Feisty Ferland fighting to find his game in every way
Canucks teammates, coach confident new winger will come around
Jay Beagle is the locker-room barometer.
Want a read on whether a cold front is moving in? Ask the always-talkative Vancouver Canucks centre, who has won a Stanley Cup and is often a voice of reason when something seems amiss.
Micheal Ferland is in the crosshairs of scrutiny because the freeagent acquisition hasn’t been that big wrecking ball with good hands and a nose for the net. One goal and three points through 10 games has led to the easy summation that the winger is having a tough transition to a new team.
And there’s something to that. Ferland was first touted to play with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, which placed a premium on pace, forechecking, playmaking and a net presence. He was then aligned with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson and there was a greater accent on being physical. And now with Brandon Sutter and Josh Leivo, it’s being defensively responsible, good in transition and effective in the offensive zone.
“I skated with him in Calgary a bit in the summer when he was younger, so I know him pretty well,” Beagle said Monday. “He’s very driven, very hard on himself. A guy who really wants to be the player that he knows he can be. The main message is that it takes time.
“It’s hard to find your role. When I came here, I broke my arm five games in and it took me 10 to 15 games to find where I fit and what they need me to do. He’s trying to find that fit. We obviously talk and it’s getting to know new guys and which buttons to press and how they tick.
“He wants to be the player we need and in time, you’ll see that. The last couple of games, he’s been more physical and finding his niche.”
Ferland had an assist, four shots, two hits and two take-aways Friday against the Washington Capitals.
On the recent four-game road trip, he scored his first goal by getting to the net and banging home a rebound in St. Louis.
“It was huge to grind it out and get that experience — it felt good,” a relieved Ferland said post-game. “I felt a little bit more confident after that. It’s a hard league to score goals. You have to get to the greasy areas and bang in some of those pucks.”
Ferland was then foiled on a deke at Madison Square Garden in a two-shot, four-hit outing and then dished out three more hits in Detroit.
The Canucks held an optional morning skate Monday and Ferland took the option. However a player needs to physically and mentally prepare for the game is up to the individual on optional days. And just getting away from the rink and the scrutiny isn’t a bad thing.
Ferland felt pressure from the outset to deliver on the Canucks’ faith that with a four-year, US$14-million commitment, the 27-year-old former menace with the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes had the potential to return to the 20-goal plateau and bring a needed physical element.
Then you don’t score and the mind wanders.
“A couple of games in and you start gripping the stick and you don’t play with the confidence that you’re usually used to,” Ferland said the first week of the regular season.
Pearson can relate to the difficulty in finding traction with a new club because the winger played for three clubs last season.
“It’s definitely not the easiest thing,” he said. “He (Ferland) is a good pro and it’s going to happen for him. He seems in pretty good spirits and is always laughing and having fun with the guys. Even the one game (season opener in Edmonton), he came back in after and went to the stats sheet and said: ‘I better have five hits tonight.’ And he did.
“You look for that stuff when the puck isn’t going in and if takes a big hit to get the boys going, he’s going to do that.”
Getting going also means getting ice time. Ferland doesn’t play on the power play or kill penalties, so his 11:03 of average ice time is less than the 14:06 he had in Carolina. He also had six goals in his first nine games last season and finished with 40 points (17-23) in 71 games.
Ferland was fourth in Carolina scoring and third in hits, but didn’t score in the final 17 regular-season games and had but one assist in seven post-season games in which he had nagging injuries.
Travis Green is buoyed by what he has seen lately of Ferland — he led the club in hits with 27 after 10 games — and believes the winger will find his way.
“He has been more energetic and looking more comfortable and a bit more rambunctious,” said the Canucks’ coach. “I’m happy with Ferland. We’re going to need this guy in certain types of games. He’s going to be a big part of this team.”
I’m happy with Ferland. We’re going to need this guy in certain types of games.