Patrick Johnston: How urgent is the situation for the Canucks? A look at their defensive struggles

Patrick Johnston: How urgent is the situation for the Canucks? A look at their defensive struggles

And here he is, the columnist with the Province and Post Media covering the Vancouver Conucks, the one and only PJ Patrick Johnston. How are you? Just sign here, here, and here. And it’s all yours. Yeah. I mean, I’ve listen, there’s a particular car share service that obviously has lots of Priuses. Oh, so you know it. Yes. There you go. That I often take to drive across town to go cover the White Caps. I’m thankful on this pouring Thursday going to White Caps practice today. And Blake, who are we kidding? Like if that decision is being made in the house, that’s a Candace decision that I apologize to for stopping at Capo level. I should have gone to the boss. That’s right. He makes recommendations. She makes decisions. I just work here, guys. Yeah, exactly. Okay. That is lost week to week. Is the season lost as well, Peach? Uh, no, cuz Stranger Things have happened. Correct answer. But listen, it’s been well detailed how well he’s played. But the thing to remember is what that has meant in the big picture that this is a team that gives up too many chances, that has struggled defensively. Um, and he’s bailed them out being by being just consistently very very very solid and and as a player uh sorry as a goalie like you can’t replace that like Kevin Lankin will be fine but he won’t be as good and that’s the simple truth and Yuri Peter is a total unknown right now because they don’t have Nikapilo the guy that they actually like so you know I mean that’s what I found I mean I know we’re recording right now as we’re we were discussing like maybe Spencer Martin comes back but like The truth is is that nobody is going to be able to play to the standard of Demco. Um, and that’s the challenge is is is is that they’ve been too poorest defensively. He’s helped them not look poorest defensively. And they don’t score enough goals to outscore their problems. You know, I mean, as I detailed last week, the math on special teams is not good. Um, but five on five, the math is not good either. So, it’s it’s that’s the simple truth. Do you play Yuri Peter on this three game in four night road trip or do you say we think Kevin Lankin can get through it all? Have you guys noticed how few goals the Florida Panthers have scored like I missing some guys there but yeah I mean if you if you’re it sounds funny to do it against the defending Stanley Chance but if there’s a game that you are less anxious about in relative terms I think it’s that one. 43 goals this year for Florida, which is among the lowest in the league. So, I I week to week is what I’m hearing on Demco. I mean, it could could be as short as two weeks, you know, like which means, you know, you’re getting through what, five games, I think, or six games. JPAD did the math on. Um the the the thing is is that you probably need to start from a non Lincoln and goalie somewhere in here. The good news is is that, you know, the backtoback thing is not as challenging as it used to be. um goalies are just better prepared and fitness is better and the the data that we used to leon was like 15 years old and you know I’ve talked to people in the years since and this like no if you’re smart about it in general if you play at home it’s a lot easier obviously now the nice thing is is that the trip from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale is not very long and you get two hours extra because the second game is later than the first Yeah exactly exactly like you’re you’re getting home you’re sorry you’re getting to your hotel in Tampa The airport’s not or sorry the hotel in T in Florida in Fort Lauderdale is not far from the airport. In fact, your trip from downtown Tampa to the Tampa airport is probably the longest part of your journey. Yeah. So, um yeah, I you could easily go back to back with Lanin here, but the fact is he’s going to be playing against a high volume team on Thursday in or sorry, Friday. I keep forgetting why I think it’s Thursday. Anyway, on Friday in Carolina like you know he’s going to face a ton of shots. That’s just the truth. That’s how Rodenmore’s team plays. Um, so it’s on the back of that like how bad how much recovery does he need for the third game in four nights. I I have a hard time, like I said, seeing um I I think I mean this is just my gut. I have no info on this, but I think I would not be surprised to see Peter play say in Florida one game in five days after that point by the way. So, you know, there’s recovery time. Yeah, they they have been a little looser than I expected they would be this year and and some of that is by design with with what Foot has wanted um his team to do and defenseman pinching and so he outlined some of this in preseason and training camp when he was talking more and more about how he likes to play. Yeah, I I’ve been a little surprised because of course two years ago they had that fantastic, you know, six skate, five skater, six-man um defensive posture that served them so so well. Uh I thought that was going to be something that Foot leaned on because, you know, he was the defensive defenseman and because that was the strength of the hockey team. But they they haven’t been like that. They haven’t played like that um for the most part through 18 games. Patrick, I’m not sure we would enjoy watching all of this, but tactically, is it time to park the bus, so to speak? Bring back Rick Tocket. Um, yeah. I mean, the moment Adam Foot started talking about wanting his guys to play on reads, I was thinking, “Oo boy.” Like that that is a very demanding way to play. And I’m not even sure there’s a lot of teams that can get away with it anymore. You need a really high quality uh hockey smart defense core and obviously Quinn Hughes is that guy. Um Marcus Patterson when he’s playing well and he has not been playing well can be that guy. Um Tom Philander clearly is getting in that direction. Um slowly but surely turning himself into I think an NHL regular. Tyler Myers, like listen, I I you guys know I’m a big believer in Tyler Myers. I know he is not perfect and that when he makes a mistake, it is spectacular partly because he is so large. Uh and so you notice um but you know he’s he is a guy who himself will tell you he has not been successful in read environments like when when when the stuff first started locking in terms of their breakouts and what he was demanding of his players in terms of where they needed to be. Myers would tell you it was great because he would just look up. He didn’t have to think. He didn’t have to, you know, he could just look up. There’s the guy where he’s supposed to be pass. And um so that part of the game that they’ve struggled at times has not surprised me. Uh can they sit back? I mean, yes, absolutely. To take the take the punishment, play the rope a dope. Um I think the the the truth is is that they’ve actually done a it’s weird. They’ve done a decent job of limiting shots from the inside. What they’ve sucked at was the cross ice pass, right? Like think of all the back door um back door goals against, you know, Tyler Petusi just sitting at the back door was such a statement about what the Conucks have been giving away. Um but when they break down, it obviously is is pretty spectacular. And again, that Chicago game was a great example of that where they they were kind of in the driver’s seat and they were playing smart and then one thing went wrong and just there was cascade problems everywhere. So, I’m not sure in the end sitting back really is going to be the way forward. If this team is going to play better, they just have to play better. Um, and their defenseman have to figure out what’s going on better. Yeah, I don’t think it’s systems as much as as just underperformance by the individuals, don’t you? I mean, this like these are players that when you’re in that when you’re that deep and let’s take the Bertusi uh goals as an example. Like there’s a lot more instinct than it is true system when you’re down to those critical areas. And I I’m amazed that these guys with these resumes have been so porous. Yeah. Yeah. I I like it’s funny because I don’t it doesn’t feel like the kind of tire fire that Bruce Budro’s team was defensively does it though, right? Like I it’s a different way. It’s just it’s it I think as much as anything it’s a struggle to retain possession of the puck. Um it’s it’s almost like a rate thing as much as anything that that there’s simply you know the comparison of football is so often is who had the ball last, right? like how it are you scoring at the same rate as your opponent? Did you get the last possession? Right. Yeah. And right now the Canucks it just it it feels like in a way it’s they’re simply losing possession too much which was a big talket thing, right? Like that’s part of the reason why shot suppression is so is so notable in like Rick Tocket coached game is that he does not want his team to give up the puck. And the Conucks have been, I think, guilty too often of not finding ways. And Adam Foot talked about this, I think, last week when I mean, I asked him about it, not directly, but you know, he talked about the the challenges they’re having offensively in there’s too many one and done, right? Like they go in, they get a chance, then they lose the puck, and then they’re back at the other end, the other team gets a couple shots. And, you know, like that that’s that has been a thing that’s been the real problem. And that is a forward personnel problem. And and that does not surprise us. I mean, obviously they’re lacking a true number two center. Um, like, you know, the Person line has been playing pretty well and uh have been retaining possession well, but there’s not a lot of other examples that in the like um there’s not a lot of sort of examples of other guys doing that. You know, that this is a team that fundamentally needs to find a way to keep the puck more. And so it’s not so much sitting back and letting the other team bash away at your shin pads. I think it’s as much as anything. It’s a team that needs to find a way to hold on to the puck when they’re in the offensive zone. So they’re just playing up ice more. Like that just is that to me is where they need to be. Hughes leaves. Hughes comes back. Hughes not at practice today according to Dan Murphy. Right. He played great when he came back. So that is surprising to you know some degree. Yeah. Um yeah it’s it’s obviously a huge concern and I mean I wrote about this this is West uh what did he say? Weird play, right? Yeah weird play. That was it. Like okay did you jam your nerve? Like what’s going on here? Um, there’s a guy that obviously everybody needs, everybody needs to be at his best, even if he’s not at his best, you know what I mean? Um, and and we like we saw the amount of minutes he’s been playing. Obviously, the I we assume the groin is a problem there. Like that’s soft. I mean, I find myself wondering given the task at hand and everything we just discussed, right? goalie that’s gonna you’re trying to reduce the pressure on. You need to hang on the puck more. Well, what’s the solution there? You give Quinn Hughes as much ice time as he could get. So, I you know, if I’m if I’m thinking optimistically, the reason why he is being given a day off is because they just need him to rest and all they need to do is play games and he doesn’t need to practice. It’s a little bit what they could have said last Friday with Demco saying, “Well, you know, let’s be honest. There’s a lot of games here. He’s had a lot of wear and tear. He’s feeling a bit sore, so we should give him a rest and he doesn’t need to practice.” That would be the message that I would articulate were I the Vancouver Canards. Um but um it it’s it’s it’s we’ll see. I guess we’ll see how this shakes out, but it’s definitely not an easy time for the Vancouver Conucks. That’s for sure. No. Um, it’s early. He’s a young defenseman. I suspect he still has a very long and promising NHL career ahead of him. Uh, I want to talk about DPD for a second. Sure. He’s the worst Corsy amongst regulars on the team at less than 43. Yeah. We know he’s never going to be a big points guy, but it’s two points in 17 games. Yeah. and they’re not even using them all that much. Like I thought one of the things that Foot and this staff would do is because the defense core looks so strong is, you know, play that third pair a little bit more and and and save some of the legs on Hughes and Ronic like this was a guy that some in Canucks fans considered like untouchable in the summer when you’re looking for a second line center. This has been his start to his to to be fair first full NHL campaign. Um, you got a concern level creeping in here. Is this guy maybe not who we thought he was going to be or is it just too young, early, give him time? Um, yeah, a little a little nervous like especially as he’s not really found a way to write himself this season. Um, you know, it it it is a little bit of a of a case of a player who I think maybe is struggling for confidence a little bit. Obviously, new system as we’ve already talked about. um being asked to be a guy. I mean, he’s not a puck mover, right? Like, his puck skills are good enough to be in the NHL, sure, but he’s not there to move pucks. He’s there to be belligerent and difficult. And he hasn’t really been that. And that’s what worries me more than anything. So, is he lost? Is he not getting enough direction? You know, um he he had a he had a really good start last spring. Um, and then you know, I mean, obviously the team wasn’t playing that great overall. I I thought he struggled a little bit down the stretch. Maybe just a case of the first long North American season. Um, but yeah, like I I still like clearly there’s I think there’s still a player there, but this is the truth is that most guys are just kind of in this mushy middle of the sort of NHL player population and most of them are not going to be stars. and um not that he would ever start coming up like he he’s a great kid to talk to. I’ve always appreciated chatting with him and I think he’s very conscious and very aware of who he is as a player and what what he brings to the table. Um that said, he still needs to be more than he’s been and and you know with if Derek Forbort comes back, which we assume will be soon, but you never know. Um you know, that’s an easy choice there. He’s probably fortunate right now that Pio Joseph has not exactly shown himself to be a high quality alternative when he’s played. Um but no, the Conucks the Conucks need more from him and um I mean overall the defense core has slipped. Like that that’s the irony in all this. We talked so much about how great the defense core has been, but they you know even even if they’re being asked to play a system that is more challenging, um they need to be better than they’ve been. Like that’s Yeah, there was a play on Tuesday. Jeff pulled it out saying like he the puck’s in the corner short area defending like that should be his game, right? And yet the puck gets to the net front. I’m going to read two headlines from today and maybe headlines is overstating them. I’m just going to read them and you can provide comments if you see fit fit. Uh David Camp being bought out for the purposes of mutual termination. uh penalty killing center and Igor Sharon Govich a healthy scratch in year one of a five-year contract extension paying him 5.75 in Calgary a left shot center as well presenting there um any comments sir I mean they need they do need more centers like there’s no doubt about that are either of these guys really going to solve the problem I’m not sure Um, will they be solving two different problems potentially in the blue sky world? Yeah. I mean, camp fourthline center. I mean, they is he better than Max Assassin? I don’t know. Um, is he better than Neil Oman? Probably. He kills penalties without a doubt. Better than Max. Like, he is a he is a certified top level NHL penalty killer. As we talked about yesterday, terrible five on five. As you tal as we talked about yesterday, when when Garland and Person and Sherwood are amongst your heaviest used penalty kill forwards and you still stink, you’re a not getting results, b you’re taking stuff out of them on the offensive end. You may use them. This is why fourth liners kill penalties. He might be the specialist that barely sees five on five ice if you bring him in. Anyway, yeah. So, sure. And you know, I mean, you’re probably getting him for next to nothing and so it’s, you know, it’s a throw, right? Sharon Govich. Like, yeah. I mean, if you’re talking about another dart throw and saying, “Hey, maybe he can help fix our our center depth problem.” Um, is he better than Lucas Reichel? Like, I don’t know. Um, yes, he is better than Lucas. He is unequivocally better than Lucas. He’s done it. He’s done it. He’s got a 30 season. He’s got a 24 season. Yeah. Like, that’s I’m saying I don’t know in the general sense. Um, I mean, I’m saying I’m I’m not sure in the general sense like sure, why not? I don’t know. I don’t know. He’s better than I think. Yeah, like clearly better than Riel. Riel has struggled. Riel has beautiful skater. Loves watching stick handle. Hasn’t been able to bury any chances. So, um, yeah, he’s, uh, I suppose worth a shot if you can bring him in for whatever, but yeah, Sharon Govich, I think, is going to cost you something substantial even if that contract looks daunting. He apparently was healthy scratched once last year as well. So, after he signed the deal, but camp cost you nothing, whereas Sharon Goic, I think you’re you’re actually going to have to part with something substantial. uh you know because Calgary can just I mean he’s 27 Calgary can just hold on yeah he’s fine like yeah like I think he’s fine like I get I get why you know he’s obviously scored some goals and like I get it you know fundamentally here’s a guy that has not produced he’s he was a decent enough player on a not very good team last year uh a pretty good team on a I can’t even remember what they were like in 23 24 they made playoffs but like you know like he’s been a pretty solid NHller um yeah if he’s available sure take a take a shot I I I get it. Um I I don’t know. Yeah. Like in the end, this is a team that needs to find guys that are better than what they have. If they’re going to get they have to get better and that they need to find guys that are better than what they have. Um and so yeah, that’s the kind of player that absolutely you should be looking at. Like Reich was a shot in the dark. They traded a fourth round. You know, he didn’t cost them very much. He was a sort of a busted, you know, that he’s in that Vitalic Crafts category, right? Like busted prospect. Let’s see if he Let’s see if we can pick him up for cheap. Maybe there’s maybe maybe we can try something different. But most of the time those guys don’t work out anyway because the first team was right in their assessment. Um Sharon Govich, yeah, handy player. That’s fine. Like sure, see if you can bring it bring it in. But cost of acquisition would be um that’s the stay in it trades. Uh I saw you wrote on rebuild on the weekend and um well I I learned some things. I I I knew I knew the Canucks had a deal for Kesler to Anaheim that involved uh multiple first round picks that Franchesco squashed. Uh I’ve heard from people in that room who say he sort of buried his face in his hands and then emerged and said, “I’ll convince Ryan to stay.” Sure enough, he didn’t. Uh I also knew that they had their eyes on Dylan Larkin with one of those first round picks if that deal had gone through. I did not know I did not know about the Burrows deal to Philadelphia. Yeah. For a first round pick uh that year. Yeah. Yeah. I It was funny because I’d actually kind of written about all this last spring, but I guess the end of the year was so miserable that nobody noticed. Um yeah, the Burrows to Philly, you know, that would have been like Travis Sanheim or something like that. Uh both Anaheim picks, Conucks pick, you got four picks in the first round. I mean, that that that changes the dynamic. And and in a way, you know, everyone seems to think a rebuild has to be a long arduous process. Like you would have had all those guys in the NHL probably by 2016, right? So you’re running out a young lineup that’s punching its way forward. Um you still would have had the CDs like, you know, like I didn’t I didn’t really put it out there a sense of well, you know, look what they blew. It was more like rebuilds don’t have to be painful and they can happen quickly to steal a former GMs. You can turn this thing around pretty quickly. Um that said, ownership’s just never wanted to do that. That’s just not how they’ve been. Um and in the end, look where it’s gotten them. They uh so the idea that this management team would turn around and say, “No, no, we’re just going to blow it all up.” like they may have that hand forced on them um but but they are not going to be able to say this is something we are actively going to do fundamentally they are trying to build a playoff team and you know that that is the task at hand it’s not just what they were hired to do it’s what they’ve been trying to do um and obviously they use the word transition more of a transition team I think it was the expression that that was was mentioned in preseason Uh but that’s still fundamentally with the idea that this team would be in the playoffs, right? Like we’ll make the playoffs and we’ll still keep building. We’ll we obviously have to find more talent up front. Um we have some decent defenseman in the system, but we got to find some some forwards and some centers. Braden Coots could be one of those kids in the long run, but like to become a true contender, that’s a couple years away again. Like we’re not we are we are repiv we are pivoting ourselves away from what we thought we were a year ago. Um but that’s by the way not a rebuild and like Listen, rebuilds aren’t the only way to do it. Like, you do not have to strip everything down to the studs. There are teams that have been able to pivot and reload and reload or whatever you want to call it, right? Um, but you still you still need to have th this is where to to go back to our good friend Jason Botchford on the day the Boschford project gets relaunched. This is why you need an army of guys because the idea that just a, you know, you can have a handful of prospects and they’re all gonna hit and they’re all going to become impactful players is is foolish. You need a bunch of guys and some of them are going to be better than you hope for and most of them are probably going to be worse than you hope for. So, what if those young guys were first round picks? I don’t and none of them would have been Jake Foran. I can assure you. What if all those young guys are playing behind injury riddle veterans, too? Um, how does that work? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Like anyway, the point is is the Conucks are in a difficult spot. They’re they if they’re not going to remain in the mushy middle, they do need some things to work out in their favor and and you need to you need to keep throwing darts. Um pretty hopeful, but yes. Yeah. If you’re not going to rebuild, that’s the only other way. Yep. Okay, my friend. Thank you for the time. You have a wonderful week. Great catching up, and we’ll uh do so again next Thursday. Absolutely.

Patrick Johnston of Postmedia stops by to give his two cents on the immediate future of the team, and whether they may be in on some players that could be available. He also weighs in on the Canucks defensive structure and the ability to survive another long stretch without Thatcher Demko.

Thank you to our great sponsors:

@bet365: It’s never ordinary! Download the app today and use promo code: NATION | http://www.bet365.ca/

Pacific Toyota Dealers l https://www.shoptoyota.ca/british-columbia/en?utm_source=TNN&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=pacific-influencer&utm_content=TheNationNetwork

GRETA Bar Vancouver | https://lnk.to/GRETAYVR

Yellow Dog Brewing | https://lnk.to/YDBrewing

The Redwoods Golf Course: https://www.redwoods-golf.com/

Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/ca

Pizza Pizza: https://www.pizzapizza.ca/

Tweets by sekeresandprice
https://www.facebook.com/SekeresandPrice

@sekeresandprice

https://www.youtube.com/sekeresprice
https://www.instagram.com/sekeresandprice

📧 live@sekeresandprice.com
📲 778-402-9680

https://www.sekeresandprice.com/
https://www.rinkwidevancouver.com

#Canucks #VancouverCanucks #NHL #Hockey