With Ryan Kesler set to miss roughly the first month and a half of the season after having shoulder surgery, the Canucks have a glaring hole up the gut in the top six. Kesler's production may have been lower this season, but the top six is still a lot weaker without him.
So who will step in and take the opportunity? It sure wont be Cody Hodgson, the former tenth overall selection who was traded to Buffalo for Zack Kassian at the trade deadline. Most likely it will also not be Maxim Lapierre or Manny Malholtra, both of which are known for their bottom six duties, not offensive ability. Andrew Ebbett could be a potential fill in for a top-6 roll, but he seems to be better suited to a depth forward position with the club.
So who could be left? Recent draftee Brendan Gaunce will probably return to junior, and unless the long awaited Roberto Luongo trade brings in a top six center, there's really only one option, Jordan Schroeder.
Lots of fans are quick to judge Schroeder's performance in the American Hockey League. The diminutive Schroeder's first AHL season (2010-2011) saw him playing at a 0.460 points per game clip with the Manitoba Moose over a span of 61 games (10 goals, 18 assists). This past season (2011-2012) saw a vast improvement in Schroeder's game, scoring at a 0.580 points per game clip over 76 games with the Chicago Wolves (21 goals, 23 assists).
Fans are quick to critique a former first rounder scoring at a 0.580 points per game, but the highly praised "future of the franchise" Cody Hodgson also scored at 0.580 pace in his final season in the American Hockey League.
Another benefit to trying Schroeder on the second line to start the year is his improved two-way game. Which in a fairly recent province article he attributed to working with coach Craig McTavish
This year, with coach MacTavish, he helped me a lot, adding stuff to my game, trying to make me a better all-around player
Schroeder's improved two way game is reflected in his plus/minus, which went up from a -7 to a +8 in just one season.
Hopefully, with the glaring opportunity, Jordan is anxious to train over the off season and comes in to impress at training camp. Last season Schroeder showed glimpses of brilliance in the the pre-season with goals such as this against the flames (video by CanucksHD):
If Schroeder can put his natural offensive talents together with his new found two-way game, he will be the front runner to fill in for Kelser at the start of the season, and possibly for the third line roll if Malholtra cannot regain form from the eye injury. If he plays to his potential, his small stature will be forgotten, and will be an exciting player in Vancouver.
I'll admit, I'm one of the Schroeder doubters mostly because of his AHL performance. But you're right, he has a huge opportunity ahead of him if the roster doesn't change and if he can beat Ebbett out for that second-line centre position like Hodgson did last year, his career could really take off. AHL numbers are always hard to predict NHL performance anwyay. (Jason Krog, Jeff Tambellini...)
ReplyDeleteTo be honest with you, I'm also a bit of a Schroeder doubter. It's going to be a very interesting training camp with a lot of internal competition, especially if the Luongo trade brings in another fringe 2nd/3rd line center.
DeleteI agree with you fully on the AHL performance bit, it's very hard to say based on those stats. Especially with someone like Schroeder who was working on having a more rounded game.