Rick Tocchet Makes Drastic Changes to the Vancouver Canucks Lineup for Matchup Against the San Jose Sharks
With only one game until the Vancouver Canucks and the rest of the NHL go off on a 1-week holiday break, head coach Rick Tocchet has madder some drastic changes to the lineup ahead of their matchup with Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks.
Whether it involving the drama with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, or the fact that they are not winning games, with all the distractions surrounding the Vancouver Canucks right now, the holiday break cannot come soon enough.
With the Canucks on a three-losing skid and only winning 3 out of their last 10 games, there are desperately looking for answers to get them back into the win column, and head coach Rick Tocchet has decided to make some pretty big changes to the lineup.
Vancouver Canucks Projected Lineup Vs the San Jose Sharks
Although not confirmed just yet, there has been a common trend all season long, what ever the lines and pairings seen at morning practice, or the practice the day before a game, it is the group Rick Tocchet is going to roll with.
Forwards
Di Giuseppe-Miller-Boeser
DeBrusk-Pettersson-Hoglander
Joshua-Suter-Garland
Heinen-Blueger-Sherwood
Defense
Hughes-Myers
Soucy-Juulsen
Forbort-Desharnais
The biggest change that can be seen on the lines is that Tocchet will be giving Phillip Di Giuseppe a chance back on the first line.
PDG spent the better part of the 2023-2024 NHL season with the big club, playing in 51 games, but bot making the major impact, only scoring 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points int hat span.
Although not the offensive powerhouse you would normally see on the first-line, he posses many of the qualities Rick Tocchet likes to see out of his forwards.
It helps as well that in the 2 games he played for the Canucks this season, he scored 2 points in 2 games.
