I started off this series by highlighting someone who seemed to be in the coach’s doghouse last season. Markus Granlund was glued into a bottom six defensive role, an area of the lineup he never escaped until his season ended prematurely in February.
Enter Brendan Leipsic, the yin to Granlund’s yang.
Where He Left Off
After Jim Benning acquired Leipsic in a shrewd deadline move, the former Golden Knight was swiftly thrust into a top-six role. Part of it was due to a belittled and injured Canucks roster, but Leipsic stepped right onto the top line and played 18-20 minutes per night.