You’ve probably already heard it a half a dozen times, whether it’s from GM Jim Benning, President Trevor Linden or head coach Willie Desjardins. The line goes something like this: if our young players play well, we will make room for them.

Now seven games into the preseason, it looks like that pledge will be seriously tested. Jake Virtanen has been physically impressive and has shown off bits of offensive flair against Calgary and Edmonton. Brendan Gaunce’s continued improvement had made many feel that he is a viable replacement for the injured Chris Higgins. But now two players that weren’t expected to have a serious shot at the team – Jared McCann and Ben Hutton – are among the team leaders in points and may have been the two strongest players at their respective positions so far.

The Canucks management team may be in for a tough week. Who will be left standing once all the cuts are made?

With just one exhibition game to go, the Canucks are still carrying four more players than they can begin the season with.

There is a group of players who are considered locks. These players are basically guaranteed to start the season on the team, either by experience, pedigree or the number on their paycheque..

Forwards

Daniel Sedin Henrik Sedin Alex Burrows ? Brandon Sutter Radim Vrbata Chris Higgins Bo Horvat Jannik Hansen Brandon Prust ? Derek Dorsett

Defence

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Alex Edler Chris Tanev Dan Hamhuis Yannick Weber Luca Sbisa Matt Bartkowski

Goalies

Ryan Miller Jacob Markstrom

After that, there is a bevy of young players and capable veterans that are vying for the last few spots in the lineup, as well as the three extra spots that teams are allowed to carry. Let’s take a look.

All That Remains

Jake Virtanen

The Canucks 2014 first round pick has not disappointed in his first month in a Vancouver uniform. Between huge hits and big goals, the Canucks are getting exactly what they wanted out of Virtanen. He hasn’t been the Canucks best prospect so far this preseason, but that certainly doesn’t mean that his performance has been poor.

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While some prospects struggle to be noticed, popping out in fleeting showcases of skill and speed, Virtanen is noticeable on nearly every single shift. He is always involved in the play, throwing the body, forcing turnovers and driving the puck forward. He’s a visual delight.

Jake Virtanen kills Antoine Vermette, high sticks Luca Sbisa, creates peace amongst all Canucks fans pic.twitter.com/u5foHRBjKj — CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 29, 2015

Virtanen’s hands and offensive zone awareness, however, may not be where they should be to play in a productive role. In spite of this, he would still make a useful bottom six energy forward at this point, and could certainly learn a few things from playing with some NHL veterans – the Sedins in particular – even if it’s only for nine games.

Jared McCann

The Canucks’ other 2014 first round pick is suddenly making a whole lot of noise. Without the ever-praised “NHL body” that Horvat and Virtanen have been noted to possess, McCann is letting his play do the talking instead. McCann is tied for second on the Canucks in points this preseason with 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. His shot is legitimately NHL quality.

So, uhh, Jared McCann really wants to be on this team, doesn’t he? pic.twitter.com/iKuGIyQ5ve — CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 30, 2015

Equally as important has been his play away from the puck. McCann has always been touted as a two-way player, and his defensive acumen has been on full display this September. He backchecks hard each shift and has been strong when it comes to exiting his zone with possession.

There are only a few areas in which McCann has been lacking so far. He shies away from hits. Though this is not really a major issue at this point, it would behoove him to be more physical if he wants that fourth line centre gig that Linden Vey was penciled in for. He’s also struggled on faceoffs, which is a bit more of an issue for a team that desperately needs help in the faceoff dot. Of course, the man he’d be replacing – Vey – hasn’t been any better in that regard. He also became less noticeable with poorer quality linemates, which is a little unsettling if you want him to start the year with Dorsett and Prust.

Brendan Gaunce

Brendan Gaunce has spent most of the last couple of years under the radar, despite being a first round pick in 2012. Suddenly he has emerged as the Canucks most NHL-ready prospect. Gaunce was downright dominant in the Young Stars Classic, and has continued that strong play through the preseason. Certainly it helps him that Chris Higgins has gone down with an injury, given that Gaunce plays a similar game and is likely the best fit to replace Higgins on the penalty kill.

Gaunce’s defensive game has always been a strength, but his offensive game has recently begun to blossom as well. The move from centre to left wing at the start of last season seemed to be a bit of a catalyst. He’s more physical, playing with a discernable edge. Once hindered by a lack of footspeed, Gaunce suddenly looks fast. This combination of improvements has allowed him to get in position to release his already dangerous shot in more high-percentage areas.

Oh, and he passes the Don Cherry test with flying colours. After taking a puck to the face in Tuesday’s game against the Sharks, Gaunce stayed out on the ice for almost another minute while the team was killing a penalty, included throwing himself in front of several more pucks, blocking shots while blood was pouring from his face. While Harrison Mooney has a point in saying that pretending getting hit in the face doesn’t hurt isn’t really a hockey skill, it does demonstrate an undeniably impressive level of determination and perseverance. You know the coaches and management noticed that.

Brendan Gaunce played a solid minute while looking like this. Warrior status. pic.twitter.com/fCqG8mJEFp — CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 30, 2015

Sven Baertschi

Baertschi is one of Jim Benning’s project, a cast off of the Calgary Flames that is determined to show that he is worth the price Vancouver paid for him. Baertschi has been relatively quiet this preseason, largely in part because the other forward prospects have been so loud. But Baertschi has gotten steadily better each game, culminating in last night’s game. Earlier in the preseason, while he wasn’t putting up points, at the very least he wasn’t noticeable for the wrong reasons – an advantage he has against poor Linden Vey.

Baertschi is a primarily offensive force – while he has a dangerous wrist shot and the ability to score from distance, he actually considers himself more of a playmaker. His vision in the offensive zone is promising, and finally paid off against Edmonton last night, racking up a whopping 4 assists.

One thing that I’ve noticed about Baertschi is his ability to gain and maintain possession in the offensive zone using angles and creativity rather than pure strength. Instead of whacking pucks or bouncing off larger bodies, he uses strategy and body position to gain control of pucks in a manner which diminishes the defender’s ability to get possession.

Baertschi defensive zone play has always been his Achilles heal, and although he has improved in that area, he still has some ways to go. That being said, he is still likely to have the strongest year out of any of the prospects listed here.

Ronalds Kenins

Ronny Kenins came in like a wrecking ball last season, appeasing a Vancouver audience who has grown to love them some Latvians. Unfortunately, like Baertschi, Kenins has only been average at best, and invisible at worst. Some of the young fellas coming in have managed to make the average looking Kenins look a little bit unnecessary.

Many of us thought that Kenins was a lock as an extra forward, and a prime candidate to slot in as a potential injury replacement. Yet now that there is actually an injured player to replace, all the talk is surrounding Gaunce, McCann and Virtanen – potentially leaving Kenins out in the cold.

In fact, given that there are so many promising young players that seem to deserve temporary looks at the least, combined with the fact that Kenins is exempt from waivers, it’s looking more and more likely that Kenins may be heading to Utica to start the season.

Linden Vey

Oh, Linden. He had everything going for him. He played for Willie in Medicine Hat. He shares a name with the team president. He’s an acquisition of the current regime. But reality just does not seem to be matching expectations with Linden Vey.

Expectations are a funny thing. Last season, Vey was penciled in to be the third line centre and gifted a spot on the first powerplay unit. He couldn’t even manage to hang out to the fourth line centre role, let alone be the third line centre, though he did experience some modest success on that powerplay.

Over the course of the year, Vey actually demonstrated some worth as a defensively oriented winger and occasion spot centre. Now a year after his arrival, expectations have dropped to fourth line centre and second unit powerplay. Still, Vey seems to be drastically underachieving.

Not Linden Vey’s finest moment pic.twitter.com/xwpRubaYy4 — CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 26, 2015

Certainly, he deserves a little more time, as impatient as we all like to be now and again. But given that Brendan Gaunce and Jared McCann are so handily outplaying Vey, it may be tough for him to get the time to prove himself. Over the last couple of games, Vey has been getting plum assignments with some of the strongest linemates available to him, and although the chances are starting to come, he still hasn’t been able to convert.

Adam Cracknell

Adam Cracknell, a cheap depth signing in the summer, was probably not thought of as a serious regular season option. But he’s playing well and has a goal – one of only seven that the Canucks have scored. If they decide that Jared McCann isn’t ready to anchor an NHL fourth line, and that Linden Vey doesn’t have what it takes, Cracknell provides a viable back up option.

The coaches have already been testing this out, playing Cracknell with Brandon Prust and Derek Dorsett in San Jose on Tuesday. It’s just one more thing that should motivate Vey to get it in gear – there are plenty of replacement options.

Ben Hutton

Not many people expected a whole lot out of Ben Hutton this early on. Sure, he had a very impressive sophomore at the University of Maine, but it was generally thought that he’d need some seasoning in Utica before getting a shot at the NHL. At the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, he was somewhat overshadowed by the extremely noticeable Jordan Subban.

But Hutton has come into main camp and taken over. He has been arguably the Canucks’ best defenceman this preseason, and that includes the veterans (most of which have been sleep-skating). Hutton is tied for the team lead in points with 5 (a goal and four assists), and he has earned them. Between finding open players with crisp, cross zone passes, to drawing in defenders and opening up space for shooters, to rushing the puck through a crowd of opponents and drawing a penalty, Hutton has been demanding attention. He finally found the back of the net with a point shot in Edmonton.

Hutton or Horvat? RT if it’s Hutton’s goal, FAV if you think Horvat scored. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/g6886s3DwT — Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) October 2, 2015

While being waiver exempt on a team that already had seven waiver eligible defencemen is likely to hurt his chances of starting the year in the NHL, Hutton is doing everything he can to make Jim Benning and company think long and hard about who most deserves to be on the team.

Frank Corrado

Frankie Corrado’s time with the Canucks and their affiliates has been a bit of a roller coaster. He first arrived in the spring of 2013, stepping into the San Jose series as a fresh-faced 20-year old – and he did not look out of place.

He’s seen time with the big club sporadically since then, and the reviews have been a little more mixed. There are many that believe he is already one of the stronger defensive options, while others believe he has struggled in some of his opportunities.

This preseason, Corrado has looked a little lost. Whether it was because he wasn’t expecting competition for a roster spot, or some other unknown reason, it seems that Corrado waited a little too long to get into gear this year.

He began to look more like himself in the game in San Jose on Tuesday, making some strong defensive plays. Unfortunately for him, his slow start has placed him in a direct competition with fellow 22-year old Ben Hutton. Corrado’s major advantage: he’s waiver eligible this season.

Alex Biega

Biega is a blueliner that, for all intents and purposes, should be considered members of the Utica Comets. Yet during the preseason, when veterans are just looking to stretch their legs,he has been outplaying most of the Canucks’ expected defensive core.

Biega has looked very strong. He was a serviceable replacement player last year when the injury bug hit, and he’s making a case to be one of the first defensive call ups again this season. The fact that he is still here with less than a week to go is demonstrative of the fact that the management group expects him to get into NHL games this year – Benning has often spoken of wanting ten (or more) NHL-capable defencemen in order to stay afloat in the Western Conference. Biega helps him achieve that task.

The Opening Lineup

The Canucks have just 5 more days to sort out their opening roster – the team will be down to 23 active players by next Tuesday night. That means that some cuts are going to come soon, and some disappointments are sure to follow. There are currently 17 forwards, 10 defencemen and two goalies – five more bodies than the roster limit will allow, not counting the injured Chris Higgins. Who stays and who goes?

The easy choices would be the AHL vets: Adam Cracknell and Alex Biega. That leaves two more cuts to be made, out of the following group that I deemed to be on the bubble:

Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann, Brendan Gaunce, Sven Baertschi, Ronalds Kenins, Linden Vey, Ben Hutton and Frank Corrado.

First off, Baertschi is going anywhere. While he wasn’t noticeable for many of the early games, in Edmonton he demonstrated his superior vision and passing, while also adding a physical element to his game. Plus, there’s no one else on this list that is ready to fill in the second line spot that Baertschi is supposed to occupy.

Also in keeping with reality, it seems unlikely that Linden Vey goes anywhere. Unless Benning suddenly decides to trade him for a late pick, I can’t imagine that management is willing to risk losing him for nothing, when they have several waiver exempt players sticking around. Of course, the longer he continues on the path he’s on, the more likely a move is to occur.

Finally, Frank Corrado gets to stay thanks to many of the same reasons. He’s waiver eligible, and as average (or as slow) as he’s looked, he hasn’t been bad enough to lose a roster spot altogether.

After that, it becomes a lot more about personal preference. In my mind, all of Virtanen, McCann, Gaunce and Hutton deserve to be on the team. McCann and Virtanen are not eligible in the AHL this season – it’s NHL hockey or junior for the two 19-year olds. By this token, I’d like to see the team keep both of them, at least to spot them in for nine game stints before making a further decision.

The odd man out here in Ronalds Kenins – I’d start him in Utica simply because it can be done without any waiver risk. That leaves one more cut, and we have to choose between Hutton and Gaunce.

As impressive as Hutton has been, I have to give the edge to Gaunce here, if for no other reason than because he is the best available replacement for Higgins. When Higgins returns, perhaps Gaunce heads back to Utica. Maybe at that point one of the 19-year olds goes back to junior, leaving a spot for Gaunce, Kenins, or even a surprise like Grenier or Shinkaruk to return. The possibilities are vast.

For opening night however, this is how I’d like to see the roster shaking out:

Given what you know about the players’ situations and options, I’d be interested to know what kind of variety there is among Canucks fans when it comes to the opening night roster.

So, let’s see it!





