Welcome to the “5 things” series here at Two Pad Stack!
As we head toward the twilight days of summer, each team has some unanswered questions that need addressing before the season gets started. Luckily for you, the staff here at 2PS will bring those questions to light.
Today, we take a look at a team in transition…sort of: the Vancouver Canucks.
1. Can Ryan Miller regain his form?
After seeming like a lock to land somewhere in California, Miller ended up going with Plan B: a three-year, $18 million deal with the Canucks. Which Ryan Miller the Canucks will be getting is another story.
If they’re getting the Miller to start last season, things will be much improved between the pipes. Miller posted a .923 save percentage and became the hottest goalie on the trade market heading into the trade deadline.
Of course, after the St. Louis Blues traded a mint to get him, he fell apart: a .903 save percentage in 19 regular season games and just an .897% in the playoffs, where the Blues were eliminated in six games by the Chicago Blackhawks. If they get the former, the duo of Miller and Eddie Lack will be a formidable one. If they get the latter? The Vancouver media should be fun.
2. Are the Sedin twins still elite scorers?
There’s an interesting piece over at Sports Glory talking about the Sedins no longer being elite scorers and the facts just might be enough to sway us. For the last few years, the points-per-game averages of the twins has dropped and, at 33 years old, they’re not exactly in the prime of their careers.
One things to consider, though, is the fact that they played under the offensively stifling John Tortorella last season and that won’t be true this year. They were better defensively and played tougher minutes, leading to fatigue and injury.
They’ve shown their capable of producing with the best – both have an Art Ross Trophy as league scoring champion – but at their age and with their recent history, it’s hard to believe they’ll be point-per-game players once again.
3. Is it time for the youth movement?
With the Canucks clearly starting their transition into a new direction – and the trade of Ryan Kesler seemed to be the first big step towards that – it’ll be interesting to see if this is the season the young talent in the Canucks system starts to make its presence felt.
Nicklas Jensen made a little noise at the end of last season, but outside of him, that was it from the younger crowd. They still have quite a few names in the system worth recognizing: Brendan Gaunce (26th overall in 2012) and Hunter Shinkaruk (24th in 2013) are eligible for the AHL this year and could get long looks in camp.
The one to watch, though, is center Bo Horvat. The 9th overall pick in 2013 is just 19-years-old, so it’ll be the NHL or bust for Horvat as he’s not old enough to land in the AHL. He’ll likely be given every opportunity to make it with the Canucks come camp time.
4. Will the real Alex Edler please stand up?
There are times that Edler looks like an elite offensive defenseman. Then, like last year, there are times where he looks more like a middling defenseman and nothing more. Last season’s NHL-worst minus-39 seems to put him in the latter category.
Of course, that stat is deceptive. While he was on the ice, the team had low shooting and save percentages, two things which are likely to regress to the mean. He’ll also benefit from a new partner as Jason Garrison is gone and he displayed better possession numbers without Garrison on the ice.
If the Canucks want to rebound and find their way back to the playoffs, there are few Canucks who will be as big a reason for their success or failure as Edler will be.
5. Which, if any, prospects can we expect to see this year?
Aside from Jensen and Horvat, it looks like the two strongest candidates will be defenseman Frank Corrado and forward Linden Vey. Corrado, who saw 15 games of action with the Canucks last season, is a smaller puck-mover who has shown a very smart game. He doesn’t overwhelm in any aspect, but he does a lot of things right and could finally manage to stick this fall.
Vey, acquired from the Los Angeles Kings, is a strong two-way center still developing his game. But with the departure of Kesler, there could be a spot open on the bottom six for Vey to fill. He and Horvat will likely have a tough competition in camp.
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