What We Learned: Win or lose, Canucks have become must-watch

NHL

Mon, 22:23

The Vancouver Canucks became the most interesting team in the NHL this week.

On Tuesday night, star netminder Thatcher Demko returned to the lineup for the first time since April (and even that was a weird time where it wasn't clear if he was healthy, if you recall) and two days later, star forward JT Miller returned from his leave of absence.

They entered the week on a bit of a hot streak, and kept it going by picking up three of four possible points in those two games. The vibes were great, because the team entered the season with the Demko injury, missing Dakota Joshua for the first month, and generally facing some questions even if there was a decent amount of confidence in their quality for the first time in a few years.

Everything went great for the first little while, but the team hit the skids a bit in November. Maybe a coincidence, and maybe not, that back in late October, there was an altercation at practice, and Miller seemingly called Elias Pettersson a "baby." Ideally this was the kind of thing where guys have a difference of opinion about something or other, then get on with it. Some tried to write it off. This wasn't the first reported instance of heat between them, but apparently they had been working on their working relationship, even if they weren't going to become best friends. They later reiterated that.

But a few weeks after that scuffle, if we can call it that, and amid all the losing, Miller announced his leave of absence (on Nov. 19) and it was quickly reported that it had something to do with mental fatigue or burnout or the like. That's fine, and it was hard to find anyone connecting dots between the late October practice and that decision.

Everyone gets sick of work sometimes. Not usually NHL players but you can't begrudge someone needing a couple weeks off if it's a choice between that or a more serious mental health issue down the road. Certainly, the Canucks would rather have a happy, healthy Miller in the lineup in April than an unhappy one in November and roll the dice with what could happen next. Hell, the Vancouver fanbase even seemed to be in full support, chanting his name for fun during a recent wrestling show in the Canucks' building.

But: Right away, it seemed as though there may have been some question as to whose idea that whole "leave of absence" thing really was (later confirmed to be Miller's). And within a few days, the local media was talking about how Pettersson seemed "a lot happier lately" and it may not be a situation where the players might not be able to "coexist" long term. Which makes the rumor that the Rangers were interested in trading for Miller make a little sense — nor that they were the only inquiring team. But hey, the Miller camp was only made aware of those aforementioned trade requests; they didn't ask for a move!

And, of course, in Miller's absence, the Canucks went on a bit of a tear, with a 5-3-2 record as Pettersson racked up 2-13—15. This didn't go unnoticed in the city or among the national commentariat or insiders, especially after everyone also noticed Pettersson's slow start.

Now, with Miller back in the lineup for a couple games, these rumors don't seem to be going away. The players are apparently working on mending some fences (though Pettersson is without a point since Miller's return…) but nonetheless it seems that this might be workable beyond the understanding that the Canucks, who are and should be in full-on Going For It Mode, are putting it out there that they won't be trading Miller in-season.

Oh, and while the Canucks looked great against a strong Panthers team and could successfully project confidence and unity. Well, the beatdown handed to them by the still-hates Boston Bruins on Saturday opened up the door for more questions like these.

And now, the famously chill local media and fans will be on high alert for every bump in the road. The team ended Saturday's game eighth in the West by total points, tied with Calgary but holding a couple games in hand.

I said all season that as long as they were relatively solid while Demko was out injured, they would position themselves well for another playoff push. Now, after 29 games, you see that they just barely cleared that bar.

And so now, would you say that even at peak performance, they can be called something like Cup favorites or even the top pick in the West? Barring another shooting-percentage bender like last season (perhaps one that could be better timed), the answer strictly must be "probably not." Team president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, who was pointedly not asked questions about the Pettersson/Miller thing on After Hours, said as much on Saturday, agreeing with a fan that, "We need to add a couple of players to really give ourselves a chance to contend." That goes without mentioning that they seem poised to trade Vincent Desharnais or that Rutherford implied Brock Boeser might be allowed to walk this summer. Much like the Rangers, we may be reaching the end of something with this group even if the organization doesn't seem intent on not-competing anytime soon.

How can you not be intrigued by what comes next for these guys? Even if you're not loving the drama between the team's two top forwards, apart from maybe needing a medical professional to check your pulse, you have to see a ton of meat on the bone. Can Demko get back to his near-Vezina-quality form? He looked good Tuesday but no one looked good Saturday; maybe you could say he helped keep the Bruins from truly running up the score. Can Miller keep playing at a highly productive level while Pettersson keeps up his hot hand? Can the Canucks write off this lone loss as a mere bump in the road? Can they make headway in the division with something that now mostly resembles a full roster (with the exception of the multi-month absence of an important player like Filip Hronek)?

And if the answer to any number of those issues is "no," then how does the organization respond?

They're all fascinating questions, and we're probably about to start getting some answers. Because if things don't start going in the right direction soon, or the Flames and suddenly hot Utah keep hanging around the playoff bubble, well, maybe the conversation shifts.

Then they'd be even more interesting, but for all the wrong reasons.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Boy, it is Trade Season for the Ducks specifically. Wonder how long the goalie sticks around.

Boston Bruins: Very interesting waiver claim. I don't know that you can go wrong claiming cheap first-rounders who are like 24 years old and don't have term. If it doesn't work out, who cares? If it does, wow, you look like a genius.

Buffalo Sabres: That's… ahh, that's a lot of losing.

Calgary Flames: I know it's never gonna happen, but when are we having the Dustin Wolf for Calder discussion? A .915 save percentage behind that team is remarkable.

Carolina Hurricanes: You kinda get the feeling the contract in question wasn't up to them, but yeah I think they'd like to have him locked up for eight years, for sure.

Chicago: What did you expect?

Colorado Avalanche: Man, if this trade works for the full season…

Columbus Blue Jackets: Really rough patch right now, and yeah that unfortunately sounds just about right.

Dallas Stars: I know everyone does this for their favorite team, but only one team seems to be turning two-thirds of the guys they draft into NHLers. How do the Stars keep finding "This is the next great Star" prospects?

Detroit Red Wings: So many problems on the blue line, probably not many solutions.

Edmonton Oilers: Getting harder to argue against this.

Florida Panthers: Hey, everyone struggles from time to time, but you don't wanna be in a situation where a team this good has two regulation wins in six games.

Los Angeles Kings: Is there anyone on earth who thinks this kind of trade should happen?

Minnesota Wild: No.

Montreal Canadiens: Hey, someone's gotta do it.

Nashville Predators: I guess, man. Like, that's fine, I get it. You couldn't be mad about it. But at this point, why stop there?

New Jersey Devils: Hmm, well, let's see how we feel about this in like five years.

New York Islanders: The fact that they're getting guys back while still being within striking distance of a playoff spot says more about the East than the Isles, but still…

New York Rangers: Ah,

Ottawa Senators: As I write this, they are… in a playoff spot. Not by points percentage, but if you're the Sens, you take what you can get.

Philadelphia Flyers: Damn bro, too bad.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Horrible news, and somehow, worse timing.

San Jose Sharks: Fact-checked by real patriots: True.

Seattle Kraken: One guy is .916, the other is .879. This doesn't seem like an ideal strategy.

St. Louis Blues: This is a bad headline to have someone publish about you.

Tampa Bay Lightning: This is a pretty interesting take from the Big Cat. The numbers don't especially bear it out, but it's worth thinking about.

Toronto Maple Leafs: This may or may not be related to the previous item.

Utah [fill in the blank later]: Don't look now, but these guys have points in eight of their last nine games. Very interesting.

Vancouver Canucks: Weird that the "most mystifying loss yet" can follow so close on the heels of a "statement win." Maybe something worth looking into there.

Vegas Golden Knights: Jeez, they're taking care of a lot of roster business lately. Not a lot of pending free agents left on the roster. What are they cooking?

Washington Capitals: Is going 8-0-1 over three weeks good?

Winnipeg Jets: Fun little back-and-forth here. Love this kind of stuff.

Play of the Weekend

Kirill Kaprizov is so sick.

https://x.com/WildTakes10k/status/1868018575195205643

Gold Star Award

With a four-point night against Vancouver, David Pastrnak is up to 11-21—32 in 32 games, including 3-12—15 since the coaching change. Bruins need that.