Where the Vancouver Canucks Go From Here

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After going nearly one month without playing a single game due to an absurdly out-of-control COVID-19 outbreak within the team’s personnel, the Vancouver Canucks hit the ice on Sunday evening for a game that many thought wouldn’t be a real contest.

After more than 20 players and coaching staff contracted the virus, the Canucks season was put on halt as the health of the people involved came to the forefront of the NHL’s priority list.

After the team was supposed to be resuming play this past Friday, it took an emotional and distraught JT Miller press conference calling out the NHL’s plan to resume so quickly to get the team a few extra days to get their legs, and lungs back into safe, playing shape.

When the division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs rolled into town on Sunday, it was expected to be quite ugly for the Canucks, who already were up against it enough with the return off of a long lay-off, but now had to go up against the high-powered Leafs led by Rocket Richard lock Auston Matthews.

Once the puck dropped, it was clear that this Canucks team was going to show their pride and professionalism by now just rolling over in a game where they most definitely weren’t expected to be might of a fighter.

They got out to an early 1-0 deficit on a goal by William Nylander, and it looked for a little while that it was just a matter of time before the Leafs really took out a lot of offensive frustration on them, as they came in on a three-game losing skid of their own.

Vancouver found a way to push back, though. A true team performance with captain Bo Horvat at the head of the snake. Brayden Holtby was on his A-game on this night, which was astonishing because he fought through his own battle with COVID-19.

Although they were heavily outshot and fell behind 2-0 on the 33rd goal of the year by Matthews, Vancouver punched back in a big way.

Bo Horvat stepped it up a notch, scoring a beautiful goal down the left side of the ice and sniping upstairs on Jack Campbell. After that, rookie Nils Höglander got on the board, and it was a new game.

From there, it was survival of the fittest, or in this case survival of the un-fittest.

In a deadlock after sixty minutes, Bo Horvat struck again in 3 on 3 OT to give the COVID-ridden Canucks a 3-2 victory in their first game since March 24th.

So it sparks the question in the minds of many frustrated Canucks fans during this roller-coaster through hell called the 2021 NHL season: What will this squad be able to do before the end of the year?

It may be unfair to automatically pin the expectations of playoffs on this team who was already getting hit with the injury bug before being struck by COVID-19 and a brutal variant of it for that matter. Yet, that is obviously what the players of Vancouver will have their sights on regardless of how realistic it is.

If the long stoppage provided any benefits for the team, it is that the schedule was finally able to catch up for them, as they were out ahead of the pack in games played for the majority of the year, they now have games in hand on every team in front of them in the North standings.

If we are considering the playoffs as a realistic outcome for the team this year, they currently sit ten points behind the Canadiens for the final playoff spot in the division with for games in hand.

They will obviously need a whole lot of help from the surrounding teams in their division, as well as big regulation wins against the Calgary Flames who will look to make a push of their own.

Another major question remaining for the final 18 games of their schedule is how they will manage to play all of these in such a tight time frame. It is so taxing to play this many games in such a short time as a healthy player, let alone coming off the stipulations this team has.

They will play the final 18 scheduled games in a tight span of thirty nights, where the Canucks will look to slowly add more bodies back to their currently depleted lineup that is currently rostering the likes of Jalen Chatfield, Mark Michaelis and Tyler Graovac.

Finally, we will see how the end of this campaign affects the team from a financial perspective, as well. With Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes set to sign their new, lucrative contracts this offseason, this final stretch will be interesting in determining how the two players are utilized.

Hughes went through a rough battle with the virus, so we may see him get load managed a few times before the end of the year. As for Pettersson, he had the extra few weeks to keep rehabbing his injured wrist, but there is no clear timetable on if or when he may return to game action.

“He went to see the specialist on Wednesday,” said GM Jim Benning. “He’s on the ice skating now and stuff, he’s going to continue to rehab, but we don’t have a timeline yet as to when he’s going to be back, if he’s going to be back at all.”

For the fans of this team, most will be understanding regardless of how this season finishes. Seeing the girt and tenacity they displayed tonight after such a long time off, against a high-quality opponent like the win-hungry Leafs, it should excite people for the possibilities of a playoff push to end the year.

This is not something that was expected for a team in Canada, so after enduring some of the toughest health battles these men have ever experienced, the Canucks would like nothing more than to set an example of what kind of team they want to be, tough, resilient and determined as ever.

Evan Power, Evolution 107.9

 

 

 

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