Welcome to the latest edition of the Vancouver Canucks Stock Market, a series dedicated to analyzing the recent performance of all things related to the Canucks, including players, coaches, management, prospects, and more.
Too many times last season, the Canucks were like Jekyll and Hyde. One game, they were good and looked like a playoff team, and then the next, it was the complete opposite. Well, despite having a new head coach with a seemingly better system, that routine reared its ugly head again between their season opener on Thursday, where they won 5-1 over the Calgary Flames, and Saturday, where they lost 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers.
Related: Evander Kane’s Second Act: Can the Canucks Unlock His Leadership Potential
While 3-1 looks like a close game, it definitely wasn’t, as the Oilers looked ten times better than the Canucks, outshooting and outchancing them 37-15 and 42-24 (19-7 high-danger), respectively. The only reason it was competitive was the play of their goaltender, Thatcher Demko, which is where we will start this edition of the Canucks Stock Market.
Off the Charts: Thatcher Demko
Demko has been phenomenal so far this season and could be 2-0-0 if his team were better in front of him. He has only allowed three goals over his first two games and has stopped 51 of 54 shots for a .944 save percentage (SV%). He’s also faced 17 high-danger shots and stopped 16 of them for a .941 SV%. On Saturday, he was under siege, as the Oilers had 19 high-danger chances, and he only allowed one to get by him.
Demko had Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and David Tomesek looking to the heavens multiple times, particularly stoning Draisaitl with a highlight-reel glove save and Tomesek in tight with his athleticism and quick pads. Bottom line, he was the only reason the Canucks were in that game, and might have stolen a win (or at least a point) if the Oilers didn’t get a stick on Brock Boeser’s shot in the final minutes.
Up… Then Down: Filip Chytil
Canucks fans saw the good and bad of Filip Chytil over the last two games. In the first game, he was the hero, scoring twice in the third period and looking like the second-line centre the team has been searching for. Then, against the Oilers, he was one of the reasons they lost, committing an egregious turnover that ended up in the back of the net. The Canucks were on the road to a comeback after Boeser scored to make it 2-1, but Chytil, attempting to fire a pass up the ice on a four-on-four, put it right on the stick of Andrew Mangiapane, who made no mistake, sniping it past Demko shortside. The Canucks lost their momentum after that and ultimately, the game 3-1.
There was a lot of hope that we would see a different Elias Pettersson in the first two games of the season. Unfortunately, we haven’t, as he hasn’t been impactful or dominant, save for seemingly having a shoot-first mentality. But even that hasn’t translated to the scoresheet; he only has two shots on goal and five shot attempts so far. He also struggled in the faceoff circle against the Oilers, winning a lowly three faceoffs the entire game for a 16.7 winning percentage. If he’s going to be the top-line centre, he has to start driving play, and that starts with having the puck.
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)
Pettersson better turn it around soon, because it’s only a matter of time before the media starts asking him the tough questions. Yes, he got stronger over the summer, and yes, he looked good in training camp and the preseason, but the regular season is what counts, and we are seeing way too much of 2023-24 Pettersson right now, and that’s bad news for a team hoping to make the playoffs this season.
Up: Penalty Kill
Okay, let’s get back to a positive part of the Canucks game, and that’s the penalty kill. They have yet to surrender a power play goal this season and are currently a perfect 9-for-9 after two games. That includes keeping the Oilers off the board on five opportunities on Saturday, facing the likes of Draisaitl, McDavid and Evan Bouchard. While a lot of the credit should go to Demko, who had to stop nine shots, the PK is still perfect, and as we all know, a team’s biggest penalty killer is its goaltender. Heading into games on Monday, the Canucks are one of six teams with a perfect PK, which is impressive, considering they are still missing one of their best in Teddy Blueger.
In his absence (along with previous top penalty killers Dakota Joshua and Pius Suter), Conor Garland and Drew O’Connor have taken the lion’s share of the minutes and done a masterful job keeping it among the best in the NHL. Once Blueger is back, it should continue to hum along, quelling a major concern coming into the season.
Down: Power Play
It’s been a while since the Canucks could boast a top power play and penalty kill at the same time. Unfortunately, that trend of one being up and the other being down has continued early on this season. As we just outlined, the penalty kill has been a bright spot so far; however, the power play has been the complete opposite. They have yet to score a goal and are 0-for-6 with a shorthanded goal against (Draisaitl’s empty-netter). The first unit of Evander Kane, Elias Pettersson, Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser, and Quinn Hughes hasn’t looked dangerous, and the second unit barely sees the ice to make a difference, which includes the shooting talents of Jonathan Lekkerimaki.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Vancouver Canucks (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)
A lot of people want Lekkerimaki to take Kane’s spot on the top unit. Count myself as one of them. We have already seen how fast he gets his shot off, and it’s clearly not working with Kane in Lekkerimaki’s office right now. The problem is that Kane and DeBrusk are pretty much the same player; they go to the front of the net and score most of their goals a few feet from the goaltender. DeBrusk scored 22 high-danger goals last season while Kane had 11 in 2023-24. Clearly, they are net-front presences, and both of them are on the same power play unit. Not exactly the best utilization of their skill sets.
The second unit lacks a net-front presence, so Kane would provide that there. Braeden Cootes could then move to Lekkerimaki’s spot, since he’s not really suited for the net-front, anyway. With those changes, it would make the first unit more dangerous and slot Kane in the role he’s been the most successful in the past.
What’s Next for the Canucks?
The Canucks will try to wipe the early negativity away in their next matchup with the St. Louis Blues on Thanksgiving Monday. The Blues are coming off a 4-2 win over the Flames and have the same record as the Canucks at 1-1-0. The Canucks will be looking to push their home record to 2-0-0, which would be a huge improvement from last season when they started 0-0-2.
All advanced stats were courtesy of Natural Stat Trick
