[Article] What does the Vancouver Canucks’ lineup look like if Aatu Räty makes the team?

[RWJC]

What does the Vancouver Canucks’ lineup look like if Aatu Räty makes the team?

 

 

After a 10-0 blowout loss in their first preseason game, it’s hard to say that the Vancouver Canucks’ year is off to a great start. But even at the worst of times, there are always those who stand out, and at this very early juncture in the season, that player is Aatu Räty.

 

Nobody looked good against Calgary on Sunday night, but of all the players on the Vancouver side of the ice, Räty was probably the best. That continues a trend that saw him put up one of the best performances of any of the prospects present at the Penticton Young Stars Tournament.

 

On the one hand, Räty is playing up to expectations as the highest-ranked prospect remaining in Training Camp. Tom Willander, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and that other Elias Pettersson are all off with their own 2023/24 teams already, leaving Räty at the top of the heap for the time being.

 

Even then, however, few gave Räty much chance of cracking the Canucks’ NHL roster this year. We already published a piece entitled “Is the Vancouver Canucks’ forward lineup pretty much already set?,” and based that thinking on the fact that the Canucks have four veteran centres, seven veteran wingers, and both Nils Höglander and Vasily Podkolzin all pencilled-in to forward jobs.

 

But if anyone is going to force their way into the conversation, it’s going to be Räty, and he may have already got a head-start on that process.

So, what happens next? If Räty does in fact push his way into and onto the 2023/24 opening night lineup, what would that lineup look like?

 

There are a few interesting scenarios to consider.

 

Räty as a winger

 

Let’s get this one out of the way right away.

 

If Räty makes the Canucks this year, it’s almost certainly as a centre. That’s his natural position, he’s the team’s top prospect at that position by a mile, and it’s arguably the position of greatest organizational weakness at this point.

 

Plus, there’s those aforementioned nine other wingers who are all-but-guaranteed NHL jobs. There’s simply no room at the wing, and certainly not enough to justify playing Räty there out of position.

 

In the past, this might have been considered the ‘easier’ path for a forward to take in cracking the big league roster. This time around, Räty is going to have to do so as a centre or bust.

 

Räty as third line centre

 

The most likely place to Räty to enter the lineup is as the 3C. The Canucks would want to put him in a position to succeed, and all those wingers we just talked about give them the perfect ability to run a scoring top-nine and slide a couple of talented scorers on either side of Räty.

 

What happens to Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger, the two UFA signings currently competing for the 3C job, in this scenario?

 

One of them either bumps over to the wing or bumps out of the lineup as the 13th forward. Neither outcome is particularly ideal, but it could be doable for a short period of time as the Canucks let Räty roll for a while.

Flanked by, say, Conor Garland and Anthony Beauvillier, Räty would have a genuine chance to put up some numbers, and if it keeps working, there’s every chance he could just stay there. Suter and Blueger are fine players, after all, but not of the sort that should block the natural progress of a blue-chip prospect.

 

Räty as fourth line centre

 

You could take a lot of what we said in the last section and copy it here. Räty as the 4C bumps one of Suter or Blueger out of a spot as Räty slides in.

 

But the 4C spot is a far less desirable one when it comes to giving the young Räty an NHL job. For one, it would undoubtedly mean fewer minutes at a crucial point in his development path. For another, it would almost certainly mean a decrease in the quality of linemates.

 

We can imagine a fourth line of Räty flanked by Blueger and Dakota Joshua as a fine unit that performs well, but it wouldn’t be a great place for Räty to continue to develop the offensive side of his game. With alternative options already present on the roster, if the choice is between a 4C job and Abbotsford, Räty should probably be packing his bags.

 

Räty as second line centre

 

Now, wouldn’t this be something.

As a prospect, most have said that Räty probably tops out as a 2C. So, why not let him start there and see if he can grow into the role?

 

Obviously, Elias Pettersson and JT Miller are fairly locked into place as the Canucks’ top-two centres. But Miller has played plenty of wing in the past, and if coach Rick Tocchet is looking to really mix up his forward corps, perhaps a scenario in which Miller pops over to the wing for a spell might be of some interest.

 

This could mean a reunion of the Lotto Line, or it could mean Miller on Räty’s wing. Either way, it’s putting Räty in the best position to succeed imaginable, while at the same time allowing the Canucks to start having a more long-term outlook on the centre position.

 

In order for this to even have the slightest possibility of happening, however, Räty is going to have to post some serious numbers in the preseason. Looking good on the wrong end of 10-0 losses is not going to cut it.

 

 

Räty as a temporary Ilya Mikheyev replacement

 

And now we arrive at our most likely scenario.

 

We’ve yet to hear exactly when Ilya Mikheyev will return to the ice following an unexpected absence, and we don’t know when that non-contact jersey is going to come off. The team has indicated that Mikheyev will be ready to go by opening night, but it doesn’t look all the certain.

 

If Mikheyev does miss time to start the year, and if the team takes the option of placing him on retroactive LTIR and thus opening up enough cap space for a replacement, it makes ample sense for Räty to be that replacement.

 

We’d still probably slot him in at 3C in this scenario, and slide one of Suter or Blueger over for the time being. Give Räty a couple of talented linemates and as much ice-time as the team can muster, and communicate to him that he’s going down as soon as Mikheyev returns, no matter what happens.

 

A nice, little no-pressure audition with a planned expiry might just be the perfect way to reward Räty’s preseason excellence while not rocking the pre-established roster boat; giving a leg-up to his NHL development without pouring too many expectations on him too early.

Or, he might get cut and have to try it all again next year.

 

There’s still a couple of weeks left to sort this out. But the possibilities are exciting.

 

 

By Stephan Roget

 

https://canucksarmy.com/news/what-vancouver-canucks-lineup-aatu-raty-team

 

 

[MeanSeanBean]

In my opinion, Raty as winger should not be an option what so ever. We have no impact center prospects outside Raty, he needs to be given every opportunity to play C. Playing him on the wing is a last resort if he can't make an impact at center. Even if he earns a spot, I'd rather send him to Abby to play first line center over any spot on the lineup at wing.

 

[RWJC]

Agreed. 3C is intriguing, but is totally contingent on his play pushing a couple experienced folks down or off the roster and I’m not sure Tocchet sees that as feasible just yet. Would love to see Ra2D2 get some further experience with the big club to take with him back to Abby and set up a foundation on the farm that way. 

Edited September 26, 2023 by RWJC

[Jester13]

He can play as a call-up, but there's no room or rush for him yet. I watched him every shift last night at the game, and he looked quite good. He sees the ice well, and it even makes up for his lack of foot speed. I can see him making the team next year to replace Blueger's expiring contract. 

[Nucker67]

Kuzmenko - Pettersson - Beauvillier

Mikheyev - Miller - Boeser

Blueger - Suter - Garland

Podkolzin - Raty - Joshua

 

[RWJC]

3 minutes ago, Jester13 said:

He can play as a call-up, but there's no room or rush for him yet. I watched him every shift last night at the game, and he looked quite good. He sees the ice well, and it even makes up for his lack of foot speed. I can see him making the team next year to replace Blueger's expiring contract. 

PAJR like Blueger.
Wouldn’t surprise me to see him extended on a 2yr deal for low AAV if he has a decent season. 

[Barn Burner]

I was impressed with Suter last night, despite the outcome. If Raty can push for the 4C/3C this year, awesome. Otherwise, let him stew for another half year or more. He's only 20 years old. 

[DrJockitch]

With Suter and Garland on his wing could be fun. If it worked and provided a feisty 3rd scoring lone would be great. 
Raty has support of Suter who also plays C. 
Do generally think he needs another year in AHL but let’s see him with a better lineup before we start drawing up lineups. 

Edited September 26, 2023 by DrJockitch

[Barn Burner]

5 minutes ago, DrJockitch said:

With Suter and Garland on his wing could be fun. If it worked and provided a feisty 3rd scoring lone would be great. 
Raty has support of Suter who also plays C. 
Do generally think he needs another year in AHL but let’s see him with a better lineup before we start drawing up lineups. 

Raty has looked good in the Young Stars and even in last night's game. I wouldn't be against him making the team this year if he forces his way onto it. We want the best players possible. All the best to him! 

[RawkDrummer]

Well written article, I enjoyed the writer's thoughts.

[Eddie]

Yeah that was a good article. 

 

He's looking good for sure, but not earth shattering, nothing wrong with over ripening. Tho would be nice to seem him rewarded for the hard work he has put into his skating this summer. 

Everyone else has to put more of a claim in on a spot than the lot that played last night did and then we will see i guess.

[Captain Kirk]

[Jeremy Hronek]

4 hours ago, RWJC said:

What does the Vancouver Canucks’ lineup look like if Aatu Räty makes the team?

 

 

After a 10-0 blowout loss in their first preseason game, it’s hard to say that the Vancouver Canucks’ year is off to a great start. But even at the worst of times, there are always those who stand out, and at this very early juncture in the season, that player is Aatu Räty.

 

Nobody looked good against Calgary on Sunday night, but of all the players on the Vancouver side of the ice, Räty was probably the best. That continues a trend that saw him put up one of the best performances of any of the prospects present at the Penticton Young Stars Tournament.

 

On the one hand, Räty is playing up to expectations as the highest-ranked prospect remaining in Training Camp. Tom Willander, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and that other Elias Pettersson are all off with their own 2023/24 teams already, leaving Räty at the top of the heap for the time being.

 

Even then, however, few gave Räty much chance of cracking the Canucks’ NHL roster this year. We already published a piece entitled “Is the Vancouver Canucks’ forward lineup pretty much already set?,” and based that thinking on the fact that the Canucks have four veteran centres, seven veteran wingers, and both Nils Höglander and Vasily Podkolzin all pencilled-in to forward jobs.

 

But if anyone is going to force their way into the conversation, it’s going to be Räty, and he may have already got a head-start on that process.

So, what happens next? If Räty does in fact push his way into and onto the 2023/24 opening night lineup, what would that lineup look like?

 

There are a few interesting scenarios to consider.

 

Räty as a winger

 

Let’s get this one out of the way right away.

 

If Räty makes the Canucks this year, it’s almost certainly as a centre. That’s his natural position, he’s the team’s top prospect at that position by a mile, and it’s arguably the position of greatest organizational weakness at this point.

 

Plus, there’s those aforementioned nine other wingers who are all-but-guaranteed NHL jobs. There’s simply no room at the wing, and certainly not enough to justify playing Räty there out of position.

 

In the past, this might have been considered the ‘easier’ path for a forward to take in cracking the big league roster. This time around, Räty is going to have to do so as a centre or bust.

 

Räty as third line centre

 

The most likely place to Räty to enter the lineup is as the 3C. The Canucks would want to put him in a position to succeed, and all those wingers we just talked about give them the perfect ability to run a scoring top-nine and slide a couple of talented scorers on either side of Räty.

 

What happens to Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger, the two UFA signings currently competing for the 3C job, in this scenario?

 

One of them either bumps over to the wing or bumps out of the lineup as the 13th forward. Neither outcome is particularly ideal, but it could be doable for a short period of time as the Canucks let Räty roll for a while.

Flanked by, say, Conor Garland and Anthony Beauvillier, Räty would have a genuine chance to put up some numbers, and if it keeps working, there’s every chance he could just stay there. Suter and Blueger are fine players, after all, but not of the sort that should block the natural progress of a blue-chip prospect.

 

Räty as fourth line centre

 

You could take a lot of what we said in the last section and copy it here. Räty as the 4C bumps one of Suter or Blueger out of a spot as Räty slides in.

 

But the 4C spot is a far less desirable one when it comes to giving the young Räty an NHL job. For one, it would undoubtedly mean fewer minutes at a crucial point in his development path. For another, it would almost certainly mean a decrease in the quality of linemates.

 

We can imagine a fourth line of Räty flanked by Blueger and Dakota Joshua as a fine unit that performs well, but it wouldn’t be a great place for Räty to continue to develop the offensive side of his game. With alternative options already present on the roster, if the choice is between a 4C job and Abbotsford, Räty should probably be packing his bags.

 

Räty as second line centre

 

Now, wouldn’t this be something.

As a prospect, most have said that Räty probably tops out as a 2C. So, why not let him start there and see if he can grow into the role?

 

Obviously, Elias Pettersson and JT Miller are fairly locked into place as the Canucks’ top-two centres. But Miller has played plenty of wing in the past, and if coach Rick Tocchet is looking to really mix up his forward corps, perhaps a scenario in which Miller pops over to the wing for a spell might be of some interest.

 

This could mean a reunion of the Lotto Line, or it could mean Miller on Räty’s wing. Either way, it’s putting Räty in the best position to succeed imaginable, while at the same time allowing the Canucks to start having a more long-term outlook on the centre position.

 

In order for this to even have the slightest possibility of happening, however, Räty is going to have to post some serious numbers in the preseason. Looking good on the wrong end of 10-0 losses is not going to cut it.

 

 

Räty as a temporary Ilya Mikheyev replacement

 

And now we arrive at our most likely scenario.

 

We’ve yet to hear exactly when Ilya Mikheyev will return to the ice following an unexpected absence, and we don’t know when that non-contact jersey is going to come off. The team has indicated that Mikheyev will be ready to go by opening night, but it doesn’t look all the certain.

 

If Mikheyev does miss time to start the year, and if the team takes the option of placing him on retroactive LTIR and thus opening up enough cap space for a replacement, it makes ample sense for Räty to be that replacement.

 

We’d still probably slot him in at 3C in this scenario, and slide one of Suter or Blueger over for the time being. Give Räty a couple of talented linemates and as much ice-time as the team can muster, and communicate to him that he’s going down as soon as Mikheyev returns, no matter what happens.

 

A nice, little no-pressure audition with a planned expiry might just be the perfect way to reward Räty’s preseason excellence while not rocking the pre-established roster boat; giving a leg-up to his NHL development without pouring too many expectations on him too early.

Or, he might get cut and have to try it all again next year.

 

There’s still a couple of weeks left to sort this out. But the possibilities are exciting.

 

 

By Stephan Roget

 

https://canucksarmy.com/news/what-vancouver-canucks-lineup-aatu-raty-team

 

 

 

Kuzmenko-Pettersson-Beauviller

Mikheyev-Miller-Boeser

Suter-Bluegar-Garland

Podkolzin-Raty-Hoglander

 

[Chronic.Canuck]

It's great to see him making a push and taking a step forward from last season, but IMO we have so many waiver free forwards this year that we should send as many as possible to Abby and see who rises to the top of the pile. The top 3-4 guys will get some games in anyways which I imagine will be some mix of Karlsson, Raty, Bains and McDonough.

[Spitfire_Spiky]

I was at the game last night and as stated in the article he was clearly the best player on the ice for the Canucks. That being said no one looked good last night so the bar wasn't exactly set very high. I really want to see Räty do well, and like what I've seen so far. owever lets see how he performs in at least a couple more preseason games before we even consider that hes fighting for a roster spot. 

[Canucklehead44]

He was drafted after Klimkovich, I think we forget how young he is.

 

1st line centre in Abby to start, sees 20-40 games in the NHL this year filling in for injuries 

[EternalCanuckFan]

Agreed that Raty has to make it as a C. Playing Raty at wing should only be done in the future if it's clear that he can't cut it as a C but could still contribute.

 

I might be OK with Raty making it as 3C if his preseason play warrants it, but I'd much rather Raty be the main guy in Abbotsford and dominate at that level first. He'll almost certainly get call ups given the Canucks' poor C depth. Pius Suter's signing was helpful for depth, but it's still a very shallow position for the Canucks.

 

If Raty can break into the top 6 from preseason, then that's going to be a good problem to have.

[Canucklehead44]

6 minutes ago, EternalCanuckFan said:

Agreed that Raty has to make it as a C. Playing Raty at wing should only be done in the future if it's clear that he can't cut it as a C but could still contribute.

 

I might be OK with Raty making it as 3C if his preseason play warrants it, but I'd much rather Raty be the main guy in Abbotsford and dominate at that level first. He'll almost certainly get call ups given the Canucks' poor C depth. Pius Suter's signing was helpful for depth, but it's still a very shallow position for the Canucks.

 

If Raty can break into the top 6 from preseason, then that's going to be a good problem to have.

Also have Aman who is a decent depth option 

[J-23]

He will look nice on the team next season, still a lot more work to do in the AHL. He did look good in that pre-season game.

 

McDonough - Raty - Podkolzin as a top line in the AHL. It will be good for all of them.

These are the lines I think we will see opening night:

Beauvillier - Pettersson - Kuzmenko

Mikheyev - Miller - Boeser

Hoglander - Suter - Garland

                - Blueger - 

 

Hughes -

Cole - Hronek

Soucy - Myers

 

Demko

DeSmith

[Jeremy Hronek]

Kuzmenko-Pettersson-Beauvillier

Mikheyev-Miller-Boeser

Suter-Bluegar-Garland

Podkolzin-Raty-Hoglander

 

Hughes-Soucy

Cole-Hronek

Hirose-Myers

 

Demko

DeSmith

[Rekker]

Not quite as excited as some. He still needs to work on his first three strides, lacks any explosiveness. He's smart though, I really like his positioning. 

[aGENT]

Better served as 1C in Abby, with injury call ups IMO.

 

He needs to PLAY. A LOT, and in key situations.

[Sativika]

1 hour ago, aGENT said:

Better served as 1C in Abby, with injury call ups IMO.

 

He needs to PLAY. A LOT, and in key situations.

THIS!  Best thing to do. I don't know about his situation regarding waivers and such, but if it's safe as mentioned above, use him as the 1st forward call up when the injury bugs hit the big club. Winger, centre, put him where he has chances to excel. Valuable playing time either way.

Edited September 27, 2023 by Sativika

[Coconuts]

Slightly more Finnish

[RakuRaku]

I think Raty does have the potential and skill set to be our 3C.... Well, let's see if he can step up rest of the preseason!! It's a battle between him and Suter and Studnicka... But I still think Raty is the long term solution!!