Bring it on: Vanek doesn’t panic
Vanek isn’t here to kill Canucks’ rebuild and he likely won’t be the saviour either
Thomas Vanek sure doesn’t look like the rebuild’s Grim Reaper. But that’s how some see him.
It’s what happens when you’re good, 30-something and brought in at the off-season’s 11th hour to seemingly wipe out the hopes and dreams of all the young up-andcomers.
This mattered less at the start of September when Vanek arrived. His signing was quite rightly viewed as a value deal with both upside and trade-deadline options.
Back then, it was easy to argue none of the Canucks’ collection of “next ones” were quite ready. Nikolay Goldobin was the defensively flawed playmaker with, uh, stuff to learn. Brock Boeser was the sniper whose skating wasn’t quite explosive enough. And Jake Virtanen was still a project.
But in the weeks since, things have changed, especially for Virtanen and Boeser. They have played themselves into the opening-night roster conversation.
There are two pre-season games to play and if those two players do roll on and then one or both are cut in favour of some underwhelming veterans, there may be, um, a little public backlash.
If so, Vanek has the perfect disposition to handle it. He is the king of taking things in stride, the prince of “meh.”
Was he panicking in late August when he didn’t have an NHL contract? Meh. He said he always had options and never once thought about retirement or Europe.
You think he was disappointing in Florida after the trade deadline? Meh. He pointed out joining new teams during a season can be rough. He said if he had stayed in Detroit, he probably would have had 20-plus goals and everyone would be gushing all over themselves about what a good season he had.
The Canucks’ power play went 1-for-12 in the first game in China? Meh.
“Power plays are tough,” he said. “I’ve been on teams where the power play on paper looks really good and 10 games in you’re the worst in the league. Just because it looks good on paper doesn’t mean it’s going to translate.
The Canucks can relate. Combine the past five seasons and only the Florida Panthers’ power play has been worse. That’s a whole lot of unexplained failures for the Sedins, who are otherwise among the best offensive players this millennium.
It just has never made sense things could be this bad for this long.
Speed isn’t a factor on the power play and the Sedins should have enough room to create the types of mismatches in and around the net they have feasted on for most of their careers.
But once again, this summer the Canucks found themselves prioritizing power-play improvement above everything else.
It did make sense. This doesn’t project to be an above-average even-strength team. No matter how you construct the lines, all of them are going to struggle to keep their collective heads above water in terms of puck possession.
But a good power play can make up for poor shot metrics and it’s why the Canucks bit on signing Vanek, even if it means eating up a spot that would have otherwise gone to a 20-something winger with upside.
The good news? Vanek and the Sedins have been talking a lot. He said they’re on the same wavelength, which is encouraging, even if the results haven’t been.
Head coach Travis Green hasn’t yet had the time to focus on special teams, something that will happen increasingly next week. The coaching staff hasn’t asked Vanek for any ideas, but he has seen things on the ice he thinks could work.
“But it might work for 10 games and then it might not,” he said. Meh.
Of course, if Loui Eriksson had done his job last year, and by doing his job I mean scoring lots of goals, Vanek wouldn’t have ended up in Vancouver this season.
But soon Vanek will be asked to do what Eriksson couldn’t. With the way Vanek thinks and makes plays, he does look to be a better fit with the Sedins.
But if it doesn’t work out and either Virtanen or Boeser are thriving in Utica, there will be criticism.
And Vanek is just fine with that. “Ah, it doesn’t matter,” Vanek said. “People have their opinions and they should. It’s their right. But at the same time, I know what to expect for myself.
“In my early years, Chris Drury and Mike Grier taught me well. They taught me good game, bad game, good stretch, bad stretch, it makes no difference. You don’t let it show.
“Things will work out.” Meh.
People have their opinions and they should. It’s their right. But at the same time, I know what to expect for myself.