It is about extra than simply the 10-0 rating line: it is how unhealthy the Vancouver Canucks’ course of was on Sunday versus the Calgary Flames
And, certain, the Canucks despatched a lineup stuffed with kids and depth gamers whereas the Flames had a lineup that featured numerous massive names.
In lots of respects the Canucks despatched out an AHL roster towards an NHL squad.
The Canucks’ children on Sunday are in particular firm. Ought to head coach Rick Tocchet have dressed a stronger lineup on Sunday? In all probability. However he additionally would have anticipated extra from the gamers who did gown.
As an alternative of robust performances, even in defeat, there have been plenty of regarding indicators, gamers who both weren’t ready or really aren’t as much as snuff. Whichever it was, neither can grow to be a development, for participant or coach.
Right here’s a couple of issues to actually take into consideration that got here out of Sunday’s loss:
Šilovs’ actuality
Their goalie — Arturs Šilovs — faltered badly giving up unfortunate objectives but additionally objectives he made errors on or didn’t see in any respect. Did he deserve to remain in internet for seven objectives towards? Perhaps not, however within the first recreation of the pre-season a coach has a plan and that’s principally centred on gamers simply getting as much as recreation velocity, outcomes be damned.
However, once more, these outcomes are arduous to disregard.
Šilovs’ recreation was a far cry from the heroics he pulled off the final time he was on the ice, when final spring he guided the Latvian nationwide crew to glory, profitable bronze and being feted as a nationwide hero.
Is Šilovs the goalie who appeared misplaced on Sunday? Nearly definitely not. However the skeptic would word that it’s additionally very doable he’s not fairly the goalie who carried out so admirably in his nationwide colors.
He’s nonetheless a superb prospect. One recreation doesn’t make a future.
Defensive depth
Alternatively, there’s the pairing of Jack Rathbone and Jett Woo. Neither had a superb night time.
• Rathbone has already fallen nicely down the left-side depth chart. And pretty much as good a personality as he’s, his on-ice efficiency is what the Canucks’ teaching employees have to assess, And, going again to his five-game cameo late final season, what Tocchet and his assistants, Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar, have seen is a blueliner who struggles to defend and make puck choices at an NHL tempo.
He’s been good within the AHL. It increasingly more seems probably he simply isn’t as much as NHL snuff. Rathbone was one of many Canucks’ extra skilled defenders on the night time. He didn’t appear like it.
Woo has goals of taking part in within the NHL this season, however, on this efficiency, he has a protracted option to go.
• A 3rd blueliner on the roster bubble who did little to assist his case was Noah Juulsen. The veteran right-shot defenceman bought first crack to skate with Quinn Hughes in coaching camp, however he’s removed from the front-runner and, after Sunday, he’s bought plenty of work to do to maintain himself within the combine.
He bought beat badly by Jonathan Huberdeau and Kadri on goal-scoring performs for every — and if he’s going to make the NHL squad it’s probably as Hughes’ companion, and he can be going through forwards of this high quality on a regular basis.
Penalty killing
It’s an outdated chorus now, however the Canucks have gotten to discover a option to kill penalties with consistency.
Nonetheless on first blush, the Canucks have plenty of work to do. Now, a lot of the gamers within the lineup on Sunday gained’t be NHL regulars this season, however outdoors of Woo, the fellows deployed to kill penalties final night time did all play within the NHL final 12 months.
Dakota Joshua and Pius Suter ought to have pretty outstanding roles on the penalty kill this season, Juulsen, Matt Irwin and Nils Åman perhaps too.
That is to say: They need to have had some sense of what they have been doing Sunday night time. They shouldn’t have appeared as hapless as they did in making an attempt to maintain the opposing energy play to the surface.
They gave away seven photographs in 5:11 of energy play time, two of these for objectives.
Their defensive scheme struggled to remain steady.
At the very least there’s Höglander
Nils Höglander was simply in regards to the lone shiny spot Sunday and his possibilities of beginning the season because the left-winger on Elias Pettersson’s line — Andrei Kuzmenko on the opposite wing — stay robust.
He was the very best participant on the Abbotsford Canucks on the finish of final season and his process is evident: work arduous, be aggressive on the forecheck and be accountable in his personal finish.
“He’s simply bought to be taught which you can’t attempt to stickhandle by means of,” Tocchet mentioned Sunday. “Don’t get pissed off and attempt to stickhandle by means of guys, you’ve simply bought to remain in your self. That’s the subsequent stage for him however I do like his effort.”