Rafferty - 1 GP - 13:58
Since Hamonic's return, here's how those numbers have changed:
Quinn Hughes - 9 GP - 23:26
Alex Edler - 9 GP - 22:00
Tyler Myers - 9 GP - 21:14
Nate Schmidt - 9 GP - 18:22
Travis Hamonic - 9 GP - 17:52
Jordie Benn - 9 GP - 14:45
It certainly doesn't hurt that Travis Green has been able to lock in a top six and keep his pairs relatively consistent. And while Hamonic's actual ice time isn't massive, it has enabled both Myers and Schmidt to play a bit less.
And yes, it's not your imagination — we're seeing Alex Edler more and more, playing big left-side defensive minutes when games are on the line.
I've been focused on Jordie Benn as the UFA defensemen who could be most likely to move at the trade deadline. Edler and Hamonic are impending UFAs as well — and even Jalen Chatfield and Brogan Rafferty move out from under Vancouver's control at the end of the season, as Group 6 UFAs who will be over 25, with three pro seasons but less than 80 games of NHL experience.
Edler, of course, has a full no-move clause which protects him from being dealt at the trade deadline. And given that he has always shunned the idea of playing elsewhere, even after the Sedins retired, I don't imagine that changes now.
His UFA status does mean that the Canucks can leave him unprotected for the expansion draft. I think he still has value to the Canucks and wouldn't balk at them bringing him back — after the expansion draft, so that he still doesn't need to be protected.
I could imagine another one or two-year deal, as long as he took a haircut on his salary, but Jim Benning is going to have to think carefully about how he allocates his resources. He may have nearly $25 million in cap space to play with next year, but he also has only 12 players under contract, and a big chunk of what is available is going to have to go to Hughes, Elias Pettersson and Thatcher Demko.
Word is that Benning is expected to start potential extension talks with Tanner Pearson's representatives very soon, to see if they can hammer something out before the trade deadline. If they can't, I assume that Benning will try to move him. And as much as Pearson is appreciated by the organization, I do feel like he's replaceable. Not only do the Canucks have Vasily Podkolzin on the way in, they also have inexpensive farmhands like Kole Line and Jonah Gadjovich doing good things in the AHL this season, and probably worthy of a look at a higher level.
And yes, it's been a while since we heard any news out of Utica. The Comets have had two games postponed due to Covid concerns and are currently scheduled to get back into action on home ice this Friday, against Rochester.
My point, in all of this, is that I think Benning needs to be more concerned about allocating money for this defense than for his forwards next season. With Travis Hamonic having been so fixated on wanting to play in Western Canada when he forced his trade from the New York Islanders in 2017, I figured he wasn't deadline bait. And now that I look, he does indeed have a no-movement clause on his deal with the Canucks.
Following up on that, he told the media on Monday that he wants to stay in Vancouver long term.
"When we decided on Vancouver, we looked at it as a long-term situation of where we wanted to be for my career and family," he told
Ben Kuzma of The Province. "I’ve loved every second of it and it’s been a good fit. Hopefully, something can transpire and make it work."
At this point, I think it's clear that signing the right partner for Hughes is as important as signing Hughes himself. Over the last nine games, Hamonic has made a good case that he should be that guy although, as with Edler, it would make sense for both sides not to put pen to paper until after the expansion draft is complete.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»