Four Detroit Red Wings who could Help the Vancouver Canucks
By Bob Heyrman
Life after the Sedin twins was supposed to spark a wholesale rebuild. The Vancouver Canucks have been a pleasant surprise early this season winning 10 of their first 16 games. The Detroit Red Wings are in a similar situation with not nearly the same success.
The Detroit Red Wings have some beautiful pieces, but they are missing an Elias Pettersson type player. Pettersson has been absolutely phenomenal for the Vancouver Canucks. They expected him to become a superstar, but I don’t think anyone could have guessed it would be this soon. We are surprised, but he was the MVP of the Swedish Elite League last season.
Pettersson has unseated Bo Horvat on the top line for the Vancouver Canucks. Horvat still an impact young center in his own right but Pettersson has been one of the best forwards in the league. He is a sure bet to win rookie of the year if he continues anything near this scoring pace he has started the season with. Through 11 games he has recorded 10 goals and 10 assists totaling 20 points.
He has a lot of Pavel Datsyuk type traits. He is very elusive and easily changes speeds on the fly to embarrass and frustrate his opponents. He can stick handle in a phone booth; he has the imagination like Pavel, he sees things other skaters do not. He can create a play many other players won’t even dare try. He has a vision on the ice much more advanced than anyone we have seen at the age of 19. He also reminds me of a bigger Patrick Kane type player. Kane has terrific hands, likely the quickest hands in the game. His creativity though reminds me a lot of Kane.
The Canucks may not be buyers at the trade deadline, but if they continue to win hockey games, they may decide to add depth sooner than later. They are very top heavy similar to the Wings, but their skilled players are much more advanced. We have four players the Canucks may be interested in as the season trecks on or possibly in the future.