Veteran Canucks’ winger Loui Eriksson was a healthy scratch Saturday, the 13th time this NHL season he’s been sat out by a coach’s decision.
Both Jay Beagle and Micheal Ferland, freshly returned from injury rehab, were preferred to the veteran winger, who has just one goal in 17 games.
And with Brandon Sutter also on the verge of a return to action, Eriksson is going to find himself falling further down the depth chart. Winger Jake Virtanen could also find himself scratched once Sutter suits up.
This assumes there are no other injuries in the interim, of course.
Activating Sutter off long-term injury reserve will require roster moves, like moving Tyler Graovac and Tyler Motte on to LTIR, if the Canucks want to avoid placing Eriksson on waivers.
Graovac is out long-term, Canucks coach Travis Green said last week, while he revealed Friday that Motte is going to start skating soon. While there are many variables still to consider and waivers isn’t a certainty, Eriksson’s place is tenuous.
One wonders how much fun is he having in Vancouver? He’s far from the player he once was, even from the player he was when GM Jim Benning signed the former Boston Bruin forward to a six-year deal in the summer of 2016.
It was always unlikely he’d be able to match the expectations that came with his US$36-million contract, given he was coming off a season where he’d posted a career-high shooting percentage.
Now 34, Eriksson is very much at the wrong end of the aging curve. He has been asked to play in a more defensive role and while he’s been reasonably effective in the role, his skill set doesn’t match the uptempo style that Green has his team playing.
It’s no surprise then that Eriksson is on the outside looking in.
The wingers on the third and fourth lines who were preferred to him on Saturday all have obvious cases: Antoine Roussel is a better skater and more physical, while offering at least a comparable offensive skill set; Virtanen may not have Eriksson’s hockey smarts, but he is a better skater and has better hands; Tim Schaller is also a faster skater and a key member of the penalty kill; and Micheal Ferland was signed to bring sandpaper and the nose for the net that Eriksson once had.
And so, the Loui watch is back on.
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