The Vancouver Canucks are still searching for answers during an eight-game losing streak, and Wednesday’s practice offered a fresh glimpse at how Manny Malhotra is trying to jolt the lineup.
The most eye-catching change on the ice was the top unit. Drew O’Connor skated with Elias Pettersson and Linus Karlsson, while Jake DeBrusk lined up with Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimäki. That setup made it look, at first, like DeBrusk had been pushed down and O’Connor had taken his spot alongside Pettersson.
But the picture may be more complicated than that.
Pettersson has been the Canucks’ most productive forward to open the season, leading the team with 11 points in 11 games. He’s also been filling out his game in a way Canucks fans have wanted to see for a while - hitting, blocking shots, killing penalties, and taking faceoffs.
Still, the way Malhotra is using Filip Chytil suggests the Czech centre may be the one functioning as the club’s de facto first-line pivot right now.
Since Chytil returned from his preseason shoulder injury, he has actually led the Canucks’ forwards in even-strength ice time. Over the last three games, Chytil has averaged 17:29 at five-on-five, more than a minute per game ahead of anyone else on the roster. Pettersson, by comparison, has averaged 13:43 - 3:46 less per game than Chytil.
So while O’Connor’s placement next to Pettersson looks like a promotion on the surface, it may really be DeBrusk and Lekkerimäki who are moving up by joining Chytil.
Pettersson still ends up with plenty of ice because of his special teams work, but Chytil has also passed him in all-situations minutes over the last two games. That’s partly because Chytil has been used on the penalty kill as well, a role he has not regularly handled at the NHL level.
Asked about Chytil’s penalty-killing work, Malhotra pointed to two things.
“Speed and size,” he said. “If you look at that combination, it allows him to get around the ice quickly, close lanes, use his stick and his reach to deflect pucks - those are the two main assets that are getting him those minutes.”
Those same traits appear to fit the way Malhotra wants the Canucks to play. Chytil is six-foot-three and brings speed, which makes him a natural fit for a system built around those qualities.
That said, this could all be temporary. Pettersson has been strong enough that his minutes could easily rise again. Malhotra has also made it clear that he’s still experimenting with his combinations, and with the team trying to snap out of an eight-game skid, there’s room for some lineup shuffling.
Even so, Thursday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings will be worth watching closely. If these practice lines carry over, the Canucks’ first line may not look like Pettersson’s group at all - it could be DeBrusk, Chytil, and Lekkerimäki.
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