The Vancouver Canucks’ problems lie in the slow-moving defencemen, more than anything else.
This is not about Erik Brännström but this is also sort-of about Erik Brännström.
Derek Forbort hits skates as often as he hits sticks with his passes. Same for Vincent Desharnais. In his two-game cameo, depth blueliner Guillaume Brisebois was piss-poor with his puck decisions.
And these guys are all playing over Brännström, whose one obvious talent is being able to pass the puck.
So what gives?
Brännström, let’s be clear, is not a game-changer on his own. He had a poor run of games before he was scratched to start this year. (He has yet to suit up in a game in 2025.) But in relative terms, he’d be an improvement over this dire baseline.
Desharnais has been mostly decent of late. He’s been a solid in-zone defender. But he’s been getting lost defending on the rush and obviously is not in the lineup as a puck mover.
It’s Forbort, though, that’s the real question mark. Like Brännström, he’s a left shot. He’s, notionally, big and physical.
But he’s been very underwhelming to date. He’s struggled with injury, so that’s some of the story, he’s not been able to get a consistent run of games before now. Somehow, he’s actually been a low-event player on this team.
The Canucks as a whole are a low-event team. They play slow. Forbort fits that style.
But he just doesn’t have the offensive ability that Brännström does.
So is he being played for other reasons? Are the Canucks hoping another team looks at him and says, “Hey, there’s a guy to trade for?” It wouldn’t be the first time Canucks GM Patrik Allvin has turned around and flipped a defenceman away that just wasn’t fitting.
What’s with Soucy?
But he’s been crushed in so many aspects this season. He looks slow. He’s got the worst on-ice shot-attempts share on the team. In 40 games last year, he gave up 555 shot-attempts against. In 41 games this year, he’s been on the ice for 690 against.
Given how generally strong the Canucks have been defensively this year, that’s staggering.
The Canucks have defended well, despite Soucy’s efforts.
There are many things that need to turn around for this team and getting Soucy back to last season’s form is a big one.
Making sense of Sasson
Max Sasson is a hard worker. He’s a very good skater.
But he also seems to have maxed out. Last night he was on the third line and that just seems a little too much to ask of him at this point. He’s been solid defensively, but a black hole offensively. So is that a statement about Nils Höglander?
Sure feels like it.
Sasson can clearly play a role as a fourth-liner, but if you’re asking him to fill on the third line and scratching Höglander to do it … man.
To be clear: This is on Höglander, who has had some good spurts but isn’t scoring and that’s supposed to be his main calling card.