Lindholm "banged up" but Canucks coach says he can play through it
There may be more than meets the eye when it comes to Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Lindholm’s struggles.
The Swedish centre has just seven points in 20 games since joining the Canucks, far from the numbers the team was hoping for when they gave up a significant package in a trade. However, head coach Rick Tocchet revealed today that the forward is not fully healthy.
“He’s a little banged up too, to be honest with you,” said Tocchet after Thursday’s pre-game skate. “He’s playing through a little thing here and there, but it’s nothing major. But I think when he’s fully healthy, knowing the way he does play a smart game… that will all come together.”
The Canucks are hoping that Lindholm can find his game before the playoffs, which start roughly a month from today. While he’s come as advertised in the faceoff circle and on the defensive side of the game, the scoring numbers have lagged behind.
“There’s a lot of parts of his game that we really love, and then there’s some where he wants to get better,” said Tocchet.
Lindholm has just one point through seven games in March. He hasn’t scored since February 15.
“It’s not like we sit him down and have to go, ‘Okay, we’ve got to rework his game,'” said the head coach about helping the player break this slump. “It’s just the subtleties of the game that we try to help him with.”
The Canucks head coach also shared that veteran defenceman Ian Cole is fighting through a minor ailment.
“Coler is a little banged up,” continued the head coach. “Push come to shove, he could’ve played, but, at this point, I want to get Ian Cole healthy.”
Noah Juulsen will replace Cole in the lineup. The 26-year-old started his career with tonight’s opponent, the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him in the first round in 2015.
The puck drops at 7 pm tonight at Rogers Arena. The Canucks are looking to start a winning streak after beating the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Tuesday night.
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