Canucks Week Ahead: Into the (Omicron) unknown

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Last time we wrote this feature two weeks ago, we were wondering how the Omicron variant might affect things.

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A few days later, the entire NHL went on hiatus.

We are now back with the Vancouver Canucks in California as of this writing, preparing to return from nearly two weeks off. They have two players on the COVID-19 protocol list. The NHL modified its protocols this week to shorten the isolation of positive players in the US.

Where will we meet in a week? Are you playing the Rogers Arena at 50% capacity? We’ll see.

The good news in all of this is that Omicron appears to be causing only mild infections in young, otherwise healthy, fully vaccinated people. Fingers crossed that fully vaccinated older people are also less vulnerable.

And if all of this turns out to be so, these temporary measures that the NHL and public health officials have put in place will be just that, temporary.

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With cautious and hopeful optimism, here’s a look at next week:

The history

The Canucks had won six straight games the last time they played.

Whatever happens on Wednesday in Anaheim, Thursday in Los Angeles is very important to the Canucks’ playoff hopes.

And so, for the next time, it will be how we frame everything. By continuing his career with new coach Bruce Boudreau, the Canucks returned to the sidelines of the playoff conversation.

But they still have a lot of work to do. Under the HockeyViz.com projection model, the Canucks are still on track for an 85-point season. That’s four or five wins less than they’ll need to be in to qualify for the playoffs, which is what the owners believed this team would do when the season began.

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The fact that they got so far off the beat was the reason they let Jim Benning and Travis Green go.

New president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford has been a bit more nuanced on what he thinks this team really is. He said he wanted to see his club play during a mid-January road trip to the US before making a judgment on the direction he needs to steer the ship.

Canucks last five games have been postponed, so could you delay your evaluation window a week or two?

Opponents

Following Thursday’s game in Anaheim, the Canucks will travel by bus to downtown Los Angeles for a contest Thursday night at the recently renamed Crypto.com Arena to face the Los Angeles Kings .

The Kings are a young and fun team. They’ve had some exciting victories lately. But they’re also just ahead of the Canucks in the Pacific Division standings.

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On Saturday, the Canucks will face 2022 with their second visit to Climate Pledge Arena to face the Seattle Kraken . The NHL’s newest team hasn’t been on offense long, but their defense has been pretty good. Too bad it wasn’t good enough for goal.

After returning home, the Canucks will not play again until Wednesday, when they host the New York Islanders. It’s the first of two home games that week, and as it stands, those games will have just 50 percent of normal audience capacity under current provincial health orders, seeking to curb the spread of Omicron.

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Tyler Motte: With Brock Boeser out until at least the weekend, the Canucks’ most energetic forward could find himself playing big minutes alongside Tanner Pearson and JT Miller. He’s not a great scorer, but with that leaning line to play heavy hockey along the end boards and close to the net, that’s exactly what he likes to do and maybe he’ll finally get a chance to make a strong impression. in your new coach. .

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Kyle Burroughs: The team’s shocked face off training camp has been a constant figure throughout the season. But with Boudreau finally looking to a completely healthy defensive body again, could the veteran coach look to a veteran D-man for some more play? The coach was talking to Brad Hunt before the break and Hunt also shoots to the left, which would probably make him more preferable than Burroughs’ right shot to occupy the left side of the third defensive pair.

Question of the week

“Do I play or not play tonight?” – Kody C., Abbotsford

With the Canucks, you can expect the answer to this question to be a clear “yes” until they hit a wall of alignment.

With Boeser and Phillip Di Giuseppe hitting the COVID roster on Wednesday, it seems highly possible that more names will join them in the coming days, even if the players have been super diligent in the arena, at their hotel, and on the plane trying. avoid. the variant.

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It’s also why the NHL brought back the taxi squad (the Canucks added defender Ashton Sautner and goalie Spencer Martin to theirs on Wednesday) so teams would have a lineup buffer in case they had to make some changes from alignment quickly.

Even with Boeser and Di Giuseppe out, the Canucks still have 12 forwards, but it seems likely that another forward from Abbotsford will retire, especially with the AHL Canucks out until January 5. The Canucks have nine forwards at Abbotsford signed to NHL deals and five. more defenders beyond Sautner in NHL deals as well. Plus goalkeepers Mike DiPietro and Arturs Silovs. That’s a bit of protection in case more cases show up in the NHL Canucks.

The last point to understand all of this is a look at the Montreal Canadiens, who faced the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday with nine players on the COVID roster.

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