The Vancouver Canucks made what many consider a bad move back in 2016 when they
 inked Loui Eriksson to a six-year, $36-million contract with a nice little
no-movement clause tacked onto it.

Eriksson has sadly disappointed, contributing only 21 goals over two seasons,
but fear not: he';s going to bounce back this season.

I know, that sounds like a pretty hot take, but just hear me out here.Loui
Eriksson: Stud to Dud

At first glance, the Canucks'; signing of Eriksson looked alright - Eriksson
was coming off of a 30-goal, 63-point, Lady Byng Memorial Trophy finalist
campaign with the Boston Bruins, and just five years prior, he was a consistent
 70-point guy.Loui Eriksson (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

However, when you dug a little bit deeper, you saw that he was turning 31 just
under two weeks following the signing. Now, all of a sudden, that six-year term
 seems crazy.

Canucks fans still hung in there though - "Sure, he';s a little older, but we
are giving him $6 million per season, so, he must be pretty good then, right?"
Cue the disappointment.

The $36-million man laced up for 65 contests in his Canucks debut season and
put up an underwhelming 11 goals and 13 helpers while dragging along a minus-9
rating. The season was cut short for the veteran Swede in March due to a knee
injury.

Last season was no better, as he skated only 50 times and contributed one less
goal. Eriksson was slotted in with several different line combinations
throughout the season but nothing clicked. Again, his season was cut short by
injury - this time, a rib injury suffered in late February.

on Eriksson's first two seasons with #Canucks pic.twitter.com/R9cuSEBjJm

- Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) March 1, 2018

Solving the Loui Eriksson Problem

Here';s where the take gets hot. Loui Eriksson, 20 to 25 goals in the 2018-19
season as a member of the blue and green.

Now, this take is largely dependent on Eriksson';s linemates. Ideally, I';d
like to see him on the second line with his fellow countryman Elias Pettersson
skating down the middle.Loui Eriksson, Vancouver Canucks, Nov. 21, 2017 (Amy
Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Eriksson has skill and evidently knows how to find twine. With that being said,
 he';s not exactly an elite sniper, playmaker or skater. His strongest
attribute is his nose for the net - he knows how to get into scoring areas in
tight and pounce on loose pucks.

Over the last two seasons, I think he';s gotten away from that a little bit and
 stuck to the perimeter which effectively renders him ineffective.

In fact, in February of his 30-goal 2015-16 campaign, he had taken 75.1 percent
 of his shots inside the danger area, and 38.7 percent of those were right in
front.

Pettersson finds success in essentially the exact opposite way of Eriksson - he
 sticks to the perimeter and relies on his incredibly soft hands and
pinpoint-accurate shot to create offence.Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver
Canucks (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Should the Swedish star in the making crack the lineup this season (all signs
point towards him making it), he will almost certainly be centering the second
line.

With Pettersson making things happen on the outside and ultimately working
towards getting the puck towards the net, I think Eriksson could be the perfect
 complementary player to linger in the danger zone and pounce on rebounds,
screen goalies, look for deflections or even present himself as a passing
outlet.

Beyond the offensive potential, Eriksson could also prove to be a solid mentor
for the young Pettersson.

As previously stated, Eriksson got away from his game before. He needs to get
back to his office and back into the good books of Canucks fans.Loui Eriksson:
Top-Liner?

"Loui is another guy I'd look forward to playing with. He's a smart hockey
player and good at both ends of the ice, so we'll see what happens at training
camp,"- Bo Horvat told Nucks Misconduct Sept. 13 at the team';s
season-commencing golf tournament.

Big words from the top line';s center. I don';t really see coach Travis Green
slotting Eriksson on the top line to start the season, but if the second line
isn';t a good fit then I think putting him up there with Horvat and Brock
Boeser is a good move.Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks, Nov. 21, 2017 (Amy Irvin
 / The Hockey Writers)

Again, this is very reliant on Eriksson not trying to be a 30-goal guy, but
rather playing simple hockey and letting the chances come to him. With Horvat
working the corners and Boeser shooting the puck, Eriksson will see plenty of
opportunities.

He had a couple of cracks on the top unit last year and it didn';t work out,
but if he can somehow get back to Boston-Loui, then I think the Canucks are
going to be pleasantly surprised with their $36-million, 33-year-old asset.

What do you think about the Eriksson-Pettersson potential connection? Would he
be better on the first line with Brock and Bo? Or is there a better solution to
 this problem altogether? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Canucks'; Loui Eriksson Will Bounce Back appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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