The Vancouver Canucks had one thing go right for them last season: the power play. After a shaky start, the Canucks wound up with the ninth best power play in the league, largely because of the addition of Brock Boeser to the first unit.
There’s just one problem: two of the most important players on that power play are now retired.
Daniel and Henrik Sedin won’t be back next season to run the Canucks power play, which is a big deal. They’ve been the staples of the Canucks’ first unit for over a decade. In their final season, they still finished second and third in power play scoring behind Boeser.
While this is definitely a problem for the Canucks, it’s also an opportunity. This is a chance for younger players to step up and take ownership of the first power play unit, creating a different look for the future.
There are two teams from which the Canucks could take some inspiration. One of them just won the Stanley Cup, while the other had one of the best power plays during the regular season: the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Capitals had the second best power play in the playoffs, but sustained it for longer than the Boston Bruins, who had the higher percentage. The Capitals converted on 29.3% of their power plays and it played a critical role in the Stanley Cup Final: they went 5-for-16 on the power play against Vegas.
Their power play was seventh best during the regular season, but they’ve been dominant on the power play for a long time. Over the last decade, the Capitals have the best power play percentage in the NHL at 22.3%.
The Lightning haven’t quite had that kind of sustained success, but they were fantastic this past season, finishing with a 23.9% success rate on the power play, behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
One thing the Lightning and Capitals have in common on the power play is a one-shot scoring threat at the left faceoff circle: Steven Stamkos and Alex Ovechkin. Both players can unleash a wicked one-timer or beat a goaltender with a wrist shot. Most importantly, they can get their shot off no matter where the puck is in relation to their body, making it a lot easier for their teammates to set them up.
Ovechkin was second in the NHL with 17 power play goals this season, while Stamkos was not far behind with 15. Their goalscoring is one of the key ingredients in each team’s power play success, but not the only one.
The Canucks are fortunate in that they already have that key ingredient. Though Boeser isn’t in the same stratosphere as Ovechkin and Stamkos, he’s not far off: Boeser scored ten power play goals, on-pace for 13 over a full 82-game season. Considering he wasn’t added to the first power play unit until mid-November in a game against the Los Angeles Kings, there’s potential for Boeser to reach that plateau.
It helps that, like Stamkos and Ovechkin, Boeser is a right-hand shot. That allows us a direct comparison of the Canucks power play to that of the Lightning and Capitals.
The Lightning and Capitals power plays are similar in another way. They both play a variation of the 1-3-1, which sees one defenceman at the point, two forwards opposite each other on the half-boards, one forward in the slot, and one forward down low. The below video is from a couple years ago, but the Capitals power play looks much the same with different players.
This should look familiar to Canucks fans. It’s similar to what the Canucks have run. Their most successful unit last season saw Henrik Sedin on the right half-boards, Daniel Sedin down low, Alex Edler at the point, Bo Horvat in the slot, and Boeser on the left half-boards.
One of the most important players is the forward opposite the sniper on the right half-boards, and that’s where the Capitals and Lightning differ significantly from the Canucks last season.
Simply put, Henrik was never a scoring threat. That diminished his ability to set up his teammates, as penalty killers could cheat away from Henrik to take away the pass. He and his brother combatted this tactic with their cycle game.
On the right half-boards for the Lightning, however, is Nikita Kucherov, who has scored 138 goals over the past four seasons. The Capitals have Nicklas Backstrom, who is certainly more of a playmaker than goalscorer, but can still shoot the puck. More than that, he would frequently rotate with Evgeny Kuznetsov, who is definitely more of a scoring threat, while still able to make plays.
These three players are also left-hand shots, allowing them to take one-timers from the right faceoff circle or simply get better angles on shots and passes from the right side.
So, the Canucks need a playmaker, who is also a scoring threat, with a left-hand shot. Enter Elias Pettersson.
It may be expecting a lot for Pettersson to not only step directly into the NHL, but also to take over as arguably the most important player on the power play. The issues is that the Canucks have limited options apart from Pettersson. Sven Baertschi is a possibility — he led the Canucks in goals-per-hour on the power play this past season — but he’s likely a better option to play down low. While he’s not the biggest player, Baertschi has a nose for the net.
Apart from those two players, who do the Canucks have that could fill that role? Bo Horvat? Markus Granlund? Nikolay Goldobin? None of those three really feel like the right fit.
Pettersson, on the other hand, is almost ideal. Not only is he a fantastic playmaker with sublime vision, he has a rocket of a one-timer from the right faceoff circle. That’s where he played with the Vaxjo Lakers, racking up goals and assists from the right half-boards on the power play.
From there we move up top to the defenceman. Washington has John Carlson, a right-handed shot with a heavy one-timer, who is also adept at moving the puck across the top of the umbrella.
The Canucks only right-hand shot that makes sense on the power play is Troy Stecher. Erik Gudbranson has a heavy shot, but lacks the passing ability, and Chris Tanev lacks the shot and the offensive instincts. The issue is that Stecher has yet to prove he can be a go-to option on the first power play unit.
Barring the Canucks drafting a defenceman seventh overall that immediately steps into the lineup and plays on the first unit, that leaves left-handed shots like Alex Edler and Derrick Pouliot. I would add Ben Hutton, who lacks the heavy shot but is one of the Canucks’ better passers in the offensive zone, but he has clearly fallen out of favour.
Fortunately, the Lightning provides an example a left-hand shot on defence, albeit a Norris-nominated one in Victor Hedman. Edler will have to do.
Both the Lightning and Capitals have a right-hand shot in the slot: Brayden Point for the Lightning and T.J. Oshie for the Capitals. That’s where the Canucks have an issue. A right-hand shot in the slot provides a passing option for the playmaker on the right half-boards, but the Canucks lack a proven player for that role.
It’s not that they don’t have options. Sam Gagner played that role in Columbus to great success. Brandon Sutter is potentially an option, though the release on his shot is a little too slow to be ideal.
That leaves Jake Virtanen, who has little power play experience with the Canucks, but has the right set of attributes to fit in well. It would be a chance for Virtanen to use his shot, but he also has the speed to help with zone entries on the power play. It could be a good fit.
There’s one spot left, and it highlights another difference between the Lightning and Capitals. While the Lightning use their down-low player in the 1-3-1 primarily as a net-front presence (J.T. Miller after he was traded to the Lightning), the Capitals generally have their low player off to the side, preferring to use that player as a playmaker.
That’s where Kuznetsov fit in, rotating occasionally with Backstrom, and it’s similar to how Daniel Sedin fit into the Canucks’ power play.
With that in mind, the Canucks could go two directions: they could take a page from the Capitals and use Baertschi down low as a playmaker, setting up backdoor plays for Boeser. Or, they could take a page from the Lightning and use Bo Horvat down low as a net-front presence, like they did last season.
Before you jump up and start arguing, consider this: Baertschi was the fourth-most efficient Canuck on the power play last season, scoring 4.90 points-per-hour, behind Boeser, Thomas Vanek, and Daniel Sedin. He was first in goals-per-hour, with 3.81, ahead of both Horvat and Boeser. Baertschi is great on the power play.
There’s one major issue, however. The first power play unit needs Bo Horvat to take faceoffs. While Pettersson will hopefully become a centre in the NHL, he’ll be a complete amateur when it comes to faceoffs this season, as he took so few in the SHL last season. Horvat will be the only true centre on the first power play unit.
That’s fine, really. Horvat matched Boeser’s team-leading 10 power play goals by the end of last season, and has great finish around the net. He’s not a bad playmaker either.
There’s one other option: use both Baertschi and Horvat and reverse the power play.
It’s natural to see Boeser as the trigger man on the power play, but he’s not just a sniper. Boeser can set up plays as well. Consider this: Boeser setting up on the left half-boards, Edler ready with a one-timer at the point, Pettersson ready with a one-timer at the right faceoff circle. In the slot, Baertschi. In front of the net, Horvat.
It sounds plausible, doesn’t it?
