We’re still early in the NHL season, but two very different storylines are already starting to take shape.
One is in Philadelphia, where Rick Tocchet’s first two months behind the Flyers’ bench have turned into a real problem. The Flyers are 0-5-2, and the losses are piling up fast enough to put their head coach in the middle of the league’s hottest-seat conversation.
Tocchet was given major organizational faith with a five-year, big-money deal that made him one of the NHL’s highest-paid coaches. That contract came after he walked away from Vancouver, where the Canucks had also put a similar offer on the table after two and a half seasons with him behind their bench.
Because he’s only in year two of that deal, Tocchet should have some runway. But patience in the NHL only stretches so far, and right now the Flyers need wins to change the mood. Philadelphia’s next chance to stop the slide comes today against the Seattle Kraken at 4 PM PT.
There’s a much happier update out of Chicago.
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said Tuesday morning that Connor Bedard will make his season debut tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 21-year-old centre has been sidelined by a shoulder injury suffered while training in Burnaby with other Vancouver-based NHLers in July. After needing shoulder surgery, he was initially expected to miss about four months, which makes this return roughly a month ahead of schedule.
Bedard put it simply: “It’s only been six games, but when you miss camp and you miss preseason it feels like a lot longer,” Bedard said of returning. “Just to be back with the guys and get to do what I love, it’s exciting. Looking forward to getting back out there, for sure.”
And yes, that matters for more than one reason. Bedard being back is good news for a Blackhawks team that instantly gets more dangerous with him in the lineup.
It also gives hockey fans one more reason to tune in. And for Canucks watchers keeping an eye on the bigger picture, Chicago winning more games would mean a better chance the Blackhawks climb the standings and push further away from the Canucks in the overall race for the Landon DuPont sweepstakes.
In Other News...
Canucks Loss Still Put A Few Young Players In Focus
Even in a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders, there were a few reasons the Canucks could come away with a clearer picture of some of the younger names in the lineup. The game leaned more toward a performance review than a simple final score recap, with several players drawing attention for the way they handled bigger minutes and more pressure than usual.
Leevi Merilinen kept Vancouver afloat with a series of important stops, while Max Sasson supplied the early offense and Liam hgren helped swing momentum by drawing a penalty that eventually led to the tying goal. For a team looking for signs of progress in the depth chart, nights like this can matter almost as much as the result, even if the finish still leaves something to be desired. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Suddenly Have A Real Battle For Bigger Roles
Vancouvers early-season results have not exactly matched the flashes the club has seen, but there are enough encouraging signs to make the next stretch interesting. Leevi Merilinen has given the Canucks steady goaltending in recent games, and that has added a little edge to a crease picture that also includes Lankinen. At the same time, the organization is continuing to give looks to younger players such as Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Lekkerimki while trying to sort out who can handle bigger responsibilities.
Jonathan Lekkerimkis role is one of the more intriguing parts of that evaluation, especially as the Canucks keep testing how their young forwards and defensemen fit into the longer-term plan. Vancouver is not just chasing short-term stability, it is also trying to find out which prospects can move from promising pieces to real building blocks. In that sense, the battle for minutes has started to matter almost as much as the results, and the next decisions should say plenty about where the team sees its future coming from. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Loss Showed The Same Problem Fans Are Already Tired Of
Vancouver went into UBS Arena looking to steady itself, but instead saw the same kind of game slip away in a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders. The Canucks had the edge early, then watched the Islanders keep pressing behind Kyle Palmieri and Matias Maccelli, with Palmieri finding the net twice and Maccelli scoring his first goal since joining the club. It was the kind of result that leaves Vancouver trying to sort out what went wrong before the frustration starts to feel familiar.
The Islanders, now 3-3-0, got a needed lift from a night in which Palmieri ended his scoring drought and provided the kind of finishing touch they have been chasing. Vancouver, meanwhile, leaves with another reminder that a lead alone does not always tell the full story. The Canucks will want a faster answer the next time they are in position to control a game, because these are the moments that can linger in October and shape how a fan base sees the team early. [Read more 🡒]