Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson is congratulated at the bench after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins, in Vancouver, on Oct. 26.Derek Cain/Getty Images
Cancer. Major injuries. The death of a parent. The Vancouver Canucks have been through it all this season.
Yet another key Canucks player was sidelined Tuesday when the club announced that centre J.T. Miller has taken an indefinite leave for personal reasons.
Vancouver responded to the news with a gritty effort against the potent New York Rangers, but ultimately took a 4-3 loss.
“Guys are going through a lot, but I think that I’m really proud of the way we responded tonight, and how we battled and competed,” captain Quinn Hughes said after the game.
“And I think we’ve got a really, really tight group – that’s going to make us stronger throughout the season. But I think we’ve just got a great coaching staff, great organization, management. And we’re all in this together.”
The Canucks (9-6-3) announced at training camp that neither all-star goalie Thatcher Demko nor bruising winger Dakota Joshua would be ready to start the season. Joshua, fresh off a career-best season, missed the first 14 games of the campaign as he recovered from treatment for testicular cancer. Demko, who was up for the Vezina Trophy as one of the league’s top netminders last year, remains out of the lineup as he deals with a knee injury.
The losses mounted in mid-October when Derek Forbort stepped away following his father’s death. The defenceman returned for one game, but has missed the last eight with a lower-body injury.
Brock Boeser, who had 40 goals for Vancouver last season, was sidelined on Nov. 7 after being hit in the head by L.A. Kings forward Tanner Jeannot.
“I think in one way (the adversity) brings us closer together because, what everyone’s going through, we’re always going to have each other’s back. And there’s no difference with the news we got today,” said centre Elias Pettersson.
“We’re always going to have each other’s backs and whatever happens, we’re just going to be there for each other.”
Forbort and Boeser both skated early on Tuesday morning and Demko has strung some solid practices together, said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, but when, exactly, the players will return remains unclear.
“We’re gonna have some bodies coming back – I don’t know whether it’s a week, two weeks – with some all-star people. That’s going to help,” Tocchet said. “But in the meantime, some guys are getting some playing time and they’re getting used to this kind of pressure. I think that that’s valuable stuff.”
One Canuck who has seen his role elevated in recent weeks is Kiefer Sherwood, a speedy, punishing winger who has played alongside Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk in recent games with promising results.
Sherwood scored his fifth goal of the season and registered 10 hits on Tuesday.
While Vancouver’s lines have been thrown in a blender due to the absences, players have done a solid job of maintaining connection across the ice, Sherwood said.
“I think it says a lot about the culture. Guys are able to come in and contribute. And I think a lot of the guys that are stepping in right now are playing the right way,” he said. “So it doesn’t matter whose name is called, as long as they’re ready and ready to contribute. That’s all we can ask for.”
Canucks winger Conor Garland played Tuesday after missing morning skate due to the impending arrival of his first child.
The new-dad-to-be scored his fifth goal of the season and logged 20 minutes and 58 seconds of ice time.
After getting off the ice, Garland rushed back to his wife’s side.
“He’s gonna probably have a baby here soon,” Tocchet told reporters after the game. “Was up at three in the morning, was up again at seven, no sleep. And you know, he was our best player. So what can you say? You love the kid.”
Tuesday concluded a six-game homestand where the Canucks went 2-4-0. The team’s record at Rogers Arena fell to 3-5-3.
Vancouver remains one of the league’s best road squads this season, though, with a 6-1-0 record.