Canucks mailbag: Is it Jonathan Lekkerimaki time?

4 days ago

The Province

Lots of fodder to discuss in this week's mailbag.

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Published Nov 08, 2024 • 4 minute read

Promising winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki has come a long way since Canucks development camp. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

The Canucks are rolling. They’ve won three straight and six games total on the road.

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They have one of — if not THE — the best defences in the NHL.

Their emergency stopgap goalie is playing lights out. Their captain somehow is even better than he was last season, when he was named the NHL’s best defenceman.

Of course, not everything is rosy. Elias Pettersson is playing great defensively, but his offence remains stuck in neutral. J.T. Miller is playing alright, but still below the high standard he’s set for himself over the past five seasons with the Canucks.

And now Brock Boeser is out with a suspected concussion.

Lots of fodder to discuss in this week’s mailbag — but before we get to the questions, a quick note on the what-if of the Boeser situation: Will Jonathan Lekkerimaki get a look if Boeser is out, a few readers have already asked.

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My answer is “yes”. It’s very clear that the Canucks are keen to get him into the NHL as fast as possible. He had a great training camp. Head coach Rick Tocchet was effusive in his praise for the young winger’s work in pre-season, noting how many good decisions he made with the puck, that he was clearly more than just a goal scorer.

In the AHL, he’s shot the puck a ton. He’s looking to dominate every shift.

Obviously stepping up to the NHL is a whole new level of pressure, but there’s a reason why the Canucks’ brass is so high on the prospect.

If Boeser is out, even for a few days, they’ll need a player to step in and fill a scorer’s role. Lekkerimaki will almost certainly get a look, sources say, because he’s the kind of player who should be able to thrive in such a role.

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Alright, let’s take a look at what else is on the mind of fans …

We’re sitting here 10th in the NHL, 3rd in the Pacific with games in hand … Still without our top goaltender, still without Dakota Joshua, 3 or 4 really good players in AHL ready to make the jump … Feels good to be a #Canucks fan right now — Bourketuzzi via Bluesky

Fans are feeling so good, they’re putting themselves on the team.

Seriously though, the Canucks’ current pace is impressive. No one feels like the Canucks are firing on all cylinders and yet they have 17 points through 12 games.

That’s just two points off last year’s pace through 12 games.

The difference between the two season-starts is notable. Last year, we knew the Canucks were getting a fair bit of luck. They were finishing at an unprecedented rate and the goaltending was out of this world. This season, they’re bagging lots of goals, but not at a wild league-best rate. Their goaltending is outstanding and you wonder how sustainable it is, but then again the Canucks are doing a great job of keeping down scoring chances against.

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Quinn Hughes has entered the Hart conversation — Simon Little vis Bluesky

Somehow Hughes is playing even better than last season.

Outside of the Carolina Hurricanes — and Vasily Podkolzin of all people, who is thriving on Leon Draisaitl’s wing — Hughes has the best shot-attempts split in the league.

Next to nothing is happening in the Canucks’ defensive end when he’s on the ice. That’s outstanding.

And then there’s what he’s doing with the puck. Is there a more electrifying half-court presence in the NHL right now?

He just does what he wants when he has the puck. He’s keeping defences on the back foot and even then they can’t keep up.

When is Lankinen bobblehead night? — Darryl Keeping via Bluesky

The Canucks would have to be ready to do another bobblehead night first.

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They did do one for Roberto Luongo last year, but have been wont to do it otherwise.

But Lankinen is clearly a great choice. He’s the Canucks’ newest goalie folk hero, in a town that has long loved its hockey folk heroes.

Put Lankinen up on the wall with the likes of Eddie Lack, Bob Essensa, Arturs Irbe, Bob Mason and Richard Brodeur.

I wonder if they think about me as much as I think about them … — Theo via Bluesky

Theo, this is sports, not existentialism.

(Yes, they think about you in the sense that they love making the crowd roar.)

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