Canucks: Rick Tocchet has problem with players being ‘a little light in combat situations’

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Credit before criticism.

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This is a common practice in the business world, as a little sugar before salt is believed to energize employees and produce higher levels of production.

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It sounds warm and fuzzy, but it doesn’t apply to professional sports. As much as Vancouver Canucks Coach Rick Tocchet has found the good in the bad – and will make sure it becomes part of the daily conversation – ignoring indifferent play won’t make his day or strengthen the team in the right way.

The current three-game winless skid has led to a decline in all that is non-negotiable in Tocchet’s world.

If you don’t want to be a disruptive force on the forecheck, winning battles along the walls and being difficult to play against when taking an inside position towards the net – especially among the bottom six players – there will be a problem.

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The Canucks are an encouraging 16-10-4 under Tocchet – especially with a defensive team testing the organization’s depth – and they’re getting monster seasons from Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and a resurgent JT Miller. But more is needed.

“Obviously the big guys have been producing and we need to get more from the bottom two lines and more forechecking from those guys,” Tocchet said. “I don’t think we’re getting enough right now to wear the other team out.

“You have to have depth, guys win battles and keep pucks alive and we haven’t done that in the last three games. We can’t sometimes just rely on Millsy (Miller) and (Phil) Di Giuseppe and Dakota (Joshua). We need guys who will attack someone in F1 (first striker) and be sticky.

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“They need to get in there and wreak havoc.”

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That suggests, as Miller pointed out postgame Sunday following a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, that the Canucks are “a little too soft right now and don’t feel like they’re difficult to face.”

Tocchet agreed and that’s when he really got to the point.

“We have to solve this problem,” he stressed. “Whether it’s personnel or otherwise, we’re a little light in combat situations. For me it’s body position and technique. In practice we teach it and do it, but When pressure hits in matches, we lose our technique.

“Whether it’s against a guy with your stick and somehow our backs are to the boards, you can’t play that way in this league. That’s why we need to develop some of these guys and find out who can do that for us.

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Or find other guys.

That’s why Tocchet has repeatedly preached how crucial the upcoming offseason is for those who need to add muscle, conditioning, speed and stiffness to their games. Whether it’s Jack Studnicka, Vitali Kravstov, Vasily Podkolzin, improved Joshua and newcomers like college products Aidan McDonough and Akito Hirose, the message is direct.

Studnicka knows how important it is to be patient, having been left out often this season, including 10 times in 11 games in March. Using this time to improve his training habits and game awareness was vital.

At 24 years old, and with one year remaining on his contract, it should be a summer like no other for the Boston Bruins’ 2017 second-round pick. He only needs to improve seven points (4-3) in 41 games to earn over 10:31 of average ice time and become one of the bottom six mainstays on the roster.

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For now, Tocchet said Studnicka is “behind the other guys” but he likes the commitment to improving.

“Everyone wants things to happen quickly,” Studnicka told Postmedia. “For some guys, that’s the case, and that’s why they’re the best players in the league. In the beginning, I probably set expectations for myself that weren’t unrealistic, but certainly high.

“Now I’m more comfortable trusting the process.”

Strength is at the heart of improvement and Tocchet needs to see that in training camp. Four months is plenty of time either to meet the criteria or to put together a list after the fact.

“Core strength, puck strength, hockey IQ and everything,” the coach added of his wish list. “It’s also about anticipating the arrival of the puck and being ready to face it. Sometimes we don’t look closely enough at the ice and we’re surprised.

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“It’s experience and some guys haven’t played much and are trying to carve out a place in the NHL. It’s part of the process.

That’s also part of the challenge after missing the playoffs yet again.

“It sucks, I feel bad for the guys,” Tocchet said. “Four months off sucks, but use it to your advantage. There is no excuse not to come to camp in good shape. If you don’t do this, there will be a problem.

“There is a hunger and I want to be part of the solution with the coaching staff. I’m looking forward to these four months.

In the meantime, the remaining six matches are still significant. Tocchet has an early read on how big winger McDonough could contribute as a physical presence and finisher. And in his NHL debut on Sunday, there were parts of Hirose’s game that stood out.

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“It’s like this: We have guys trying to make our team,” Tocchet said. “Once you give them (instructions), then they can adapt. Aidan needs to be faster from the start and Hirose needs to get stronger and they know it to reach this level.

“But both guys kind of impressed me. There are things to develop there.

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