Vancouver Canucks News & Rumours: Braeden Cootes Makes Opening Night Lineup vs. the Flames
Hello and welcome to another edition of News and Rumors for the Hockey Riders. Today we’ll be looking at the Vancouver Conucks. I am Mark. He is Matt. And uh I’ve been on many times doing previews and reviews and and recaps and all this stuff, but never in this chair. So today, our guy Matt and I are switching places and talking about the Vancouver Conucks. Matt, how you doing today, man? Good to see you. I’m doing great. Canucks season is about to start finally. uh after a preeason off season I and too long of an offseason. So I’m happy to get stuff going and actually have some hockey to watch. It actually means something in the standings. Absolutely. Absolutely. So uh not not the best year for your boys last year, but that’s behind us. Summer, like you said, has come. It has gone. It’s we’re all full of hope. We’re all looking forward to the future. All the drama’s put aside. Looking at the forward roster for the opening night game, how are we feeling? Um, the top six looking really deep like it has for the last couple years, but overall, how are we feeling about the Vancouver Conucks forward group for opening night? Well, the biggest thing is Braden Coots making the roster at 18 years old, which is insane. Uh he was just drafted a couple few months ago and uh he is in the opening night lineup on the third line third center third line center uh between Lacroaki and Vander Kane. I call this the kid line plus their dad. I I I’m just like it’s just funny because Vander Kane’s like 35. You got or 34 and then Braden Coot’s 18, Leer Macki is 21. Um it’s it’s a fun line and they were paired together in the preseason which uh and they look pretty good and Braden Coots was just so impressive. He deserves to be on this roster. Doesn’t didn’t play like he’s 18. Very mature and leaky just between the last few games preseason games he basically made the roster because his his shot is just in it’s a snipe. I mean, the two goals he scored in the last preseason game on and off his stick within like seconds. And uh he’s he’s going to be a 30 goal scorer in the NHL at some point. I’m not saying this season, but he is a it’s a very interesting line. I’m really excited to see that one. Uh the one I’m kind of interested in is the second line um is with Arch Steep Banees, Philip Heedle, and Connor Garland. I this this lineup has been set the last few practices. It’s looking like this is the one that’s going to go into the season. And uh it’s kind of interesting when you with uh Drew O’ Conor not being there because Heedle and Okconor played uh together towards the end of last season. It looked really good and I’m not sure why Baines is there and Okconor’s not. Um and the fourth line looks more I I don’t know. I I don’t know. Archie Baines, nothing against him as a player. He’s a great for checker. I’d say he’s more slotted to be a fourthline guy. Um, but I mean with Teddy Bluger out, Atu Ratu takes over as a fourthline center and probably penalty killing and it’s overall it’s an it’s pretty good roster to start the season. It’d be nice. It would be better if Bluger was in the lineup because he’s just such a great penalty killer, but the biggest storyline is Braden Coots making this roster and being in the opening night lineup uh when they dropped the puck at Rogers Arena. So that’s going to be fun to see his first NHL game. Yeah. And I mean, typically when you see somebody at that age, it’s your Sydney Crosby’s, your Conor McDavids, your Austin Matthews, right? And so for him to break this roster at this age, like huge kudos to him. Uh before we move on, I think, you know, we got to ask it. I said there was no drama throughout the summer and through training camp, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t drama. obviously in the year uh in the last you know year plus. How are we feeling about Patterson, new year, new season ever since the playoffs of two seasons ago and then obviously leaking into last season. It’s been a really tough grind for him on the ice plus off the ice. The media um like like us love to talk about it. How are we feeling through training camp and heading into opening night? I mean, he looked good u at various times in the preseason. His shot seems like it’s back. He had that great one-time goal in against the Flames and it’s it’s one of those things where he’s when he gets that shot away, he seems like he can score and just doesn’t just hasn’t been able to do that as often in the last season or so. So, it’s great to see that. He looks like he’s stronger on the boards. He’s not he’s not falling down as much. He’s holding on to the puck and he’s he’s engaging a bit more physically. So, that’s a good sign for him going into this season. But, I mean, the thing is he’s going to be under a microscope all season long because when you look at this lineup, it’s Heedle has looked good in the preseason as well with his speed and stuff. Um, but if Person isn’t going, Philip Heedle is not a topline center. He’s a borderline even a borderline second line center. Yeah. Um so I mean if Person’s not doing much and he’s around 40 points, this team’s in trouble. So I mean so far so good, but we all know the regular season’s a lot different and if he starts slow that the noise is just going to get louder and he’s going to be asked about it all the time. So um I’m hoping that he gets off to a great start and that noise is lessened. Um, but I mean any slump during the season is gonna something’s gonna come up. So, um, we’ll see. But I’m I’m optimistic to coming into the season because he looks pretty good. Yeah. And I mean, like Besser on his best day has the ability to carry the load from time to time if he has to, but other than that, the offense really is going to count on Person carrying his share. Um, and that’ll obviously, and you said it, man, this is going to be a full season thing. If there’s a two or three week slump that is acceptable for most players, just based on recent history, it will be not as acceptable for him, especially within the Vancouver media. All right, moving on to the defensive units heading into opening night. Um, obviously you got the top guy, arguably the best defenseman in the league. Um, people obviously have others they would say, but if you said Hughes is the best, like no one would fight you on it. Um, other than him, obviously he carries the load offensively for the back end and on the power play, special teams, that whole deal. How do we feel about the rest of the defensive unit heading into opening night? It it looks pretty it’s their strength. I mean, I said in the season preview video as well, I this is one of their strengths of the team. I mean, you’re looking at, of course, using Heronic is just a triedand- trueue pairing. It’s one of the best in the league. Uh and the advanced stats and the possession, all that stuff. They control play most of the time when they’re on the ice. Um, the second unit, uh, Mark, you know, second pairing. Marcus Person, Tyler Meyers have looked like have gained a lot of chemistry since they were put together when Marcus Person was acquired last season. Um, and they could be a a bit of a good shutdown pairing. I mean, as much as people kind of get on Tyler Myers, I don’t get the hate. I don’t get it at all. I mean, sorry, Canucks fans, but I don’t understand. uh because he has improved a lot over the last probably since Adam Foot took over as the coach of the defense. Of course, now the head coach, but you know, Myers is one of those guys that he seems to just clean up his defensive game. Yes, he has the, you know, occasional blunder, but every defenseman has him. Um, but I think he’s just really quiet at his game. And when you look at Marcus Patterson, he is one of the better two-way defenseman in the NHL. great stick, great physical, blocks shots, um, and he’s big, too. So, I mean, you’re two guys that have long reach, and they’ll be probably matched against the top guys, uh, the Conor McDavids of the world. Those are the that’s the defense pairing that’ll be matched against them. And then you’re looking at the bottom pairing with Derek Forbert, Eli, Elias Person. Um, he made the roster over Victor Mancini. Mancini is back up. I mean, he was sent down to the AHL briefly. Uh, but because the injury to Pier Olivier Joseph, he is now back with as the seventh defenseman. So, he could rotate in uh between Patterson and Mancini probably throughout the season. Um, but I see Patterson starting because I mean again, two great two-way defenseman, physical. He’s actually a lot like Marcus Person, which is very interesting. Um, so I mean he’s playing his off side as well, which is interesting for a rookie um to start because Forbert’s a left defense. So, and Forbert, we all know what he is. He’s great. He’s a good physical uh defenseman, penalty killer, but overall, this unit is probably one of the best in the Pacific Division, maybe in the Western Conference uh for a defense. So, I’m really excited to see it in action um because it’s actually pretty solid. Yeah. Um, having three Person Petersons is one of the most confusing situations in all the NHL. Um, so you have your top six and you talked about Manini beyond the top seven cuz you’re right. This is a stack defensive unit. Is there any concern outside of your top seven? Obviously, if Hughes gets hurt, that’s a big deal, but we’ll take him out of this. No one is replacing that guy. Is there concern beyond that top seven as far as depth goes? No, I mean I and there’s so many good young guys like Tom Vander had a pretty good training camp. He’s in his first season. Um, and he’s was sent down to the AHL. He needs some seasoning. Um, but I again he’s down there for depth. You got Victor Mancini mentioned him already. H he’s there. Ilia, you know, Curio Kudriatv who’s down in the miners as well. I had a great training camp and and he had a great season in the AHL last season and playoffs. Um, so I mean overall they they’ve got some pretty good depth down. Mention Sory Moho as well. He’s starting his season down there at two and he’s in his first pro season and he had a great end his junior uh career too. So, I mean there’s there’s some depth on defense which I’m excited about to see throughout the season, but I’d say like it would get dicey if some one of the top four gets hurt. Um because the Elias Patterson can step in and kind of maybe replace Marcus if he gets hurt. Um, but I mean I’m not really confident that Tom Vanderre can come in and replace a guy like Heronic or a guy like Meyers at this point, but I’d say maybe halfway through the season gets some, you know, seasoning down in the AHL, maybe he can come up and I I still wouldn’t really feel confident in him taking on a ton of minutes that these guys take usually. So, at this point, great potential depth, but for veteran guys, there’s not really much beyond Pierre Olivier Joseph for coming in and replacing because I don’t think anyone can really replace any of these top four guys if they get hurt. Yeah, 100%. All right, let’s move on to the goalending unit um heading into the 2526 season and you know last season uh we know the issues that Demco’s had as far as staying healthy. Lankining came in did a terrific job. The Sheilov’s experiment um was terrific in the postseason. didn’t last or at least it wasn’t terrific as the season went on. He’s no longer with the club. How are we feeling about the goalending unit heading into They’re both signed now. Like they they gave Demco his money, they gave Lankin and his money. How are we feeling about the goalending heading into 2526? I mean, I said in the season preview, it’s not much more to say after training camp and preseason because Demco looked good, Lanken looked good, and any of their starts they had. Um, and beyond that, even Nikita Toapilo, who’s the third goalender on the in the AHL looked great in the times he was in too. Um, so I mean, they’ve got a guy that can come up if there is, god forbid, we don’t want it. We don’t want either Lanin or Demco hurt. But if that does happen, Total Peel can be a pretty good uh stop gap for backup if he has to come in. So, I mean, their goalending depth is actually pretty good. Um, and again, one of their strengths going into the season. So, I’m not worried about the goalending. People are still worried about Demco, but preseason didn’t have any problems. He made making some great saves where you’d think, oh no, his knee is going to give out again. It didn’t. So, I mean, he’s coming into the season healthy. Uh he’s starting game one, which we couldn’t say last season. He was still rehabbing whatever injury he had. Um so, I mean, just just having a season opener is a great thing. So, I’m not worried about the goalending. I especially because there wasn’t any worries throughout the training camp and preseason about any inkling of injury uh for Demco. So very good sign uh going into the season. Yeah, 100%. And I know that a lot of people when they signed Lincoln in a lot of the conversation was oh they signed him that means that that they’re like moving on from Demco. And to me, it’s just, hey, if you can create a tandem situation or a 60/40 situation, take the pressure off Demco a little bit. He’s a world class goalender when he’s healthy. But that’s been the biggest problem with him is just staying healthy. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best goalenders. I don’t know, like at his top, at his height, top five, at least hovering that conversation at least to me. So now that you have somebody backing him up that you can trust and rely on, it kind of takes the pressure on him of having to stay healthy for 55 plus games. And hopefully that um yeah, kind of takes the pressure off of him. Before we wrap it up, is there anything else about this roster um that is on your mind uh as we head into opening night? No, I mean the biggest thing is that I’m really excited to see uh Braden Coots having his first uh NHL game because I I was excited when he was drafted, everyone knows who watches any coverage of the Conucks, you know, or prospects in general, you know, I love Braden Coots. Uh, I did, and I will admit it. I did not expect him to make the opening night roster. I’m not gonna lie and say yes, he was going to. I thought he was gonna have a good training camp, go back to junior, which he might still after, you know, nine games, whatever. Yeah, they have time. Yeah, I did not think he’d have any chance of making this roster, especially as a third line center. um between you know playing with Vander Kane because of Vander Kane I thought he was going to be on the first or second line but he’s not he’s playing with a couple young guys uh playing the role of mentor coming in and that line could very be very very sneaky good offensive line. Um so I mean I’m excited to see that line because I think that’s the biggest one going in. I I’m just really pumped to see um how that goes against the Flames in game one. Absolutely, man. Well, thank you for that preview on the starting lineup for the Vancouver Conucks. Thank you for releasing your threshold on this seat and allowing me to take your place for for an episode. Thank you to everyone for watching another episode of News and Rumors for the Hockey Riders. Be sure to check out all of the great content that the Hockey Writers has to offer. Whether it’s on YouTube or on the website, everyone’s writing their preview articles, everyone’s writing their game recaps, their game previews. Lots of great content going for every single team. Uh it’s the season of game recaps and game takeaways. Uh so please be sure to check out all of that, especially the content surrounding Mattie’s Vancouver Conucks. Thank you guys for watching and we’ll see you next
In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumours rundown, Matthew Zator and Marc Sautter discuss the Canucks’ opening night lineup against the Calgary Flames that includes 18-year-old Braeden Cootes.
Check out Matthew’s writing – https://thehockeywriters.com/author/mzator/
Follow The Hockey Writers:
Substack – https://thehockeywriters.substack.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/TheHockeyWriter
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thehockeywriters_
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TheHockeyWriters/
Graphics by Vince Richard – https://www.behance.net/vincergraphics
#canucks #canucksnews #nhlnews #nhl