It won’t take long to see if the Vancouver Canucks missed the message during the scheduled break to allow NHL participation in the Winter Olympics.
Head coach Adam Foote will gauge readiness to return to league play on Feb. 25 with skating drills Tuesday and maybe even the dreaded bag skate. After all, with beaches beckoning after a dozen days away from the grind, younger players could have had too much fun in the sun.
However, a bigger challenge for the bench boss is to ensure his club doesn’t lose its way in a season gone sideways.
Too many injuries, goal droughts, and roster uncertainty led to a franchise-record losing streak and a last-place team in turmoil. And with the Canucks making trade plays when the roster freeze ends Sunday night, and also committed to a rebuild, commitment to consistently pushing the pace will be tested.
It’s training camp 2.0, but the buzz will be trade speculation and who is and isn’t returning from injury.
The pre-break spurt by the B.O.G. line of Teddy Blueger, Liam Ohgren and Conor Garland — four points, eight shots, 12 attempts, plus-3 in a 5-2 loss at Las Vegas on Feb. 4 and nine points in two games — was positive for a team searching for something. But Blueger and Garland could be traded as early as next week or in advance of the March 6 deadline.
Canucks centre Elias Pettersson makes a move on Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche during Dec. 2 game at Ball Arena in Denver. Avs won 3-1.
Kings lose Fiala, eyes on Pettersson
When Swiss left winger Kevin Fiala was injured Friday at the Olympics — tangled up on the sideboards with Tom Wilson and the big winger landing on his leg as they fell late in Canada’s 5-1 win — the Kings have urgency to fill the void without losing sight of their biggest roster need.
Fiala, 29, had surgery Sunday to repair several fractures in his lower left leg that ended his season. He’s second in Los Angeles scoring and has three years left on his contract a US$7.85 million annually. It means the Kings may hang on to Warren Foegele, 29, rather than trade the left winger in a package to prop up the middle.
With a year left on his deal at $3.25 million, Foegele could be an affordable veteran presence for the Canucks’ rebuild, but they may not be done talking to the Kings. With centre Anze Kopitar retiring, and the major trade play to land winger Artemi Panarin, the Kings are in go-for-it mode.
Their interest in Elias Pettersson increased with the Swede’s two-goal game Saturday for Sweden in the Olympics, plus the Kings have $15 million in cap space. And winger Andrei Kuzmenko thrived with the Canucks in 2022-23 with a 39-goal season while mostly aligned with Pettersson, who put up 102 points.
Pettersson, 27, must first waive his no-movement clause, but a change of scenery and not being front-page news in laid-back Los Angeles might pique his interest in a trade. His wife also lived there for 13 years.
The problem is the return. The Canucks need a centre and the Kings aren’t deep at that position and aren’t giving up Quinton Byfield, 23, whose had a pair of 20-goal seasons.
And even getting a 2026 first round and a pair of second-rounders from the Kings doesn’t solve the pivot problem.
The Detroit Red Wings need a No. 2 centre behind Dylan Larkin and could dangle pivot Nate Danielson, 21, the ninth-overall pick in the 2023 draft in a trade package. It should also include at least a first-round pick coming this way. But, again, that doesn’t solve the centre slot concern, especially with Filip Chytil and Marco Rossi injured.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks also need centre support behind top pivots in Sebastian Aho and Connor Bedard, but aren’t parting with a centre who could help here. So maybe Pettersson stays put.
Canucks centre Filip Chytil struggles to regain balance after heavy blindside hit from Tom Wilson of the Capitals on Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C.
What to do with injured Chytil?
Seeing will be believing Tuesday.
Chytil will either participate in the first post-break practice or remain in some sort of protocol after experiencing migraine headaches and not finishing a Feb. 2 game at Salt Lake City. He didn’t return for the third period and Foote said post game that he “tweaked” something and would be further evaluated. Asked if it was a head injury he said: “I hope not.”
Then came more clarity, or confusion, the following day in which Foote said the centre was dealing with migraine headaches.
Chytil, 26, has a history of concussions and was last sidelined Oct. 19 in Washington. He played just 7:36 against the Utah Mammoth and looked slow in progressions through zones and finished with just one shot and minus-3 rating. He played left wing to take pressure off two-way responsibilities of centre, but wing requires heavy wall work and it’s there something may have occurred.
We just don’t know exactly what. There was no big hit or collision, just puck battles.
So, what’s the prudent play for the Canucks? Shutting Chytil down to give him a long runway to be healthy for next season makes sense, especially for the final year of his deal. Or, the tougher conversation is to cut ties and buy him out.