Canucks’ Myers exhibit ‘A’ for structural improvements built by Tocchet

VANCOUVER — All the battle that was missing from the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night, when they were overwhelmed by the Colorado Avalanche in the third period, was evident towards the end of their practice on Thursday afternoon.

It wasn’t by accident that coach Rick Tocchet ran a two-against-two, small-ice battle drill. And it wasn’t a coincidence that there was a skirmish between winger Conor Garland and defenceman Filip Hronek. 

“I let it go more than I usually do because you want to test guys,” Tocchet told reporters afterward. “You can still battle without taking penalties. Stupid penalties. . . that's what we're trying to get over. You know, if a guy beats you out of the corner, hooking a guy or slashing a guy makes no sense. So that's why I let it go today --  just to prove the point that if you get frustrated, you can't take stupid penalties.”

No one was calling anything when Hronek flattened Garland as the five-foot-nine winger came around the net. Hronek stood over Garland for several seconds as the drill continued, and the players traded shoves before teammate Ian Cole intervened and restored the peace.

Garland did not take another turn in the two-on-two and was the first Canuck off the ice when practice ended.

“Honest to God, I played a tough game and I don't remember getting in a fight with a guy (at practice),” Tocchet said. “But there's battles. You get outbattled and stuff and you want to get back in there. But I don't want stupidity. I don't want some guy just to hit a guy. That's dumb. But I don't mind a little bit of battle, sure. Just don't hurt each other.”

The Canucks have another practice scheduled Friday before they play the Washington Capitals Saturday at Rogers Arena.

Looking at them Thursday, and listening to them after the 4-3 overtime loss to Colorado, you would never have guessed the team is 4-0-1 in its last five games and still leading the National Hockey League’s Pacific Division by nine points.

Or maybe you would. If a team with as much top-end talent as the Canucks can muster that kind of intensity for a practice, it should be a formidable opponent in games.

“I think practice is really important to get that feeling of battling,” veteran defenceman Tyler Myers said. “And I think it can only help going into games.

“When you look at last night, I don't think it really matters what position we're in (in the standings). We have to look at what happened last night and realize it has happened other times during the season. I think we need to get better as a group with situational awareness. There's been times where we get a lead, and we tend to sometimes try and open the game up instead of playing the same way that we did to get that lead. I think that's part of us growing as a group and I think that's a next step for us.”

At age 34, Myers has been part of that growth. He has been a quiet leader for the Canucks not only due to his experience and professionalism, but his own drive for self-improvement after an alarming 2022-23 season at the end of three years of sheer chaos for the organization.

As Myers prepares to return to the lineup Saturday after missing five games with an undisclosed injury — and with only 15 games before the Canucks play playoff hockey in Vancouver for the first time since 2015 — the six-foot-eight defenceman from Calgary is exhibit ‘A’ for the structural improvements built this season by Tocchet and his staff.

“I know it has helped me a lot,” Myers told Sportsnet. “I'm a big system guy, structure guy. If you tell me to do something specific, I usually work pretty hard to do it.  And I think the coaches know that about me, and I think a lot of guys are benefiting from that mindset in the room.

“You know, we went through a lot. Everybody went through a lot the last few years, not even just with hockey. There was a lot going on. Once we started stabilizing the organization, stabilizing the room, it's amazing how quickly it turned around.”

The same can be said about Myers’ game.

Across the analytics board, Myers’ metrics have improved significantly over last season. One of the biggest changes has been how Myers fares in high-danger situations at five-on-five. He has reversed results: spiking his share of high-danger scoring chances to 55.9 per cent from last season’s 44.8. Despite Myers starting far more shifts this season in the defensive zone, his share of high-danger goals is 60.4 per cent. Last season it was 38.6 per cent.

The Canucks’ historic PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage) is a factor for Myers as it is for everyone on the team. But another way of looking at the reversal in high-danger chances and goals is that the biggest mistakes are being made far more often by opponents when Myers is on the ice.

In 62 games, he has contributed 23 points, none of them on the power play, and is plus-12 while averaging 18:57 of ice time.

“Taking the job, you know, you hear some stuff,” Tocchet said of his hire 14 months ago. “There's opinions from other people. ‘This guy can't do this,’ whatever. I came with a fresh mind. I think (Myers) has been one of the best guys to coach for me. A super guy in the room. Never complains. And I think his game has gotten better because he listens. Yeah, he had his struggles early. He had some bad habits back in the day. I think. . . those habits are gone. And I think we're a better team when he's in the lineup, I really do.”

Myers is expected to partner Carson Soucy on the Canucks’ second blue-line pairing. With the defence fully healthy for one of the few times this season, Noah Juulsen appears to be coming out of the lineup.

“It's been a strange five years,” Myers said, referring to the $30-million free-agent contract he signed in 2019 that expires after this season. “Obviously, I'm having a lot of fun this year. I think a big part of our success is we're coming in ready to work every day. There's things we're addressing each and every day as we come in to try and get better. Constant reminders and constant adjustments. 

“In a way, I feel different (as a player). But I think that that feeling is I'm not guessing when I'm going into a game. I know exactly what I'm supposed to do in each situation on the ice, and it's allowing me to make the plays that I want to make and do it quickly. That's part of our team identity — playing fast. When you don't have to guess, it makes everyone's job a lot easier.”

WORTH REPEATING

Tocchet: “I wish we were a little bit better on the boards. . . a better wall team. We want to make plays and we want to scoot and play fast. We've got some guys that are never going to be great wall guys, let's face it. And that's okay. But can they play five or 10 per cent better on the wall or win a battle? That's the way we approach here. I just think if we spread out everybody getting better, I think that's the way we can be better as a team.”