TSN Hockey Consensus: 6th in Pacific

The Canucks will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

 

Three Key Canuck Questions

1. If Radim Vrbata winds up with the Sedin twins, which many believe is inevitable (and Vrbata openly lobbied for), it could leave a second line of Brandon Sutter centring Sven Baertschi and Alex Burrows. Where will the second line scoring come from?

Sutter and Baertschi have yet to establish themselves as top-six NHL scorers and Burrows has had most of his offensive success playing with the Sedins, so there's a lot of projection required to believe that trio can score enough in that role. Maybe Bo Horvat, who had 18 points in his last 36 games as a rookie, will be ready to move up the depth chart to help Vancouver's secondary scoring.

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Bo Horvat starts the season in Vancouver with high expectations.

2. With Chris Higgins on IR to start the year, and Ronalds Kenins being sent to Utica, there are roster spots for both Jake Virtanen and Jared McCann on opening night. Will they stick with the Canucks all season? 

McCann was the best of the rookie forwards in camp. After the success of Bo Horvat last season, Canucks fans are anxious to see the next young prospect make his NHL debut. There's no reason to think that both 2014 first-round picks Virtanen and McCann won't be in Vancouver until at least the nine-game mark. After that audition, who knows? GM Jim Benning has said that the Canucks are prepared to go young, so Virtanen and McCann could get a good look.
 
3. Ryan Miller was a solid (not spectacular) addition to roster last year prior to his injury. Jacob Markstrom was fantastic for Utica during their run to the Calder Cup final a year ago, but has yet to look like an NHL goalie in his handful of appearances with the Canucks since being acquired in the Roberto Luongo trade. Will the combination of Miller and Markstrom make Canucks fans forget Eddie Lack?

Miller, 35, posted a .911 save percentage with the Canucks last season, his lowest since 2007-2008, so it's possible that decline is setting in. Markstrom has been very good in the preseason and finally looks ready to make the move to a full-time NHL role, but the Canucks are likely going to need a strong performance from their goaltending duo to remain in the playoff hunt.

 

2015-16 Vancouver Canucks

 

TSN's Projected Lineup

  Opening Night  
G LD RD
Ryan Miller Alex Edler Chris Tanev
Jakob Markstrom Dan Hamhuis Yannick Weber
  Luca Sbisa Ben Hutton
    Matt Bartkowski
LW C RW
Daniel Sedin Henrik Sedin Brandon Sutter
Sven Baertschi Bo Horvat Radim Vrbata
Alex Burrows Jared McCann Jannik Hansen
Brandon Prust Adam Cracknell Derek Dorsett
    Jake Virtanen

Injuries: LW Chris Higgins (fractured right foot)

 

Travis Yost's Analytic Storyline

The big question for Vancouver is if a new-look forward corps can provide the depth they so desperately need to complement the aging, yet still very productive Sedin line. The Canucks have never had a problem winning the possession/territorial battle with the Sedin Twins doing their thing -- even last year, the duo controlled a ridiculous 55 per cent of play. It was when the Sedins left the ice that things went to hell, Vancouver dropping all the way down to 48 per cent. They simply need more from their non-star players. 

 

ESTIMATED PAYROLL vs. CAP – $71.2M/$71.4M

Not a lot of flexibility for the Canucks, considering they also have some players on entry-level deals (Bo Horvat, Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann) that include performance bonuses. If they happen to fall out of contention, it won’t be an issue because Vancouver has pending unrestricted free agents Radim Vrbata and Dan Hamhuis who should be easy enough to move at some point. However, if Vancouver remains in the playoff race, they’ll have to be creative if they are going to acquire talent.