Canucks Coffee: Guentzel, Vatrano, Toffoli trade-deadline servings

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Good morning. It’s the best time. It’s coffee time.

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I’m not going to dwell on a methodical 2-1 victory for the Vancouver Canucks in Anaheim on Sunday. They were better than the Ducks because they were rested and ready for a re-set.

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They moved pucks better, were stronger on the walls and tougher to dislodge from in front of the opposition net. Rest and recovery are always the best weapons to ward off fatigue and failure.

Goals by Nils Hoglander and Conor Garland were the result of sweet feeds and fine finishes and Casey DeSmith was solid to backstop the first stop on a three-game trip.

“For the most part, it was a grind game. You have to win those 2-1 games and we didn’t give them a lot,” said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. “But we got a little loose in the second period with some turnovers and we have to learn from that.

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“But I did like the team effort.”

Now, on to three robust morning coffee servings. 

In anticipation of the NHL trade deadline Friday at noon (Pacific) — and obvious need for a veteran top-six winger to push the pace for the stretch drive and playoffs — I’m kicking the tires on Jake Guentzel, Frank Vatrano and Tyler Toffoli.

Of course, it’s buyer beware and sticker shock.

However, we do know his much about how this management group functions:

— President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford likes to get ahead of the trade pack. Hence, the multi-package play that sent under-achieving winger Andrei Kuzmenko to the Calgary Flames on Jan. 31 for unrestricted free-agent forward Elias Lindholm. 

— Rutherford isn’t afraid to swing for the fences in a go-for-it-all season, but at what cost? Is he willing to part with the future to push the present agenda?

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— The Canucks need a top-six winger to add presence and pop, especially with Ilya Mikheyev going 31 games without a goal and still struggling following February 2023 knee surgery. 

Here are trade-deadline scenarios that could gather momentum or fade this week. So, have a cup or two, or three, and sip and ponder:

FIRST SERVING: Guentzel: Landing the big fish means costly bait

The highly-coveted Guentzel, 29, was injured Feb.14 and the pending unrestricted free agent was placed on Long Term Injury Reserve by the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

He’s eligible to return March 10, has 52 points (22-20) in 50 games and is on an expiring contract with a US$6 million cap hit.

There’s speculation Guentzel’s upper-body injury may be a fractured finger, and if that’s the case, it won’t affect his playing status or asking price of what several suitors will have to part with — and it’ll be a lot. The aging Penguins need prime prospects, not draft picks.

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If that means the Canucks have to part with any of their big three in a deal — winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki or defencemen Tom Willander or Elias Pettersson — it should be a non-starter.

However, if you have to part with Pettersson as part of a different package that’s palatable to make it happen, that might be Rutherford’s play.

Landing Guentzel without fracturing the future is the plan, but so is winning now.

Rutherford and Tocchet have a history with the winger and know he can produce when it really matters. Does that make Guentzel a present and future fit?

“Talking about pressure players like (Brad) Marchand, he ranks up there in the playoffs and scored some big goals for that franchise in the last six or seven years — big,” said Tocchet.

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In the 2017 Stanley Cup run, Guentzel had 13 goals in 25 games and 10 the following postseason in 12 games. And in 2022, he had eight goals in seven playoff games.

Lekkerimaki, 19, is having a strong SHL season with Orebro HK. The 15th pick in the 2002 NHL draft had 29 points (19-10) in his first 42 games that featured confidence and creativity.

Willander, 19, is having an NCAA rookie impact at Boston University. The 11th selection in the 2023 draft has 18 points (4-14) through 30 games with a smooth skating, smart thinking, overall effective game.

And Pettersson, 20, is a big, hard-hitter with 14 points (3-11) in 32 Allsvenskan games. He was a third-round pick in 2022.

SECOND SERVING: Vatrano: Heavy shot, easy on cap next season

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The Ducks winger turns 30 on March 14, but has redeeming qualities.

He can really rip the puck and his shot was clocked at 97.31 miles per hour. His team-high 29 goals and 48 through 61 games on a struggling team — it ranks 31st in even-strength goal production — says something.

Vatrano would be good on a team that scores off the rush as the trigger guy and the Canucks continue to top even-strength scoring. That’s intriguing.

Vatrano also has seven goals in his last nine games, three in the past three and two hat-tricks this season. He has 11 power-play goals, seven game-winners and two shorthanded goals.

On Sunday, he was kept off the scoresheet, but had four shots and six attempts that packed plenty of zip. And his contract is a bonus. There’s a year left at $3.65 million and would offer some roster flexibility.

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THIRD SERVING: Toffoli: Has gun, but will he travel back in time?

Six goals and 10 points in your first 10 games with a new club are hard to forget.

Remember how Toffoli developed instant chemistry in 2019-20 with Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller before the season was shut down due to COVID-19? Toffoli loved it here. He wanted to finish his career in Vancouver.

Remember how he wasn’t offered a contract, fled to the Montreal Canadiens on the fourth day of free agency at a bargain $4.25 million cap hit? 

Remember how he torched the Canucks the following season in eight Canadian Division games with 13 points (8-5), including a hat-trick?

The new hockey operations department here doesn’t live in the past, so a play for a proven UFA sniper as a rental is always interesting. But how interesting? There is some buzz Monday that the Devils could re-sign Toffoli.

Toffoli, 31, has 26 goals in 60 games with the New Jersey Devils, who know he’s going to get a big raise.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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