After another brutal road trip, the Canucks are back home for three games this week, starting with the team that just handed them another loss, the Detroit Red Wings.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (21-28-4) vs DETROIT RED WINGS (23-22-8)

7:00 PM PST

ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC

TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC RADIO: SN650

It feels as though the only thing that’s been consistent about the Vancouver Canucks this season is that every move they make seems to be deliberately detrimental. The latest head scratcher is how new head coach Rick Tocchet seems to have chosen the first candidate for his doghouse since taking the reins from Bruce Boudreau, and for some reason, it’s Andrei Kuzmenko.

The same Kuzmenko who came in as a highly touted free agent from the KHL, preformed exactly as they had hoped, and was rightly rewarded with a contract extension. Now, his ice time has plummeted, as he finds himself in the bottom six, playing with guys who really do him no favours for the style of game that he plays. I get trying to send a message in a game, but I don’t understand how his play has warranted this.

Well, onto good news (which naturally, comes with some not so good news). The Spencer Martin Experience is coming to an end, as the Canucks have placed him on waivers for the purposes of sending him to Abbotsford. Unlike when they tried to do the same with Reid Pederson, I think there’s absolutely no danger of another team grabbing the shell-shocked goaltender.

So you’d look at this and think “So, Thatcher Demko’s ready to return to the lineup then, right? Right??” Nnnnnnnnnnnnope.

Martin was full value for earning that backup role to Demko in camp, but floundered under the pressure in the number one slot when Demko was injured. He’s been outplayed consistently by Delia, too.

With just 8 games left before the March 3rd trading deadline, it will be interesting to see just how the Canucks respond to the return of their number one goalie. Will they go on a run, and try to somehow claw their way back into a playoff spot? Haha, yeah right. No, they’ll win just enough to hamper any tank hopes, and continue on their mediocre way just as they have for the past decade.

LINEUPS

Red Wings projected lineup

Tyler Bertuzzi — Dylan Larkin — Dominik Kubalik

Michael Rasmussen — Andrew Copp — David Perron

Filip Zadina — Pius Suter — Oskar Sundqvist

Jonatan Berggren — Joe Veleno — Robby Fabbri

Olli Maatta — Moritz Seider

Ben Chiarot — Filip Hronek

Jordan Oesterle — Robert Hagg

Ville Husso

Magnus Hellberg

Scratched: Gustav Lindstrom, Jordan Oesterle

Injured: Lucas Raymond (lower body), Matt Luff (upper body), Mark Pysyk (Achilles), Jake Walman (upper body)

Canucks projected lineup

Anthony Beauvillier — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser

Vasily Podkolzin — J.T. Miller — Conor Garland

Dakota Joshua — Sheldon Dries — Andrei Kuzmenko

Phillip Di Giuseppe — Nils Aman — Curtis Lazar

Quinn Hughes — Ethan Bear

Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Tyler Myers

Riley Stillman — Luke Schenn

Collin Delia

Spencer Martin

Scratched: Jack Studnicka, Kyle Burroughs

Injured: Travis Dermott (undisclosed), Thatcher Demko (lower body), Ilya Mikheyev (torn ACL), Tanner Pearson (hand surgery), Tucker Poolman (undisclosed)

GAME DAY CHATTER

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

This one’s pretty cool. In advance of their upcoming North American tour, a couple metal heavyweights have released a single they recorded together, honoring the late Riley Gale of Power Trip, who were supposed to open this tour when it was originally planned back in 2020. Proceeds from this single go to Dallas Hope Charities, which supports LGBTQ youth in the DFW area. Gale was a big supporter of the organization, so it’s cool to see this being done in his name. Here’s LAMB OF GOD and KREATOR together, bringing you the ‘State Of Unrest’!

Enjoy the game, folks. Go Canucks Go.