Article content

From his front-row perch on the bench, Jake Virtanen sees more than we do.

And for a young player whose positioning and play without the puck is of paramount importance to becoming a complete NHL performer, he sees something in Loui Eriksson.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Kuzma: Eriksson working smarter, harder for better two-way impact Back to video

He sees more than an encouraging run of 10 points (5-5) in 10 games last month after the Vancouver Canucks’ winger returned from missing a dozen games with a left-knee sprain. He sees more than those who rightfully bash a US$6-million salary-cap commitment to the underachieving Swede for this season and three more.

He sees a puck-retrieval and penalty-kill specialist who’s also on pace for 23 goals.

Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

It’s a far cry from last season. Eriksson sank to 11 goals in a stifling system and missed the final 17 with a knee injury. He didn’t look engaged. He looked lost.

Not now.

“When I watch him and watched Dorse (Derek Dorsett), it’s the same thing,” stated Virtanen. “Very good positional players. Loui is super-smart. He’s got the Swedish in him for sure. I feel like all the Swedes are real smart players and have great IQs.