The Vancouver Canucks are just playing out their season as they have now been mathematically eliminated from the 2023 Playoffs. While this was an inevitable piece of news, it still stings for a fanbase that hasn’t seen playoff hockey in Vancouver since former captain Bo Horvat was a rookie in 2014-15.
The last time the white towels were out in full force was on April 23, 2015, when the Canucks defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 to stay alive in what eventually became a 4-2 series loss. To put things in perspective for how long ago that was, Daniel Sedin and Nick Bonino scored the goals for the Canucks and David Jones tallied for the Flames. All three are no longer with the respective teams and two of them are not even in the NHL anymore as Daniel Sedin retired in 2018 and Jones was last seen in 2015-16. In fact, the only player from that game that still remains is Mikael Backlund, who was 25 years old at the time and is now 34.
So, with that annual down out of the way, let’s get to the rest of this edition of Canucks’ 3 Up, 3 Down.
Plus One: McDonough Scores First NHL Goal
Aidan McDonough made his NHL debut on March 26 against the Chicago Blackhawks, played 10:03, and had a few high-danger scoring chances. He then sat as a healthy scratch until March 31 when he suited up for his home debut against the Calgary Flames – a game he logged only 6:37 of ice time – but did something every young hockey player dreams of doing one day, scoring his first NHL goal.
“You dream about scoring that in the driveway or in the backyard your whole life. To get one there was pretty special.” – Aidan McDonough
Playing on a fourth line with Sheldon Dries and Jack Studnicka, McDonough and his linemates had a gritty shift in the offensive zone that resulted in McDonough chipping the puck over a sprawling Jacob Markstrom. It took him two cracks, but it eventually went in. His childhood friend Jack Rathbone was the first to hug him after the goal, which of course, added to the magic of the night. He may have only played 6:37, but 30 seconds of it will be etched in his mind forever.
Minus One: Hronek Shut Down For Rest of the Season
The Canucks’ defence corps has been decimated by injuries this season as Akito Hirose became the 15th defenceman to suit up in 2022-23 when he made his NHL debut against the Kings. Unfortunately, the walking wounded now includes Filip Hronek, who after four games since returning from a shoulder injury suffered with the Detroit Red Wings was shut down for the rest of the season. He joins fellow blueliners Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Noah Juulsen, Guillaume Brisebois, Christian Wolanin, and Tucker Poolman on the sidelines.
Related: Revisiting Canucks’ 2019 NHL Draft Selections
Head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters that the Canucks want “him to get his shoulder stronger” over the offseason and come back 100 percent for next season. In four games with the Canucks since being acquired from the Red Wings, Hronek averaged over 20 minutes a night and posted his first point with the team on March 25 against the Dallas Stars. He will finish 2022-23 with a career-high 39 points.
Plus Two: Demko Is Back
Despite allowing 14 goals in his last three starts, Thatcher Demko has looked more like himself lately. Since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out for almost three months, he has been the goaltender fans saw last season when he saved the Canucks’ bacon time and time again. He was vintage Demko against the Flames on Friday (March 31), stopping 36 of 41 shots, in a game where the Canucks were thoroughly outplayed. He gave them a chance to pull it out in overtime, but ultimately allowed the game-winning goal to Canuck Killer Tyler Toffoli.
Regardless, Demko appears to have returned from his hiatus and has once again become part of the Canucks’ core group of players. President Jim Rutherford said as much when he included Demko’s name alongside Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Quinn Hughes in a letter to season ticket holders on March 29. Demko still sports an ugly 3.37 goals-against average (GAA) and .894 save percentage (SV%), but looks much more in control of his crease than he did at the beginning of the season. That’s good news for the Canucks (and for Rutherford), as you need good goaltending to execute a successful retool. With him at his best, they may have a chance to return to the playoffs sooner rather than later.
Minus Two: Pettersson’s Point Streak Ends at 14 Games
All good things come to an end eventually. And that’s what happened against the Kings when Pettersson was finally kept off the scoresheet for the first time in 15 games. His point streak that began all the way back on March 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs came to an end after eight goals and 20 points in 14 games. He was only one game away from matching Todd Bertuzzi and Petr Nedved for the longest in franchise history. But it wasn’t meant to be as the Kings limited him to only one shot on goal in 22:50 of ice time.
This minus didn’t last too long though, as Pettersson started a new point streak on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken when he redirected an Andrei Kuzmenko pass in the crease for his 37th goal and 97th point. Turns out he doesn’t know the meaning of slump – at least not this season anyway.
Plus Three: Hughes Hits 70 Points, Future Captain?
Along with Pettersson, Quinn Hughes has been having another breakout season as he continues to climb the Canucks’ all-time leaderboard for defencemen. As of this writing (April 6), he sits seventh with 238 career points and is surprisingly only 172 points away from surpassing the current leader Alex Edler, who had 409. At this rate, he will pass him sometime before his 27th birthday. He is already the Canucks’ best defenceman of all time, and it’s not even close.
On March 28 against the St. Louis Blues, Hughes hit 70 points, breaking his career-high of 68 set last season and at the same time establishing a new franchise record for single-season points by a defenceman. He’s so good, he’s breaking his own records now, as he set it last season too with his 68 points in 76 games.
In addition to the points, there has been talk that Hughes could become the Canucks’ next captain ahead of Pettersson. His leadership has come to the forefront lately as he spoke out about Pride Night and the conversation surrounding hockey and the LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s about just, you know, feeling welcomed and enjoying the game. If someone enjoys the game … you should be able to find the same joy from it as anyone else. We preach hockey is for everyone and I certainly believe that it is. And if you say you believe in that, then you should be able to put the jersey on.”
Minus Three: Canucks Falling Back to Earth After Strong Start Under Tocchet
Since Tocchet took over for Bruce Boudreau behind the bench, the Canucks have played a more structured and controlled game, improved their special teams, and generally have looked more like a playoff team than a bottom-feeder. Overall, the team has a decent record of 16-11-4 in the Tocchet era but lately has reverted back to the concerning squad that took to the ice for Boudreau (and former coach Travis Green).
Currently mired in a four-game losing streak where they have been outscored 20-12 and dismantled by playoff-bound teams in the Los Angeles Kings (4-1) and Seattle Kraken (5-2), the good vibes have turned into questions about whether the Canucks are actually better with Tocchet at the helm. Previous concerns under Boudreau about a lack of effort and preparation were voiced again by Tocchet himself after practice on Tuesday following the team’s 5-2 loss to the Kraken.
“I didn’t think we had energy for whatever reason. That’s the alarming thing after a day off. I’ve got to take a look at that. If guys don’t know how to prepare, then I’m going to have to start babysitting” (from ‘Canucks: Coach Tocchet’s frustration with team’s preparation is a familiar tune’, The Province, 4/5/23).
Good teams have high energy and preparation every time they take to the ice. They never take a night off and with Tocchet’s history of being a blue-collar player in the NHL, it’s no surprise he’s concerned about his team’s battle level in recent games.
“I’ve seen some old habits creep back in … not coming to the bench fast, some body-language stuff. The battle part of our game is something that has to be addressed. We’re a little bit light, but that doesn’t mean you can’t win battles. And we’re gonna have to figure that out.”
It will be interesting to see how the Canucks play tonight against the basement-dwelling Chicago Blackhawks. If they don’t come out swinging, I would hate to be the players postgame as I’m sure they will get an earful from their head coach.
That does it for the latest Canucks’ 3 Up, 3 Down. After tonight’s game against the Blackhawks, the Canucks have their home finale against the Calgary Flames on Saturday before going on their final road trip of the 2022-23 campaign with matches against the Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes. Until next time, enjoy the games!
