VANCOUVER – That hole on the Vancouver Canucks’ second line has become significantly larger and it may take a Roberto Luongo trade to fill it.
A groin injury to winger David Booth has the Canucks in the unenviable position of possibly starting the season Saturday without not only injured centre Ryan Kesler, but Booth as well. That’s two-thirds of their second line.
Booth has missed the first two days of a short training camp with a groin issue and on Monday was sent for an MRI.
“He tweaked his groin a little bit and we’re not quite sure how severe it is,” coach Alain Vigneault said.
The Canucks were counting on Booth to have a bounce-back year after scoring just 16 goals last season. He was pencilled in to start the season on the second line, likely with Mason Raymond on the other wing.
Andrew Ebbett and Jordan Schroeder are battling to see who might fill in for Kesler, who is not ready to play after shoulder and wrist surgeries last spring.
If Booth’s injury is serious, it’s a safe bet that general manager Mike Gillis — if he wasn’t already — will be seeking a player who could step in and play second-line minutes in any trade for Luongo.
Vigneault suggested Monday that depending on what transpires between now and Saturday’s opener against the Anaheim Ducks, he might have to adjust how his team plays. In other words, the Canucks could have to play a more tight-checking style.
“We are going to have to deal with it the best way we can and on some nights, we might have to adjust part of the way we play,” Vigneault said. “We like our identity, we like the fact we are hard to play against, we like the fact we play a fast-paced game. Hopefully, on most nights, we’ll have the talent level to allow us to to do that. If we don’t, we’ll have to adjust and find the best way that we can so that we have the best possible opportunity to win that game.”
Booth skated Thursday and Friday in informal workouts with most of his teammates at UBC. After Friday’s skate, he stayed out on the ice by himself and skated hard.
Saturday was a day off and Booth showed up for medical testing and the first day of camp Sunday with a sore groin.
If you follow him on Twitter, you’ll know Booth spent much of the lockout hunting big game animals all over North America. But Vigneault said Booth told him he also spent lots of time on the ice.
“As far as keeping tabs on players during the lockout, we were not allowed, so I did not keep any,” Vigneault said. “But I did talk to David (on Sunday) and he told me he was on the ice four or five times a week. Sometimes stuff happens on the ice.”
The prospect of starting the season with a makeshift second line will only add to the pressure on Henrik and Daniel Sedin and linemate Alex Burrows to shoulder the bulk of the offensive load.
“It has always been like that,” Henrik said Monday. “That’s nothing new for us. We are here to score goals and if we don’t we usually lose games. That’s not going to change this year, so that’s where we are.”
On Monday, Schroeder and Ebbett alternated reps at second-line centre with Raymond and Zack Kassian on the wings.
Barring a trade, Ebbett or Schroeder figure to start the season centering the second line.
“it’s almost like a QB situation in the NFL,” Ebbett said. “You are splitting first-team reps almost. We are both getting our chances and I’m not sure you are going to see much in the first two days, but I think on Wednesday and Thursday night with those scrimmages, it is a chance for me to step up and show that I want the spot.”
Booth’s injury doesn’t hurt Ebbett’s chances of making the team. He’s comfortable playing all three forward positions, so could also see some minutes on either wing.
“I have shown I can be a versatile guy and play on the left side, right side or in the middle and I can play on those bottom two lines if need be,” Ebbett said. “It’s a nice tool for me to show them that I have and hopefully that second-line centre spot is up for the taking and I can take hold of it. If there’s another hole, I’ll gladly fill that one in, too.”
Vigneault is anxious to see how the Ebbett-Schroder competition goes the rest of the week.
“Andrew has been playing for the last three and half months (in Chicago) and according to (Wolves coach) Scott Arniel has been their best offensive forward at the centre position,” Vigneault said. “So him and Jordan right now are fighting it out for that spot. . .Is Andrew going to be able to do it? Is Jordan going to be able to do it? We’ll sort that out and see what happens.”
Kassian, who was back on the ice after resting a troublesome back injury Sunday, said he’s not trying to read too much into the second-line minutes he got on Monday.
“As a player you want to be mentally ready for everything that gets thrown at you, but I am not looking into that,” Kassian said. “The media looks at line combinations and all that. I am here to play hockey and work hard and hopefully everything will fall into place.”
bziemer@vancouversun.com
