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What does it all mean? Good things for the second half of the season. As Baertschi’s shooting percentage starts climbing back to his career average, he’s going to produce more goals. And who doesn’t like goals?

7. Jake Virtanen going to the minors.

If this was about the team and who gives the Canucks the best chance to win, Virtanen probably should be on the Canucks’ fourth line. But the young winger needs to play and needs to play a lot. He has to improve his puck skills. All of them. How he shoots, when he shoots, and how he plays with the puck on his stick.

Looking back, he probably would have benefited from playing 20 minutes a night in junior last year. Now, he can do that in the AHL. Yes, it’s odd he didn’t start the season in Utica, but the Canucks really do need his skill-set, so you can understand their thinking in having him make their opening-night roster.

There is only one legitimate concern to what’s happening now. What if his AHL season ends with 55 to 60 games played and just 20 to 25 points? What then?

8. Troy Stecher coming out of nowhere.

In the summer, not many people had Stecher down as a possible pairing partner with Alex Edler. But here we are, and the 22-year-old is doing this year what Ben Hutton did last season.

Stecher is learning on the job and can make some mistakes. He’s also undersized and it’s definitely an issue against some forwards. It’s probably a good idea he not play every game.

But Stecher loves to shoot. He also loves to think the game and gives the Canucks the kind of upside players like Philip Larsen can not.

Photo by Mike Stone / AP

9. Luca Sbisa has been fine.

On a third pairing this year, this has been the best we’ve seen of Sbisa. This is very good news because he will be exposed in the expansion draft and is just the type of defenceman you think about building you team around. Right, Vegas?

10. The Canucks division is bad again.

It won’t stay this way, but all three California teams have been stuck in neutral to start the season. If it’s important to say you’re in the playoff race, and it seems to be for the Canucks’ front office, this helps quite a bit.

jbotchford@postmedia.com

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