Baertschi back to fight for his old job
Swiss veteran's full-time return to Canucks may involve switching flanks
In an odd year, Sven Baertschi could find himself in an odd roster spot.
The Vancouver Canucks' left-winger, who cleared waivers and was assigned to the American Hockey League affiliate Utica Comets in October of 2019, and then opted out of the 2020 NHL post-season in June, was upbeat this week when reached at his off-season home near Portland.
Part of the optimism is no concussions last season. Part of it is an unwavering conviction that he's a National Hockey League player. But the biggest part is opportunity should training camp commence Jan. 3 at Rogers Arena.
“I'll be fighting like hell,” said the 28-year-old Baertschi. “I'm still really confident in my abilities and I know I can be relied on in a day-to-day basis. I feel so good about my game in many ways and I have to come to camp and make a statement.
“I've always had the belief and I'm going to stick with it. I train like an NHL player and think like an NHL player. But I'd be lying if I didn't think: Where can I fit in and what could my role be? Anybody would do that — it's part of the prep.
“I have to keep proving myself over and over and coming to this camp, I have to do it again. Guys will be fighting like dogs for spots and I'll never settle for less.”
There will be positional drama, especially given that left-winger Micheal Ferland faces an uncertain playing future after several concussions and that right-winger Tyler Toffoli has left in free agency.
There's an expanded roster from 23 to 25 and a four-man taxi squad. The process of keeping recall targets here to train and practise — eliminating the mandated 14-day quarantine players would face when crossing the COVID-closed Canada-U.S. border — also will help Baertschi's quest to stick in the NHL.
However, he doesn't want to be an extra. He wants to be a lineup staple, and swapping sides might help.
Baertschi took right-side shifts under former Canucks coach Willie Desjardins and it's not a stretch to suggest that the Swiss winger could be considered a possible Bo Horvat winger once again. It would be quite the transition for Baertschi.
He requested a trade last year to help restart his NHL career, but there were no suitors. And the Canucks did calculations to see what they'd save if Baertschi was in Utica again on the final year of his deal that carries a US$3.66-million cap hit. However, with six extra players at the coming camp, he should be here.
The Canucks don't have salary cap space to chase an unrestricted free-agent winger, even on a oneyear deal. And whether it's Mike Hoffman or Mikael Granlund, they're not taking salary cuts. So drop the camp scrimmage puck and let's see what happens.
Elias Pettersson between J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser is a lock. Jake Virtanen, who's coming off a career year with 36 regular-season points (18-18) in 69 games, also is going to get a look with Horvat. Can he maintain consistency when playing in the top-six mix to make his two-year, $5.1-million contract extension seem prudent?
What about Baertschi, who appeared in just six NHL games last season on an injury recall, and didn't score? Can he flip wings?
“At times, back when Willie was there, I played right wing, but it's been a long time,” admitted Baertschi, who had 46 points (1333) in 43 AHL games last season before COVID-19 cancelled the season in March.
“It's obviously different. You get so used to that side, but if that is being asked of me I would have time at camp to work on it. The game does play a little bit different on the right side. The part I do like about it offensively is that it opens up more options.”
Regardless of where he's deployed, Baertschi knows what the message will be from behind the bench. He talked to the hockey operations department two weeks ago and Travis Green sang a familiar refrain.
“His expectations never really change, even going back to junior with him in Portland,” Baertschi said. “It's always about the same things — a fast-paced game and being hard to play against — and being reliable defensively and creating some offence.
“The biggest thing he says to me is that you have to play with confidence in your abilities and make the plays when they're there.”
Baertschi has had his moments in Vancouver.
He put up 15-, 18- and 14-goal seasons before a concussion-plagued 2018-19 campaign limited him to nine goals in 26 games. And while it took time for the sting of clearing waivers to ease, especially just before the start of last season, he just didn't look sharp.
If anything, the emotion of it all forced Baertschi to be a player and mentor in Utica.
And if he needed any levity, he got it after clearing waivers again in late November of 2019 and bumping into Nikolay Goldobin in an airport.
Goldobin, who also was waived just before last season, had been recalled and the left-winger was on his way to Pittsburgh.
“It was funny,” Baertschi recalled. “I had an early flight and hadn't had my coffee yet. And as I looked up we were literally walking past each other. And you know how Goldy dresses. Pretty flashy. I finally woke up. That's Goldy. Must be going to Pittsburgh.
“We always had a great bond and we weren't going let a thing like that (demotion, promotion) get in between our friendship. I still love the guy. Awesome dude, and we spent a lot of time together in Utica.”
That's where Baertschi took the high road when other players were recalled by the Canucks. There were still games to win in Utica and a chance to show the organization another side.
“I'm not the most outspoken person or the loudest guy in the room, but there were moments where I was talking more and helping guys out — if the game wasn't going their way,” Baertschi said. “I stepped up more than the past. If guys had questions, I gave them all the answers.”
The question last June was: Why did Baertschi opt out of the 2020 NHL post-season?
He said it was more about the COVID-19 unknown than being added to the roster, practising, probably not playing and being isolated. He took part in Phase 2 training and skating at Rogers Arena in advance of the July camp, but being quarantined for two weeks in Phase 2 gave him a glimpse of what bubble life would be like in Edmonton.
His son, Callan, was 13 months old and with his wife, Laura, they made a difficult decision.
“I pretty much stared at the wall and thought about it every single day,” Baertschi recalled. “What's the right thing for me, personally, and for the family to keep them safe? At the time, there were so many unknown (COVID-19) things and we know so much more now.
“I was amazed how well the NHL handled the whole thing because there were no cases and that was huge. And the team played great and was fun to watch.”