COMEBACK BID COMES UP SHORT
Canucks fall to Blackhawks in OT
CHICAGO Ben Hutton leaned on the time-and-space summation Thursday when asked about how he hoped to corral the always elusive and extremely effective Patrick Kane.
The rejuvenated Vancouver Canucks defenceman was then told to formulate a better response. He laughed and shrugged his shoulders.
“I know,” he said with a chuckle. “But it is what it is and he’s one of the best players in the league and I’m sure he’s going to make some plays and razzle-dazzle.”
The exuberance and ease of body language was telling because is there really a right answer on how to stop the speed and stickhandling wizardry of the veteran Chicago Blackhawks winger, who entered the clash here tied for second in NHL scoring ? Probably not.
Hutton’s transformation from a downcast blue-liner a year ago — scratched in four consecutive February games and seven times in a span of 15 — to a better-conditioned, more mobile and stronger defender has been remarkable.
It couldn’t have come at a better time. With Alex Edler sidelined by a concussion, Hutton has paired with Troy Stecher to provide mobility and the ability to retreat quickly and effectively.
The league is trending away from the stay-at-home guy paired with a mobile blue-liner and the Canucks may have a leg up on where the game is going.
“We can both skate out of trouble and we get back to pucks pretty quick,” Hutton said. “And at the same time, we’re pretty vocal, which helps a lot with the breakouts. Confidence goes a long way. To take that extra half second to hit the middle or wait for a play to open up instead of just panicking and throwing it off the glass is huge.”
Logging a season-high 29 minutes 25 seconds in ice time when Edler and Chris Tanev were lost to injury Oct. 24 in Las Vegas — and 28:25 Tuesday in Philadelphia when Edler was again lost to injury — proved that overcoming tough coaching love and a wakeup call last season were hurdles Hutton could clear to prolong his career.
And with so much uncertainty on how the back end will shape up next fall, the 25-year-old Hutton has gone from question mark to exclamation mark and a contract extension is a no-brainer.
Did he think that would be the case a year ago?
“To be honest, no, but I knew I had the capability,” said Hutton. “I’ve grown as a player and pro and matured a bit. It was tough last year being scratched, but I had to suck it up and learn from it. It’s made me become a better person and a stronger person.”
There’s mental strength and the physical stuff of working in the off-season with noted trainer Tony Greco — and being pushed by Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux — who’s also from the Ottawa area.
“When you play a lot of minutes, that goes a long way,” said Hutton, who’s averaging 21:31 in ice time and is now anchoring the first power-play unit. “I wanted to come in and prove I could earn my ice time and he (Giroux) is a very competitive guy and I am, too.
“We were seeing who could finish the bike ride first or who was benching a little bit more. He helped me a lot.”
And the Canucks, too. Hutton had 18 points (five goals and 13 assists) in his first 52 games this season after just six assists in 61 games last season.
“We wouldn’t be where we are without him,” Stecher said. “I always knew he had it in him and that he was going to figure it out.” Not that it was going to be easy. Hutton burst onto the scene as an unknown college product in 2015-16 and finished second among rookie NHL blue-liners in assists (24) and third in points (25). However, the opposition started playing him tougher and ramped it up further last season.
And because it’s the hardest position to adjust to at the pro level, Hutton was like a lot of his peers after Year 1: confident to a degree, but not truly prepared for what was waiting.
“You’re the last line of defence, besides your goaltender, and a lot of the onus is laid on you,” Stecher said of the challenges. “Our careers have kind of gone pretty similar with the (college) route we’ve taken to get here and how our first couple of years played out.
“A lot of it goes back to that first year and having success point-wise, but as a young guy
... you don’t realize your overall game isn’t where it needs to be. And in your second year, there’s more pre-scouting and video on you and your flaws are exposed a bit more. That’s where it becomes an issue.
“It’s a longer process for a defenceman and you’re not given as much leeway as a forward to create. It just takes time.” OVERTIME: Netminder Thatcher Demko suffered a knee strain Monday in the pre-game warm-up in Philadelphia and will be sidelined seven to 10 days. There’s no medical update on forward Sven Baertschi, who has had five career concussions and wasn’t feeling right after Saturday’s game in Denver, where he absorbed a cross-check from the Colorado Avalanche’s Ian Cole.