Canucks Season Preview: A whole lot of 'if's
The Vancouver Canucks may be very good this season. Or very bad. We don't know. But we're going to find out.
The team's magic number is 35. That's how old Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin turn on Sept. 26. It's also how old Ryan Miller is. Radim Vrbata and Alex Burrows are knocking on the door - Vrbata turned 34 in June, and Burrows will be 35 in April.
Offensively, the Canucks' core is old. And while the Sedins didn't show many signs of slowing down last season - Henrik had 73 points in 82 games, Daniel 76 - it's not a matter of if their production drops, but when. Time waits for no one, not even the dynamic Swedish twins.
If it all goes right - if the Sedins flirt with a point-per-game again; if Vrbata scores another 30; if Miller's healthy; if Chris Tanev steps up as a top-pairing defenseman; if Brandon Sutter becomes a legitimate No. 2 center; if there's enough offense beyond the top line; if Bo Horvat builds on his postseason success; if Jake Virtanen makes the team and contributes - the Canucks can certainly be a 100-point team again. But that's a lot of "if"s.
Coming off a first-round loss to the Calgary Flames in the playoffs, it's going to be an interesting season in Vancouver, one way or another.
Projected Depth Chart
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Sedin | Henrik Sedin | Radim Vrbata |
| Sven Baertschi | Brandon Sutter | Alex Burrows |
| Brandon Prust | Bo Horvat | Chris Higgins |
| Derek Dorsett | Linden Vey | Jannik Hansen |
| Jake Virtanen |
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Alex Edler | Chris Tanev |
| Dan Hamhuis | Yannick Weber |
| Luca Sbisa | Matt Bartkowski |
| Frank Corrado |
| G |
|---|
| Ryan Miller |
| Jacob Markstrom |
X-Factor
Bo knows hockey.
After a promising rookie season in which Horvat had 13 goals and 12 assists in 68 games, he stepped up in six playoff games, scoring a goal and adding three helpers. The Canucks are looking to the 20-year-old to take the next step in '14-15.
And there's little reason to believe Horvat can't make the leap. Most importantly, the first-round pick - ninth overall in 2013 - believes in himself.
"I actually surprised myself sometimes," Horvat said about his rookie year, "especially when I was making those end-to-end rushes. I was like, 'This is the NHL and I can do that kind of stuff. Don't be afraid to do it.'"
With Horvat, the Canucks have to play both the short and long game. This season will be Henrik Sedin's 15th in the NHL. One day, he'll be gone. It's time for Vancouver to groom its next No. 1 center, and Horvat can be that guy. At the very least, he must be given the opportunity.
Horvat believes, and if head coach Willie Desjardins believes in him - yes, another "if" - the Canucks could be a force down the middle this season.
Player to Watch
Sutter, obviously.
The trade that brought the 26-year-old out west was almost universally blasted, along with the five-year, $21.875-million contract extension he signed.
But Sutter's a Canuck, and will log second-line center duties. While his 21 goals last season tied a career high, Sutter's known more for his two-way game - he's been branded a third-line center who excels on the penalty kill. But Vancouver needs him to take his game to new offensive heights, because there isn't much there after the top line.
The pressure will be on. Sutter's career-high 40 points came in 2009-10, and he's going to have to do better than that for Vancouver to make the playoffs, and go on a run.
But, hey, there's probably something to be said about an offensive ceiling when you're playing behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. As with everything else about this season's Canucks: we'll find out.