The Vancouver Canucks fell briefly to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night in Orange County.
If you glanced over the first period, you may have noticed some flaws that were evident for Vancouver during the early part of its schedule. Anaheim, usually a very conservative team under coach Greg Cronin, found some great success attacking Vancouver off the rush and their speed seemed to play a role as they took an early 1-0 lead.
Once the Canucks settled into the game, it was no contest. Vancouver’s superior quality took over, completely suffocating the Ducks at five-on-five. From the closing stages of the first half – tying the score and quickly taking the lead with a stunning goal from Kiefer Sherwood – until the final whistle, Vancouver unmistakably put the boot in the Ducks with a dominant, organized and sharp performance.
This was ultimately the most complete and convincing victory for Vancouver this season so far. It wasn’t an absolute win or an identity win, but it was the first time this season that we’ve seen the Canucks skate a less competent opponent off the ice without fanfare.
As we reflect on Vancouver’s impressive showing in Southern California on Tuesday night, let’s highlight some players who have improved their stock with stellar performances through the first 11 games of this season and several other players whose stock has trended in the wrong direction in the early going.
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Heading up
Conor Garland
Garland is developing from an excellent midfielder into a legitimate top-tier driver.
The smaller, elusive forward is averaging nearly four more minutes per game than last year. He is tied for the team lead in scoring with nine points in 10 games, with seven of those nine coming on five-for-five shooting.
We’ve already known since last year that Garland is a spark plug who can lead the line with his speed, puck-recovery, playmaking, and two-way cutting skills. But there is a difference between driving elite scoring on the third line against opponents in the middle of the lineup compared to now where he dictates the same results as a full-time top-six player. This was a question some outside-the-market skeptics asked about Garland last year: He’s a good player, but if he’s truly such a top-notch driver, why does he average less than 15 minutes of ice time each day? game? Now, this can no longer be doubted.
Garland’s success in a high-level role, which also included some secondary time killing penalties, is meaningful because not every player maintains the same level of impact when moving up the lineup. He and JT Miller are the only Canucks forwards with the club controlling more than 60 percent of expected goals at a five-on-five rate. Garland’s results are even more impressive because he spends significantly less time on the ice with Quinn Hughes, who plays a key role in boosting Miller’s double-digit numbers.
Garland is establishing himself as an indispensable centerpiece of this franchise.
Kevin Lankinen
Where would the Canucks be without Lankinen?
Signed during training camp after weeks of negotiations, Lankinen cemented himself as Vancouver’s first option in the extended absence of Thatcher Demko. He earned this role through his incredibly consistent and strong presence in the blue paint.
The numbers speak for themselves Vancouver has won six of Lankinen’s eight games and has earned points in every game he has started so far this season thanks to Lankinen’s exceptional .923 save percentage. With public and private goals saved above average, Lankinen’s performance ranks comfortably among the top 10 goaltenders in the NHL.
Lankinen has stepped up and established himself as an everyday caliber option for the Canucks in net. This has been a huge development in Demko’s absence but will still be hugely important even once Demko returns to the lineup at some point, hopefully in the near future.
Kiefer Sherwood
Contending teams need bargain players who can outperform their contracts. Booked for this season and next at $1.5 million, Sherwood already offers solid value for the money.
Sherwood is a wrecking ball, leading the NHL in strikeouts. But he’s not just physical in order to increase his hitting total. He’s annoying and annoying up front, wins a lot of fights and is always causing chaos with his speed. He has an obvious pain in playing against the identity that Vancouver’s top six lacked at times last year. Sherwood showing he can hold on to a top-nine role is key because promoting Garland to the top of the lineup could have caused the bottom to fall out for that third line.
He also excelled as a penalty kill, as his speed in applying pressure up the ice made it difficult for opponents to get into the Canucks zone and set up. Offensively, he engaged in valuable secondary production, scoring all five of his points at a five-on-five clip.
At $1.5 million at the cap, Kiefer Sherwood was good value for the Canucks. (Bob Freed/Imagine Images)
Eric Brannstrom
Brännström took over the fourth man’s ice seamlessly as the Canucks entered the zone and hit Sherwood with a nice pass. With time and space to get in the shot, Sherwood made no mistake putting Vancouver up 2-1, one they would never relinquish against the Ducks.
It was a useful play. A look at Brännström’s impact since arriving in Vancouver as a salary cap throw-in to make the math of the Tucker Poolman trade work.
Brännström took advantage early in the season and helped stabilize non-Hughes’ minutes for the Canucks on the back end. His impact as a puck mover has helped Vancouver get the best out of Vincent Desharnais and gives the club an additional backfield facilitator who can help move the puck in a positive direction consistently with the Canucks’ third defenseman on the ice. .
Pius Soter
It’s funny how quickly the narrative around Sutter can shift.
The versatile, low-maintenance Swiss striker struggled in pre-season, sustaining injuries and then losing the third-line position he was initially considered the favourite. If we had written this article a week or two ago, Suter would have been relegated to the “stock drop” section because he was relegated to the fourth line and had his ice time cut after all of the deep acquisitions Vancouver made this summer.
Most of Vancouver’s new wingers have struggled alongside Sherwood, and Suter is back in the Canucks’ top six after a two-goal performance against the San Jose Sharks. Sutter’s skill set lacks flash — he’s a below-average skater, undersized and doesn’t have a lot of dynamic skills — but his hockey IQ and two-way striking are standout traits. He also has a knack for getting in the slot and near the front of the net.
Sutter proved back last year that he can play a complementary role in the top six, something that can’t yet be said for some of Vancouver’s other wingers like Danton Heinen, Daniel Sprung and Arshdeep Baines. Dakota Joshua’s eventual return may force Suter to drop out of the lineup again at some point, but we’re learning the latter remains one of Vancouver’s best complementary wing options even after a busy season to bolster its forward depth.
Trending downward
Elias Peterson
Sometimes when a star player fails to produce, you can take solace in the fact that he or she is at least generating a significant number of chances and performing well. I’m looking dangerous. A breakout is always around the corner for the player in this situation because chances are they are just snakebitten and will get ripped off once the bounces return to normal.
But Peterson’s rut is different. It doesn’t matter whether you look at his shot percentages, basic two-way metrics, the eye test, or some NHL Edge skating and shooting data – they all indicate that his lackluster production has been well deserved. This isn’t just a matter of unlucky bounces, he’s really stuck in the mud and looks like a shadow of the dominant playmaker we know he can be.
Discussions, thoughts, and speculation about his struggles swirl 24/7, like an unstoppable intellectual loop. Some of the criticism and heated criticism were overblown, but you can’t blame the market for being concerned about his lukewarm start given how bad he’s been over the past year and how high expectations are now that he’s finished fifth. -Highest number of hits among all NHL players.
The two biggest factors that could determine whether the Canucks are a “true Stanley Cup contender” rather than a “playoff team that can win a round or two if things go well” are Peterson returning as an elite force and Demko becoming healthy and effective.
Carson Soucy
Even with the Canucks dominating Tuesday in Anaheim, Soucy had another tough night.
The big lockdown defender, who was scouted by the Canucks in his first season in Vancouver last year, was penalized twice against the Ducks. Both punishments were clumsy and unnecessary. Although Vancouver outgained Anaheim in Souci’s minutes and outgained the Ducks by a wide margin, the authority that was so evident in Souci’s game last season is gone. He seems to be going through one of those hockey periods where he can’t do anything right.
This season, the basic look is stark. Before Tuesday night’s game, Vancouver had been outscored 87-42 in Soucy’s five minutes. More than just counter shots, the club was actually outscored 2-1 (10 goals to, five goals against) with Souci on the ice at even strength.
Whatever affects Soucy initially, the Canucks need him to work through it and emerge once again as a stabilizing presence. This is what Soucy performed successfully throughout last season and during the 2024 qualifiers, but he was far below this level during the first 11 matches.
Arturs Shilov
On Tuesday, Demko took to the ice at the end of Vancouver’s skating game in Anaheim and took photos from Noah Jolsen, Jason Krug and one of the Sedin team. Nothing is guaranteed with Demko’s unprecedented injury — his recovery has clearly not been linear — but this is another small step that suggests he may be slowly closing in on a return.
With Lankinen stealing the starting crease and Demko’s return perhaps looming, the Šilovs face a huge uphill battle for an NHL start. He may face an uphill battle to remain on the roster, given his waiver waiver and how disciplined the Canucks are in working on the cap passer on a daily basis.
Vancouver’s November schedule is relatively sparse with only two straight games, motivating the Canucks to ride Lankinen.
Šilovs couldn’t even achieve a .800 save percentage over his three starts. The development of young goalkeepers isn’t always a straight arrow and this is a three-game sample, so the point is not to write off Shilovs’ future, but the season has been a nightmare for him since he was named Vancouver’s starter.
(Top photo of Kevin Lankinen and Connor Garland: Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
