Canucks line-up: Did Allvin acquire the best linemates for Elias Pettersson?
Photo credit: The Hockey News
One of Patrik Allvin's first orders of business after the Canucks were eliminated from the playoffs was to find wingers to play Elias Pettersson's side.
When the free agency frenzy kicked in, Allvin went out on a limb and acquired his fair share of wingers. While one already seems to be a lock on his wing, a fight is expected for the other spot. On July 1st, Allvin announced that the team had signed Jake Debrusk from the Boston Bruins.
Hard-Working winger on the Left Side
The team's GM already stated that the plan was to play Debrusk on Elias Pettersson's side, and there's a strong possibility of a match between the two. The scouting reports on Debrusk precisely fit the description of a perfect winger for the highly skilled Swede:
A two-way winger with good mobility and scoring ability. Willing to battle in the dirty areas and can always find the puck and make the intelligent play below the hash marks. Shows good creativity and deception with the puck. Good individual skills and makes good use of any time and space found. DeBrusk won't beat you up physically, but he can beat you on the scoreboard. All in all, a competitive two-way winger with the natural goal scorer's instincts.
- Elite Prospect
- Elite Prospect
Right-handed natural scorer on the right side
Pettersson has already demonstrated his ability to feed the right-handed shot wingers. The chemistry he develops with Brock Boeser and Andrei Kuzmenko showcases his ability to develop plays for them. The Canucks made an addition that may just be the perfect complement to Debrusk and Pettersson's skillset with Daniel Sprong.
Not known for his two-way ability, Sprong made his way to the NHL with his speed, accurate shooting, and vital skill at making the most of nothing. Always limited to a secondary role, he could make a case for a more prominent role out of training camp.
Nothing is set in stone at this point, but Rick Tocchet will have lots of cards to play with when it comes time to choose his starting lineup. Do you believe that forward lines like these could take the Canucks all the way?
Debrusk - Pettersson - Sprong
Heinen - Miller - Boeser
Joshua - Blueger - Garland
Hoglander - Suter - Sherwood
Heinen - Miller - Boeser
Joshua - Blueger - Garland
Hoglander - Suter - Sherwood
Seeing that the Canucks have 9 forwards who have already scored 20-goals seasons in their careers, finding the back of the net shouldn't be an issue this year.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 30 | 278 ANSWERS Canucks line-up: Did Allvin acquire the best linemates for Elias Pettersson? Do the Canucks have a complete top six with Miller's line and Debrusk, Pettersson and Sprong? | ||
| Yes | 217 | 78.1 % |
| No | 61 | 21.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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