“He’ll be back soon. It’s going to be a great story and he’s going to have a good year. You can see it on the ice. He’s looking really good.” — Connor Garland talks about Dakota Joshua
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Conor Garland is rarely at a loss for words.
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The diminutive, driven Vancouver Canucks winger found joy in a game that challenged his resolve. He speaks with enthusiasm about doing his best and taking another step on the long road to the playoffs.
For now, he’s playing a key role on the ice.
Garland struck up a friendship with Dakota Joshua and they became capable and fun-loving linemates. And when Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer in the offseason (he could return to action this weekend or next), his buddy was speechless.
“He called me to find out what happened and I was shocked,” Garland told Postmedia News before the season started. “It’s weird to hear that, especially when someone is that young. It’s just being there when he needs something. We have to be careful because we want him back early. .
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“He’s a very important part of our team, so we have to make sure he’s mentally and physically ready, because it (cancer) is such a serious and sensitive subject all around. You’re just trying to distract him.”
On Tuesday, Garland learned that Joshua was on the right path to recovery. He’s been practicing and has some new moves to greet his teammates as they enter the locker room after a win.
“He’s a fun personality for us to be in the room with,” Garland said. “Great guy. Great player. He’s going to be a great addition to our lineup. It’s going to take some time to get into the regular season.
“I don’t think a lot of people go through that, especially when you’re a professional athlete and you’re trying to do your best.
“It’s a different situation, but he’s getting close to coming back. It’s going to be a great story and he’s going to have a good year. You can see it on the ice. He looks really good, but the timing… It’s going to take some time for him to get into shape. No one expects him to be what he was in the playoffs, at least not for a little while.”
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It wasn’t always like this.
Joshua, 28, was struggling to put together a career season both physically and mentally. The imposing 6-foot-3, 206-pound native of Dearborn, Michigan, had 18 goals and 32 points in 63 games with a willingness to show off his soft hands for the net.
He led the club in regular season hits (244), ranking ninth in the entire NHL, and also led the Canucks in the postseason (74).
Joshua was a key cog in a much-improved penalty kill, hitting 79.1 percent efficiency in the regular season and 81 percent efficiency in the postseason. Most importantly, he scored eight points in 13 games (4-4) in the playoffs and earned a four-year contract extension with an average annual total of $3.25 million.
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He couldn’t wait for this campaign. Then came the diagnosis.
“I’m not going to lie, he was depressed,” Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet admitted. “He’s been on the road with us for the past six weeks and when you look at him now, he’s smiling. He’s got that happiness back.”
Tocchet said an AHL conditioning stint for Joshua is one consideration, but the preference is to have him back in the NHL lineup and get him up to speed. He will be seeing a doctor for follow-up and will be speaking to the media later this week.
Meanwhile, Coach Tocchet made changes to Tuesday’s practice lineup, dropping Arshdeep Baynes along with Elias Pettersson and Garland, and dropping Nils Hoglander in favor of Pius Suter and Daniel Sprong. He also had a pairing of Noah Juulsen and Erik Brannstrom, but his biggest concern is getting the power play going. On Monday, he went 0-for-3 on just three shots in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, but it was passive and expected. It could have been a hammer. It was an anchor.
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He showed a performance of 2 hits in 4 at bats at the start of the season, but since then he has been doing well with 3 hits in 21 at bats. The first unit remained intact Tuesday, and better zone entry (another person carrying the puck through the neutral zone) could be a better way to get more flow and move on. There is.
“It’s intensity and awareness,” Tocchet said. “Sometimes when you have talent you think you can develop the skill your way, but it doesn’t work out. It’s not terrible (20%) but it doesn’t taste like much in your mouth. And neither do they (players).
“Once you overcome the pressure, you have to attack. There’s no point looking for play. We have to improve and that’s the mentality.”
Pettersson has only taken two power-play shots this season, which has something to do with the Canucks often preferring the left side of the offensive zone to set up shots and initiate rotations.
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“You can’t stand still and teams aren’t going to allow one-timers. You have to move within the structure and then get (the puck) back to the open,” Tocchet said. “I talked to Petey about moving his legs because he moves a lot.”
He will also miss Wednesday’s track meet against the New Jersey Devils.
“We have to reload,” Tocchet summed up. “The runs we gave up against Carolina were the odd rush. Everybody’s waiting to see if they win the battle. If it’s a 50-50 puck, you have to be better than the guys. Back to the story.”
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