Canucks struggling to replace Joshua during losing streak
The Vancouver Canucks are floundering for the first time all season. They’ve lost four straight games and have been noticeably unimpressive during a few of those showings.
This losing streak coincides with Dakota Joshua sitting out due to injury. The 6-foot-3 winger hurt himself in a fight against the Chicago Blackhawks while sticking up for teammate Conor Garland.
The Canucks are 1-4 without Joshua in the lineup. While it was obvious that his presence would be missed, the team has been missing him more than many predicted.
The winger has 13 goals and 13 assists in 53 games this season. He’s also been one-third of a crucial line beside Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland. The line has outscored opponents 21-10 at five-on-five this season.
The Canucks have tried a few different looks to try to recreate Joshua’s impact on that line. The most recent included putting Pius Suter with Blueger and Garland against the Seattle Kraken. The results were disastrous as the line was outshot 5-0 and scored on at five-on-five.
The American-born forward hasn’t only enjoyed a career season offensively, but he’s also developed into one of the team’s best penalty killers. Without Joshua in the past four games, the Canucks have managed to kill just 56.3% of chances.
The team is desperately missing the physical forward’s presence in all facets of the game.
Head coach Rick Tocchet provided an update on Joshua’s health on February 16.
“It’s a week-to-week thing,” the head coach said at the time. “I don’t know whether it’s a week or two. It’s week-to-week.”
It’s been a week since then, suggesting that Joshua could be returning to the lineup sooner than later. As we inch closer to the playoffs and the games get tighter, Joshua’s style should only flourish more.
The 6-foot-3 winger is an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and has positioned himself to be in line for a raise. This absence from the lineup has only reinforced how crucial he is to this club’s success.
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