Jacob Markstrom got his first start of the pre-season and took some time to settle in. That isn’t too surprising considering he missed training camp and started just one game with Sweden in the World Cup, but a slow start will likely ensure he gets the “B” designation in the Canucks 1A/1B goaltending situation.
That’s not to say he was really to blame for giving up four goals—three of them came on the power play and the other was a breakaway—but he looked a little rough around the edges, giving up big rebounds and getting out of position with overly-aggressive reads.
He even got visibly upset a couple times, starting with the very first goal, as he barely restrained himself from slamming his stick on the ice after the puck popped out of his glove for a rebound. John Garrett even commented that his emotions and aggressiveness made him think of Dan Cloutier, but that’s not right: he didn’t throw a single punch, not even when Anthony Duclair crashed into him while scoring.
Compared to Cloutier, Markstrom was a zen master when I watched this game.
- Emerson Etem got his audition on Bo Horvat’s wing. It didn’t go well. While he brought a physical edge, he lacks the creative dimension of Anton Rodin, making the line a little more one-dimensional. The Canucks were out-shot 14-5 with Etem on the ice at even-strength, the worst on the team. With a crowded roster and Joe LaBate earning rave reviews, Etem’s choice to forego his qualifying offer and sign a one-way deal could have been a really smart decision, as he'll get paid the same amount even if he ends up in the AHL.
- One of the battles to watch heading into the pre-season was supposed to be between Brendan Gaunce and Markus Granlund. That hasn’t really been the way it panned out, however, with Granlund moving to the wing in this game possibly so that both he and Gaunce can make the team. LIke William Shatner’s gremlin, Granlund looked comfortable on the wing.
- Markus “Gremlin” Granlund opened the scoring on the power play, tipping in a long wrist shot from Alex Edler. The shot appeared to be going wide, but just when you thought it was out, Granlund pulled it back in.
- Edler and Troy Stecher are a delight to watch on the power play and it’s getting harder and harder to justify sending Stecher down to the AHL in the name of asset management. I’d still like to see him play alongside the likes of Luca Sbisa, Nikita Tryamkin, or Andrey Pedan—the players he’d most likely line up with on a third pairing—before handing him a spot on the roster though.
- That brings me to Philip Larsen, who seems to have already earned the ire of Canucks fans by simply because he’s not Troy Stecher. Guys, there’s nothing in the rulebook that says teams can only have one skilled, power play-specialist defenceman, just like there’s nothing in the rulebook that says a giraffe can’t play football.
- Ben Hutton is going to be fun as hell to watch this season, assuming hell is actually fun and has less of the wailing and gnashing of teeth than is rumoured. He scored the Canucks’ second goal on a fantastic individual effort, stripping Dylan Strome of the puck at the blue line, then streaking through the neutral zone, driving past Alex Goligoski and powering his way to the net. His first shot was stopped, but he went upstairs with the rebound like he just ended a serious relationship.
- Someone must have whispered in Nikita Tryamkin’s ear that he needed to be more physical. Then someone else must have translated that into Russian and whispered it into his other ear, because he was noticeably looking for hits, which took him out of position a couple times. He’s a work in progress, to be sure, but like a kid with obese parents, he’s got massive potential.
- Sidenote: Erik Gudbranson and Nikita Tryamkin didn’t seem to work as a pairing, but I insist the Canucks put them together again, simply because “Gud-Try” is a great nickname.
- The Canucks best line might have been the 13th Forward Line of Joe LaBate, Tuomo Ruutu, and Jack Skille. Though the deck is stacked against them, each member of the trio has built a case for making the Canucks out of training camp, but my pick is LaBate, partly because of his youth and potential upside and partly because he’s already got a contract. No extra paperwork required.
- But seriously, I would be shocked if the Canucks waived Etem to make room for LaBate. There's no way Etem would make it through waivers and the Canucks don't want to lose him for nothing, even if it would undercut the meritocracy they've advertised.
