Canucks Coffee: Can Erik Brannstrom heal Gustav Forsling wound ...

There was a lot to learn Monday night at Rogers Arena.

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The Vancouver Canucks found out a sluggish start against the speedy, structured and opportunistic Carolina Hurricanes is a bad way to go about looking for a good result.

And while they did rally from a 3-1 deficit with a spirited third-period rally, a 4-3 overtime setback was another lesson for the Canucks in trying to put together an elusive 60-minute effort.

However, it wasn’t all bad.

Erik Brannstrom turned up the curiosity meter to see if he can stick with the Canucks and Diwali Night reminded us of the diverse cultures that make up the Lower Mainland and surrounding communities.

It’s why we’re not dwelling on goals and assists and gaffes in this serving of Canucks Coffee. We’re going to brew up a closer look at intriguing stories.

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So sip and enjoy.

Defenceman Erik Brannstrom gets drilled to the ice by Sebastian Aho of the Hurricanes on Monday at Rogers Arena. Photo by Derek Cain /Getty ImagesFIRST SERVING: Tocchet on Brannstrom: ‘If he keeps playing the way he is, he’s going to be hard take out.’

It takes a lot of salve to heal a big burn. Brannstrom might be the right medication to help heal a bad Gustav Forsling decision that left the Canucks with a significant transaction scar.

The Canucks have long sought that second puck-moving defenceman, a smart, fast skating, quick decision-maker with pinpoint passing accuracy. Someone who could also defend and lessen the load for minute-munching Quinn Hughes.

And long before the captain was acquired in 2018, and ascended to the stratosphere as a Norris Trophy winner in 2024, there was Forsling in 2014.

Remember Forsling? How could we forget.

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He appeared a prudent fifth-round draft play by the Canucks, possibly another fifth-round find like Kevin Bieksa in 2001. However, after two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League, Forsling was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks for bigger blueliner Adam Clendening, who logged just 17 games here.

Six months later, Clendening, Nick Bonino and a second-round pick were dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brandon Sutter and a third-rounder that turned into Will Lockwood.

Gustav Forsling of Panthers hounds Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs during NHL playoff matchup on May 4, 2023 in Toronto. Photo by Claus Andersen /Getty Images

The Canucks have nothing to show for those moves. Lockwood was dealt to the New York Rangers in 2023 along with a seventh round pick in 2026 for Vitali Kravtsov. He crashed and burned and is back in the KHL.

Forsling captured a Stanley Cup championship with the Florida Panthers last June. In a first-pairing, he had 13 points (4-9) in the playoffs and 39 points (10-29) in the regular season.

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“He’s a miniature (Nicklas) Lidstrom with more speed,” former Canucks defenceman Ed Jovanovski, turned Panthers analyst, told Postmedia. “He’s never out of position. He anticipates, he’s quick to jump into holes, has a bomb of shot, and makes an excellent first pass.

“It’s his confidence. He’s passed every test. He gets the big assignments. He’s a horse on the penalty kill, and anticipates better than anyone I’ve seen in a long time.”

And now there’s hope that Brannstrom might sort of be that guy. Not that it was planned.

The Canucks acquired big blueliners Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais in free agency last summer to deal with the departures of Nikita Zadorov and Ian Cole. The thought was the third pairing would give the Canucks some defensive bite to box out better and be harder to play against.

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Then came Brannstrom.

Smart stickhandling by general manager Patrik Allvin unloaded the restrictive Tucker Poolman contract on Oct. 6 that was a long-term injury reserve anchor. A salary dump and parting with a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche to take on a reclamation project made sense on several levels.

Brannstrom cleared waivers and quickly raised eyebrows with the AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. In that club’s season-opening victory, the left-shot blueliner made a seamless transition, set up a goal and played at pace. He had three assists in his first two outings. And then the Canucks came calling.

Rookie winger Matvei Michkov of the Flyers and defenceman Erik Brannstrom of the Canucks battle during Oct. 19 game In Philadelphia. Photo by Derik Hamilton /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In his first four games, the slick Swedish puck-mover wasn’t noticeable because he wasn’t making mistakes. There was no panic and his decisions with the puck brought plaudits from Rick Tocchet.

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“Last game (Saturday), there were two instances for me where we need a guy like him — whether he stays in the lineup,” the Canucks head coach said Monday after the game-day skate. “He’s going to dictate that with his play. He went back so quick and turned the puck up to (Kiefer) Sherwood and he got a Grade A chance.

“He didn’t take it behind the net and play slow. That’s one of his identities. If he can do that and add that element to our team, that’s a huge boost for us. If he keeps playing the way he is, he’s going to be hard take out. He’s going to make my decision and Footy’s (assistant coach Adam Foote) decision hard.”

Against the Hurricanes, Brannstrom was moved up because he stepped up by moving pucks with authority, playing smart positionally in a push to stay on the roster. However, the clock is ticking on Brannstrom. His waiver exemption is 30 days on an NHL roster and 10 games and the Canucks are always looking to upgrade their back end.

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The slick Swedish puck-mover was once heralded as the best young NHL defenceman prospect. He even drew comparisons as a budding Erik Karlsson when the Ottawa Senators acquired the 15th overall selection in the 2017 draft from the Vegas Golden Knights.

Brannstrom had a short stay with the Avalanche because he didn’t have a great training camp, struggled in the pre-season and couldn’t win a third pairing gig or depth job.

And the acquisition of John Ludvig sealed his fate as a trade chip. And now, he just might be one of those first-round picks that eventually pans out.

SECOND SERVING: Bains on Diwali Night: ‘Keeping this is pretty special. It showcases a lot of people.’

For Arshdeep Bains of Surrey, paying it forward is as simple as looking back. He’s a proud product of the South Asian community and the fact that the Canucks annually recognize cultural diversity in the province hit home with the Canucks winger.

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“The Canucks have done a great job of recognition of different events and keeping this one around is pretty special. It showcases a lot of people,” he said. “It’s important to give back and be grateful from where you came from. I’m proud of everything that has happened to me in Surrey and Cloverdale.

“Early in the summer, and before training starts, I’ll try to do a couple of things to help out and as much as I can. Obviously, I’m early in my career and that’s something I would like to focus on, too.”

Arshdeep Bains celebrates his first NHL goal on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Rogers Arena. Photo by Derek Cain /Getty Images

Bains met Robin Bawa of Duncan, B.C. and has long admired Manny Maholtra of Missiaauga, Ont. and Jujhar Khaira of Surrey. The former NHL players carved out careers but it wasn’t always easy. Bawa faced racism and Bains would like to think that the game is in a much better place now.

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“For sure. It’s a whole different game now and that kind of stuff (racism) doesn’t slide any more,” he stressed. “There’s respect in the game now and I would say it’s completely different. Everyone is respectful. It (racism) hasn’t affected me, maybe my brothers who are older, but not myself.”

Bawa transitioned from WHL sniper in Kamloops to professional enforcer amid racist taunts as another South Asian athlete trying to find his way in the game. He scored 57 goals and added 56 assists for the Blazers in the 1986-87 season and the undrafted winger signed a pro deal with the Washington Capitals.

However, in the IHL the following season he was in survival mode with the Fort Wayne Komets and piled up 239 penalty minutes.

“Standing up for myself was to not get intimidated,” he told Postmedia. “I learned the hard way that year for sure. I had about 30 fights because somebody would call me out and say something. It (racism) was there. It’s not as much now because the game has changed, but it’s still there.

“Not as blatant as it was in the ’80s, especially in the U.S., where it got pretty ruthless at times.”

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