Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet – never afraid of switching up his lines – reopened a chapter of Canucks nostalgia by reuniting the former “Lotto Line” (consisting of Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Brock Boeser) before their game against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 6. Since then, the trio looks even better than they ever did in 2019-20, leading the Canucks to a three-game win streak.
3 Games, 3 Solid Performances
After putting up a stinker in St. Louis against the Blues on Jan. 4, Tocchet made the switch to reassemble the trio that had been so valuable for the Canucks four years ago. The first line at the time consisted of Ilya Mikheyev, Pettersson, and Sam Lafferty and wasn’t clicking and oftentimes looked lifeless out there.
Things were the complete opposite against the Devils on Jan. 6. Immediately, you could feel a different energy in the first period, absolutely dominating the Devils in Corsi, 26-8. The three of them combined for eight points in the 6-4 win against a somewhat formidable opponent. Their next test was much, much harder, when they took on the New York Rangers.
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And what did they do? They put up eight points, again. In Madison Square Garden, no less. Pettersson had his best game of the season, scoring twice and assisting twice, and more importantly, he looked like the Pettersson that Canucks fans have all grown to love during his Canucks tenure.
On the second night of a back-to-back against the New York Islanders, the trio was once again impressive, tallying two points en route to a 5-2 victory. There’s been a clear jolt of liveliness in this Canucks group since Tocchet made the call to change things up. From the Blues game until Jan.9’s contest against the Islanders, the two versions of this team pre and post-Lotto Line look night-and-day different.
What the Line Means for the Team’s Future
With both Miller and Boeser being promoted to the top line, obviously, that means holes need to be filled on the second line. Andrei Kuzmenko, fresh off being healthy scratched again in St. Louis, filled in at right wing on the second line, Mikheyev filled in at left wing, and the reliable Pius Suter filled in at centre. However, that second line can now use some beefing up offensively.
Given how the Canucks have played this season, they look primed for a run at the Stanley Cup. That’s not to say they should blow up their already moderately-sized farm system for some added offensive firepower, but surely some will be available for the right price. According to The Athletic’s Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal, both Jake Guentzel and Jordan Greenway are two names that president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin are interested in. (from ‘Canucks deadline targets, and why Andrei Kuzmenko wants to work it out: What we’re hearing,’ The Athletic, Jan. 6, 2024).
The real shiny piece between the two is obviously Guentzel. He’s in the final year of his deal, so perhaps the assets required to acquire him won’t break the Canucks bank too much. He leads the Pittsburgh Penguins in points with 44 (18 goals and 26 assists) in 39 games. He’s never been a good defensive forward, but that’s not why he would be brought to Vancouver. He can impact a game offensively with the best of them and would make the Canucks that much scarier.
If Allvin and Rutherford want to beef up that second-line centre role currently filled by Suter, they should by targeting Greenway. With all due respect to Suter – he’s been arguably Vancouver’s best free agent signing from this past summer – he doesn’t strike fear in opponents playing in a top-6 role and would be better off in a fourth-line centre role. Upgrading that position would make Vancouver a serious contender for the first time since 2011.
With the Lotto Line rolling the way it is, Rutherford and Allvin will have a joy of a time maneuvering around this trade deadline. There are spots that can be improved on, players to be traded for, and more importantly, a Canucks group that has the chance to cause damage in the postseason. Tocchet’s decision to roll back the classics and play his three best forwards together makes all three of those scenarios seem much more likely.