PENTICTON, BC – The first day of the Vancouver Canucks season has arrived.
On Thursday morning in Penticton, three groups of Canucks skaters will take the ice to mark the start of training camp and the official start of the 2024-25 campaign.
On Wednesday afternoon, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and head coach Rick Tocchet held court on various injury updates (some more thorough than others) and the heightened expectations surrounding their team, among some other pressing topics. about the evening of camp. Considering what was said during the year’s availability to mark the start of Vancouver’s season, here are our five biggest Canucks questions entering training camp:
1. What will we learn about the status of Thatcher Demko?
Allvin cited Demko’s privacy inside no revealing any details about the Vezina candidate’s goaltender’s health before camp, other than the fact that Demko would not be joining the main group at the South Okanagan Events Center Thursday morning.
Demko, Allvin noted, is working hard to return and wanted to directly address the media to discuss his status. Without value judgment placed on the following, it is worth noting that it is very rare for an injured player to speak to the media until they are returning to action, let alone be responsible for dealing with their injured status.
So the mystery that has hovered over the Canucks since the club belatedly re-engaged with pending unrestricted free agent Casey DeSmith in camp in late June will continue for at least another few hours. Demko’s timeline and status remains the most murky and high-stakes question still facing the Canadiens as the 2024-25 campaign officially opens.
And the implications of what we’re learning could significantly shape how Vancouver handles their cap situation and roster decisions between now and puck drop on Oct. 9, when the Canucks host the Calgary Flames on opening night. Will the club bring in a free-agent goaltender? The Canadiens have already brought in Dylan Ferguson on a pro tryout deal, but could they consider going through the waiver wire before Canadiens Thanksgiving? Could Ferguson turn his tryout into a full-time job?
2. How will the Canadians deal with the departure of Elias Lindholm?
With JT Miller, Elias Pettersson and Lindholm in the middle of their forward group in the playoffs, the Canadiens were able to ice an elite group of centers when we last saw them in action.
With Lindholm signing with Boston in free agency and the short-term absence of Teddy Blueger to open camp — the club announced he would be day-to-day on Wednesday, adding that he appears to be about a week out — the center depth will look up. very different on a Thursday morning.
Lindholm’s departure in particular will have some knock-on effects up and down the lineup. Pius Suter, for example, who played with Miller and Brock Boeser in a leading role and did very well during the playoffs, will be a full-time center for the club in training camp and when the season opens.
“Pius right now, he’s a center for us,” Tocchet said. “He is a smart guy, scored more than 15 goals last year. We need that average hockey IQ and he has that.”
While Suter lacks some of the attributes that Lindholm brought to the lineup — size and frontcourt gains in particular — we know with a high degree of confidence that he’s a capable third-line center on a full-time basis. Between him and Blueger, Vancouver should be solid in the middle of the bottom six, even if the lack of a right-handed hitter is likely to cost coaches some sleep in the coming months.
Where things get more interesting is on the fourth line. Nils Åman and Max Sasson, who has yet to make his NHL debut, would appear to be the only credible four-line options for the club if Blueger’s recovery remains on display.
“Yeah, the tweeners, we want them to push,” Tocchet noted of the battle for the spot. “And I saw some guys in the rookie camp and even in the skates, and these guys look really good.”
Pius Suter will take over full-time center duties following the departure of Elias Lindholm from Vancouver. (Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
3. Which Pettersson will appear?
Entering the first year of his max-term, $11.6 million per year extension, all eyes in the Vancouver market will be on Pettersson.
One of the best young centers in hockey, and one of the best compensated, Pettersson struggled down the stretch and into the playoffs in relation to his usual exceptional form. It was hard to put a finger on exactly why his game fell off, but in the playoffs, Pettersson certainly wasn’t generating scoring chances or going in at will like he usually does.
There’s a lot of context for why Pettersson didn’t perform up to his usual standard late last year. He’s been dealing with tendinitis in his knee, he’s never really found chemistry with a rotating cast of super-compassionate options on his wings and it’s possible his contract situation was something of a distraction, even after the issue was resolved in early March. Certainly, that’s the factor Rutherford talked about when asked about Pettersson’s mindset entering the campaign.
“I’m really impressed with how he came back (after) the offseason,” Rutherford said. “He seems to be a more relaxed and more comfortable guy and for obvious reasons.
“Last year, whether players say they think about their contracts or not, deep down, they do. Everybody does. This is a guy who I think worked very hard this summer, he did everything he could to play like top player. And everyone here has seen him play and knows how good he is. The expectations for him are to be one of the top players on his team.”
When Pettersson is at his best, he’s a game-breaker: the rare center capable of both feasting offensively and tilting the ice every shift as a two-way driver. That’s the version Vancouver will need if they are to replicate last season’s success.
4. Can Jonathan Lekkerimäki make a run at breaking camp with the NHL team?
Can top prospect Lekkerimäki follow up an impressive showing at the Penticton Young Stars tournament and challenge for a spot on Vancouver’s 23-man roster at his first NHL training camp?
It’s a high bar, but Tocchet named him specifically — in addition to intriguing 6-foot-6 winger project Vilmer Alriksson and Pettersson — when discussing giving young players a chance.
“Lekkerimäki, he’s a buzz saw, great shot, watch out to see him play with some good players,” Tocchet said.
While Lekkerimäki is an impressive young offensive winger with some pro-ready attributes — his shooting and puck-carrying through the neutral zone in particular — the step up from playing in the SHL to the NHL is a steep one. It doesn’t matter if Lekkerimäki ultimately requires some seasoning in the AHL before he’s ready to make an NHL impact.
That said, the Canucks need more end talent on the wings. They signed Daniel Spron in mid-July with that in mind. Can Lekkerimäki perform to a level that forces management and coaches to make a tough decision about where he should start the year?
5. Which wingers will fill the six forward group?
Describing what his lineup might look like for the first day of training camp, Tocchet suggested, “You really can’t read too much into it.”
That’s good advice and true, even if it’s not our style.
“I’m going to change a few things,” Tocchet continued. “I trust Patrik and Jim and they say ‘maybe give this guy a chance’…Obviously Miller and Boeser, they have great chemistry. Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk together, I’d like to see them spend some time together. And it’s good to rotate wingers… It’s important that you have different pieces of the puzzle that fit together in different ways.”
Tocchet also said that Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua are a difficult couple to break up, although as Joshua recovers from a testicular cancer diagnosis and the surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, that first-choice duo on the third line will not be an option for. the club
Either way, as Tocchet outlined it, two key jobs in the top six will be up for grabs when training camp begins: first-line left wing and second-line wing (not a side-dependent job, as DeBrusk can line up). above on both sides).
There are various contenders for these roles. Holdover players like Nils Höglander and Phillip Di Giuseppe should be in the mix. Young players like Lekkerimäki and Arshdeep Bains could potentially force their way into the club’s consideration with a strong camp. And a host of incoming free-agent wingers like Sprong, Danton Heinen and Kiefer Sherwood could earn meaningful opportunities.
Whoever wins the position for opening night — and the competition could be fierce — will have a prime chance to flank some of the most talented point producers in the sport.
(Top photo by Elias Pettersson: Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
