Patrick Johnston: There’s little doubt that Filip Hronek’s return will make things better. But the Canucks need more.
But first the good news: the Canucks’ defence is returning to impregnable fortress status.
After a surge in quality shots against in the two weeks before Christmas, which pushed their 10-game moving-average five on five expected-goals rate to 2.0 per 60 minutes for the first time this season, they’re back down to 1.73 per 60.
“Defend the guts of the ice,” he is fond of saying. And to be clear, the fact the Canucks are doing a much better job of that than they were is why expected-goals rate has fallen. The best places to score goals from are in front of the net, Tocchet’s “guts of the ice,” after all.
Since Tocchet took over as Canucks’ bench boss nearly two years ago, stout defensive play has been a constant. And until this season, offensive hockey was their calling card, too.
But they have struggled for offensive consistency this season, partly because of injury, partly because of bad luck, and mostly because they have simply struggled to break out as effectively as they did last season.
Which brings us back to Hronek.
The Canucks have tried, but in the 21 games they played between him hurting his shoulder Nov. 28 in Pittsburgh and his return to the lineup Tuesday in Winnipeg, the Canucks went 8-6-7. That won’t get you to the playoffs.
To make the playoffs, they need to get moving forward again. Hronek will certainly play a part in that, but they still need more. They need strong play from the guys already in the lineup. Take Derek Forbort for example. He is not an adept passer, but he makes lots of other very good decisions, which is reflected in his solid shot-attempts ratio, which is pretty much 1:1, the Canucks getting as many shots on the opposition’s goal when he’s on the ice as they are giving up.
That’s the best such figure among the Canucks’ defenders outside of Hronek and Hughes. That will keep him in the lineup, even if stylistically he is nothing to write home about. He’s quietly effective in what he does at five-on-five.
It’s no secret the Canucks have been looking for another defenceman for a year. More than ever, we can see why. When Hughes has been off the ice, there’s a huge swing in how the game flows, the Canucks go from a team that has the puck all the time to a team that’s chasing the puck all the time.
Hronek’s return will help some, but only so much.
They need to find another defenceman, and given President Jim Rutherford’s history of making big trades ahead of the rest of the league, there’s plenty of reason to think that will happen soon.