Almost all is well in British Columbia. The Vancouver Canucks sit atop the league in points by the All-Star break and look utterly dominant. Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes? Potential Hart Trophy finalists. Thatcher Demko? Almost a shoe-in for a Vezina Trophy finalist spot. Rick Tocchet? Potential Jack Adams Trophy winner. However, not everything is perfect.
The Canucks simply need more from their pair of Russian wingers, Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko. The waters have been rocky for Kuzmenko all season, but Mikheyev’s largely been a solid two-way contributor up until as of late. However, if Vancouver wants to be serious contenders for the Stanley Cup, they need to find a way to kickstart these two into playing good hockey.
Mikheyev’s and Kuzmenko’s Recent Form by the Numbers
Brace yourself: it’s ugly. Since the start of the new calendar year, Mikheyev has three points, all assists, in 13 games. Kuzmenko has zero points in 12 games. Remember that these lackluster numbers are coming from two forwards who have largely been playing in the team’s top-six forward group.
Both forwards have been relatively okay on the defensive end of the puck, but offensively, they just haven’t created enough. According to Natural Stat Trick, since Jan. 1, Kuzmenko has created the third least amount of expected goals (xG) at 5-on-5 amongst Canucks forwards with 6.24. Mikheyev sits fifth with 6.85.
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The real issue with their performance lately is that their poor play has started to affect Elias Pettersson, too. The pair weren’t impactful when Pius Suter was their center while Pettersson was playing with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser, and they aren’t impactful now with the Swede sandwiched between the two either. Now, Pettersson is also to blame, something that his head coach called him out for.
“I haven’t liked his game the last three or four games,” Tocchet said. “We gotta get him going. I think he’s got to skate, he’s got to start skating a little bit. I think he’s good with the moves sometimes, but I think when you have speed and make those moves, that’s when he’s at his best.”
Pettersson is capable of driving his own line, but at the same time, it’s hard to drive a line that has a winger pair with zero combined goals within the last calendar month. If Mikheyev and Kuzmenko continue to play like this, not only does Tocchet have some big choices to make, but so do General Manager (GM) Patrik Allvin and President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford.
What are the Possible Solutions?
Obviously, Tocchet can switch up the lines, something he has never been afraid to do. The issue, however, is that both of them would be useless on the fourth line. The third line (consisting of Dakota Joshua, Teddy Blueger, and Conor Garland) has been remarkable this year, and Tocchet has had the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality with them all season.
Mikheyev does fit the fourth line much better than Kuzmenko, given his defensive prowess, but he needs ice time to be able to use said defensive skill. On the other hand, Kuzmenko has felt out of place all season. He’s played on the first, second, and fourth line this year and, frankly, hasn’t produced, no matter where he is in the lineup. Honestly, a trade may be best for both parties.
Because the Canucks need production from their wingers, names like Jake Guentzel and Jordan Greenway have been thrown around as potential trade candidates to help boost the Canucks’ chances of winning it all. Shipping Kuzmenko back the other way is a likely scenario and one that will ultimately help Vancouver in the long run.
The trade deadline is slightly more than a month away. There is plenty of time for both guys to pick it up and quiet the noise about themselves. For Mikheyev, it’s about trying to stay in the top six and being seen as a focal point of a potential Stanley Cup-winning squad. For Kuzmenko, at this point, it’s about survival. If he wants to stay a Canuck, these next few weeks are crucial. If he fails to improve, he’s going to be replaced more than likely. Only time will tell what happens for the both of them.