School in session for Canucks
DEVELOPMENT: Learning more important than earning points for struggling team
You know eight is enough when you bring out the comparison chart.
There were eight straight setbacks in January 2009 when Alain Vigneault’s job was on the line because the Vancouver Canucks had missed the playoffs the previous spring. There were seven straight losses leading into the 2014 Winter Olympic break because six regulars were on the limp and John Tortorella was walking the plank and sank after a oneyear run and no playoff berth.
Fast-forward to today, and you have to wonder what Henrik Sedin is thinking as the Canucks — losers of eight straight games in which they’ve scored just seven goals — prepare to host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.
The captain has been through it all — good, bad and ugly — and keeps looking for silver linings, the teaching things that are actually more important now than wins because it has come to that.
When you play as many as seven rookies and have had up to nine injured regulars out of the lineup, learning has to trump earning points. Making the NHL and making a consistent impact sometimes gets lost in translation because you’d hate to think there’s a sense of entitlement in being a firstround draft pick.
“If we can play the way we did against Nashville and part of (Sunday’s game), you can almost take a loss that way instead of us just trying to get goals and thinking we’re going to win that way — it’s a tough spot,” said Henrik. “There are good things, but things within the structure where we’re making the wrong reads. But that’s what happens when you’re trying to work on things. It seems to cost us a goal every time we make them.”
The Tortorella team had its share of young players — Zack Kassian (22), Jordan Schroeder (22), Chris Tanev (23) — but it was the veterans who were pushed hard and over the edge. The promise of a 10-1-2 December was replaced by a 4-9-2 January, a 1-4-1 February and a 6-7-1 March.
“It’s like two years ago,” reflected Henrik. “We were good early on and ran into injuries and it just snowballed from there. We’re trying to build something for the future and playoffs would have been good for the young guys to see what they’re all about. But for me, it’s the everyday part of it. You just can’t come in and play games, you’ve got to work hard whether you’re having a good day or bad day. That’s where we’re trying to get players to be.
“It’s easy to go through the motions, but that can creep into next year and you’re off to a bad start and here you go again. Next year is going to be a good test and the kids are going to be better. They can do things I can’t do.”
OF NOTE — Tanev (lower body) practised Monday and has missed the last five games, but won’t play Tuesday. Markus Granlund (upper body) centred Sven Baertschi and Jake Virtanen in practice and is good to go, while Derek Dorsett (upper body) remains out. Jacob Markstrom gets the rotation start in goal.