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It’s a question of relativity — how good can you actually be in the pre-season? — but there’s no doubt that Tyler Motte’s September for the Vancouver Canucks has been a good one.

The winger, picked up in a trade last season from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Thomas Vanek, has been one of the Canucks’ best skaters in just about every game he’s played in in the pre-season.

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He’s shown spunk in those games, driving the puck to the net and playing a strong defensive game to boot. He scored the nicest goal in the handful of scrimmages at training camp.

He’s seen plenty of time on the penalty kill and has even showed up on the power play from time-to-time.

He’s been looking like the player who makes sense to play on a modern third or fourth line. Where once those spots were for grinding, gritty players, willing to drop the mitts from time-to-time, more than ever they’re being filled by players who are expected to be quick, to be able to keep up with the opposition’s best players, to do well enough in slowing them down and then, hopefully, be able to chip in offensively.