The 2017-18 season might present a changing of the guard for the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»Canucks, as Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi appear poised to take over first-line duties from the Sedin twins. Where once the evergreen preseason question was “Who will play with the Sedins?” that might change to “Who will play with Horvat and Baertschi?”
The duo led the Canucks in points-per-hour at even-strength by a wide margin and Horvat was also the Canucks top forward in power play points-per-hour. With some additional ice time, it’s hoped that the two can eclipse their career-high numbers from last season, but they’ll need another talented linemate to help them on their way.
Fortunately, the one thing the Canucks do not lack is skilled wingers with potential top-six upside. Here are seven potential linemates for Horvat and Baertschi.
Brock Boeser
Boeser is the popular candidate for many reasons: he’s young, talented, , and could be a next season. On top of that, when he made his 9-game NHL debut last season, he played with Horvat and Baertschi and looked right at home.
Boeser would provide a sniper’s finishing ability to the line, as he can beat goaltender’s cleanly with his wicked wrister and has great hands in tight to finish rebounds or move the puck quickly into shooting position.
But Boeser also played a strong possession game: he and Horvat together had a 51.7% corsi. If the Horvat line is truly going to be the Canucks’ first line, they’ll need to move the possession needle against tough opposition and, based on that small sample, Boeser might be the best bet.
Anton Rodin
Heading into last season, it looked like Rodin had a spot alongside Horvat and Baertschi all locked up. The trio excelled in the preseason, showing excellent chemistry, and Rodin racked up five points in five games. Alas, the RoBoBear line was not to be, as Rodin aggravated his knee injury and ended up missing pretty much the entire season.
He might get another chance with Horvat this season, however. Rodin has great vision, thinks the game well, and also boasts impressive finish, and would provide a nice complement to Horvat and Baertschi.
The question with Rodin is health: his recovery from knee surgery likely delayed and hampered his off-season training, so he may take some time getting up to speed at the start of the season. It’s possible he’ll start the season in the press box until the Canucks are sure his knee is 100%.
Loui Eriksson
Horvat and Baertschi aren’t kids anymore — Baertschi will be 25 by the time the season starts — but it’s not a bad idea to give the two of them a veteran presence as they transition to becoming the Canucks’ first line. Eriksson could be a steadying hand when things get a little rocky, lending his poise and strong two-way game to Horvat and Baertschi’s youthful energy.
Eriksson spent sometime with Horvat and Baertschi at even-strength and on the power play last season and they were a decent fit. Their 49.37% corsi was good by Canucks standards and they outscored their opponents 5-1 at even-strength.
Most importantly, Eriksson might help Horvat on the defensive side of the ice. and Eriksson is near-elite when it comes to shot suppression.
Markus Granlund
In many ways, Granlund is like a younger, still-developing version of Eriksson: he’s a defensively responsible winger, who subtly pushes puck possession, and can chip in a little bit of offence, but shouldn’t be relied upon to be more than a complementary player offensively.
But he might be the ideal guy to complement Horvat and Baertschi. Granlund’s best attribute is his ability to drive play with his strong work in the defensive zone and neutral zone. Offensively, he gets in on the forecheck effectively and goes to the net hard, creating havoc of which the likeminded Horvat and Baertschi could take advantage. He also has a decent wrist shot.
Granlund put up a 51.59% corsi with Horvat at even-strength last season and he also saw some time with Horvat and Baertschi on the second power play unit. The one thing that might prevent him from playing with Horvat and Baertschi is how well he played with the Sedins last season. He seems more likely to land on the second line with Daniel and Henrik.
Other Options
If what Horvat and Baertschi need most is a playmaker, Sam Gagner’s got the goods. The newly acquired centre/winger is a great passer and can provide a different wrinkle to Horvat’s more north-south game.
Playing Gagner with Horvat and Baertschi would mean really committing to them being a purely offensive line, however, as Gagner has his defensive deficiencies that might make the line a little too exciting at both ends of the ice. Gagner would be a high-risk, high-reward linemate.
On the other hand, if the Canucks want Horvat and Baertschi to have a sniper on their right wing, Reid Boucher is an option. He has a ridiculous shot and can finish around the net. He played briefly with Horvat and Baertschi at even-strength and on the power play and fit reasonably well.
Boucher put up a 50.49% corsi with Horvat last season, so he might not be as much of a risk as you might think. He’ll have a tough time convincing Travis Green that he should get the spot ahead of similar, but larger, sniper like Boeser.
Then there’s Nikolay Goldobin, who is just . There are similarities to Anton Rodin in Goldobin’s game, but Rodin is far more polished and attentive defensively. As dynamic as Goldobin is and for all the excitement he might bring to a line with Horvat and Baertschi, it seems almost inevitable that he starts the season in Utica.
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