Canucks this week: Has Elias Pettersson given the Canucks a lifeline, and is Rick Tocchet in trouble?

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By all accounts this was the week Vancouver had to win in order to stay in the playoff race. On home ice they lost to The Dallas Stars and the Montreal Canadiens and then had to fly to Calgary for the end of a back-to-back. And that’s where our narrative from the out of town markets start:

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“The Vancouver Canucks had their backs against the wall in their biggest game of the season so far,” writes Thomas Drance for The Athletic.

“Vancouver entered Wednesday’s game against the Calgary Flames with a 3-6-1 record since the 4 Nations tournament. It’s been a nightmare manufacturing offence, with the club consistently being limited to two or fewer goals. Up front, the Canucks have sometimes looked like a team icing three third lines in its top nine rather than a true top six. Vancouver had a fatigue disadvantage, having played the night before against the Montreal Canadiens, whereas the Flames hadn’t played a game since Saturday. …

“Vancouver impressively put together a furious, desperate third-period effort, clawing its way back to tie the score in the third before winning in the shootout.

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“Quinn Hughes was excellent in his return to the lineup. He logged 29:48 against Calgary while driving play and setting up scoring chances at will. Forward Elias Pettersson was the hero to tie the score and score one of the two crucial shootout goals that won the game.”

Marty Biron calls the Canucks season toast

The TSN hockey analyst said earlier in the week, “I don’t think they get in … I may even say they are toast right now. They had a chance to get a three-game winning streak and they let that slip against a really good team, the Dallas Stars.

“I look at the way the Canucks are playing: Number one if Thatcher Demko was there maybe I change my story and Kevin Lankinen has been really good but when you put a name like Demko against the top goalies in the Western Conference the ones that he’s competing with, he’s not there and that makes a difference.

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“Defensively Quinn Hughes has been there but he’s missed a few games and if you don’t have a fully healthy Quinn Hughes I think it puts the Canucks in a tough spot … at this point I have much more belief in the Calgary Flames,(and) in the St. Louis Blues and the Utah Hockey Club and maybe into the Anaheim Ducks that keep climbing … the Canucks don’t feel like team in the Pacific Division that are going to take a step forward.”

Did Elias Pettersson rescue his and the Canucks’ season?

Frank Seravalli on The Daily Faceoff, said this after the win over the Flames: “If they have any prayer to do that (make playoffs) it’s going to be on his back … this was the best I’ve seen Elias Pettersson play this season from start to finish. He’s now got three goals in his last four games; a shoot first mentality. He just seemed like he found some confidence and unlocked some swagger that had been desperately missing.

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” … so it’s a massive turn around and couldn’t come at a better time for the Canucks. And if somehow he’s back it doesn’t just change the complexion of this playoff chase, it changes the complexion of their off-season and what they do next on the Elias Pettersson file. … what I think it would to do is take off the table the idea that we have to trade him at all costs even if it means trading him for nothing.

The Hockey Writers agree: Pettersson was a difference maker

Finally, Elias Pettersson is starting to look like the Elias Pettersson of old. While he’s not yet at his 102-point self, he’s been an impact player over the last few games, which is something the Canucks desperately need to continue if they are going to squeeze their way into the playoffs,” writes Matthew Zator for the Hockey Writers.

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“After scoring only one goal in 21 games, he now has three goals in four games. Two of them have been vintage Pettersson, too — the one-time snipe against the Minnesota Wild and lethal wrister against the Montreal Canadiens — and the third was a clutch goal on the power play to tie the game against the Flames.

“Bottom line, Pettersson has been a difference-maker offensively lately, and while that won’t forgive what probably will be a career-worst season for him, if he can put together a final 17 games where he is near a point-per-game, that will go a long way to quelling the concerns about whether the Canucks traded the wrong player.”

Sweet Fanny Adams

A year after winning the Jack Adams for the NHL’s coach of the year, some reports are cropping up with Tocchet being a target for other markets. Here’s what the Hockey News said:

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“It was only last year that Vancouver Canucks bench boss Rick Tocchet was on top of the coaching world.

He led the Canucks to the top spot in the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record. The NHL recognized Tocchet for his success, winning the Jack Adams Award as the coach of the year.

The Canucks fell to fifth place in the Pacific, and they’re behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild-card berth in the Western Conference.

That makes Tocchet’s future a little hazier than expected heading into the campaign.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported in January that the Canucks have a team option to keep Tocchet for one more season, but the coach reportedly has the right to decide whether or not he would sign. Injuries have been a factor in the team’s drop in the standings this season, but there have also been a fair share of distractions, including the rift between J.T. Miller and centre Elias Pettersson and Pettersson’s drop in production this season leading to more trade rumours.

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On Sportsnet 590, Canucks journalist Rick Dhaliwal pointed out there’s no extension in place for Tocchet , even though he’s the reigning coach of the year.

“I know the media’s getting to Tocchet, because he made a couple of comments in the last two games that tells you the media’s getting to him,” Dhaliwal said.

“It’s been a really trying year,” he added. “He’s had to babysit Miller, Pettersson, the feud. Media’s all over him now. If this team doesn’t make the playoffs, what’s going to happen then? But he’s got a decision to make, Rick Tocchet.”

Another factor that could decide Tocchet’s future is that his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, could be looking for a new coach if they decide to move on from longtime bench boss Mike Sullivan. The Penguins have been committed to Sullivan since 2015 and gave him a vote of confidence early this season. His job on Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off also shows why Pittsburgh values him so much.

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But Pittsburgh’s inability to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for likely three-straight years could put Sullivan’s job in jeopardy.

If the Penguins do part ways with Sullivan, Tocchet would be an excellent fit with the Pens. Tocchet won a Cup as a player with Pittsburgh in 1992 and as an assistant coach in 2016 and 2017, so he’s very familiar with the organization. As good a coach as Sullivan has been for Pittsburgh, changing things up could spark the club. Tocchet could give the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson a real bump, the same way he did for the Canucks players last season.

The Penguins clearly would still want an experienced hand as they try to retool on the fly, and that describes Tocchet to a ‘T.’ That said, there are no guarantees the Penguins would pursue Tocchet or that the Canucks would even make him available.

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Vancouver still has time to keep Tocchet around. Despite being caught battling for a wild-card spot instead of first place in the Pacific Divsion, the Canucks’ power play percentage under Tocchet is still about as good as last season, and their penalty-kill rate is slightly better, at 82.1 per cent compared to 79.1 per cent in 2023-24. But with Demko’s injury issues, the team’s goals against per game increased from 2.70 last season to 3.03. The goals-for per game also fell from 3.40 to 2.71.

It’s tough to overly fault Tocchet for his team’s struggles, but the closer we get to the off-season with no extension, the more talk there will be about his future. The NHL’s coaching carousel spins fast these years, after all, with teams having less patience than usual for their bench bosses.

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The Canucks might be squandering the improvement Tocchet created in Vancouver if they don’t bring him back, whether it’s their choice or the coach’s. Either way, the Penguins may want to stay tuned to his situation.

Playoff payoff

It’s time to really start looking at the turtle derby for those last playoff spots, ESPN handicaps Canucks or Flames, who ya got?

“Of the Flames’ remaining games beyond Wednesday, 10 out of 18 are against teams in a playoff position. For the Canucks, it’s nine out of the final 17.

Stathletes projects the Flames to finish in that coveted wild-card position, with 89.6 points. Vancouver is projected at 88.1 points, behind Calgary and also the St. Louis Blues and Utah Hockey Club.

What they are saying in Calgary

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Eric Francis for Sportsnet said it was an “Opportunity missed by the Calgary Flames.

“Seven minutes away from holding onto a third-period lead that would have given them a three-point cushion on Vancouver, the Flames wound up losing so much more than just a game Wednesday. They lost their one-point advantage for the West’s final playoff spot, they lost their captain, and they lost out on a chance to take advantage of a sagging Canucks club that travelled and played for the second time in 24 hours.

“‘You lose it like that, it’s always an opportunity missed given the schedule they have,” said MacKenzie Weegar, whose club had three days off while the Canucks were playing their third in four nights.
“We were rested, we circled this one on the calendar. I’m sure they had it circled too.
“Ultimately that’s a three-point loss, not one.’”

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Needs improvement

It’s hard to believe the trade deadline was a week ago. But looking back, ESPN gave the Canucks a “meh” report card on their activity.
“Vancouver Canucks: C
Key players added: Filip Chytil, Drew O’Connor, Marcus Pettersson
Key players lost: Victor Desharnais, Danton Heinen, J.T. Miller, Carson Soucy

There are more questions than answers for the Canucks, which is an apt tag line for Vancouver this season as well as how they fared at the deadline.

Moving on from Miller in January left them trying to replace a forward who finished with more than 80 points in each of the past three seasons. Getting Chytil as part of the return helped, but the belief was that the Canucks had enough time to possibly add more. Beyond adding O’Connor — who came over in the trade that landed them Marcus Pettersson — the Canucks were unable to land another forward.

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They also held on to Brock Boeser, a pending UFA with whom they have been unable to strike a long-term deal. Similar pending UFAs returned massive hauls this trade season; where was that deal for the Canucks?”

The Power Rankings

CBC sports ranked the Canucks at 20 (before the Calgary game): “Elias Pettersson snapped his lengthy scoring drought Saturday, but that doesn’t mean all is well. That goal is one of Pettersson’s two points in his last seven games, and he’s on pace for the worst season of his career. Rick Tocchet continues to call out Pettersson in the media, but the Canucks simply haven’t been able to snap out of this funk. It’s starting to look like he won’t get right by the end of the regular season.”

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ESPN has the Canucks bobbing around in the middle, rising one spot from 19th to 18th.

Zach Werenski beating Quinn Hughes for Norris Trophy

Greg Wyshynski for ESPN reports that a poll of “a wide selection of Professional Hockey Writers Association voters anonymously has Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets winning the Norris Trophy.

“For the first time this season, Zach Werenski is the leader for the Norris Trophy. Quinn Hughes had been the established leader for the award throughout the season, earning 45% of the first-place votes last month. But Hughes has played only three games since Jan. 31, and his limited games played vs. the other Norris candidates has dropped him down the rankings.

” ‘Hughes had it locked up before his injury,’ a voter concluded.

“Werenski, meanwhile, is having his moment. Whether it’s the Jackets’ incredible story, the Stadium Series spotlight or his play in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Werenski’s star is rising at the right time, and he has the stats to backup his case.

“‘Werenski has been incredible, but it’s a three-horse race between him, Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar,’ another voter offered.”

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