Vancouver Canucks: Loui Eriksson calls out head coach Travis Green

Vancouver Canucks forward Loui Eriksson isn’t happy with his playing time. In a recent interview, he called out head coach Travis Green.

When the Vancouver Canucks signed forward Loui Eriksson in 2016, they were hoping he would be a reliable goal scorer for them for years to come. At the time, Eriksson was coming off a 30 goal season at the age of 30. However, he has been a huge disappointment, scoring just 32 goals and 76 points in his first three seasons.

Understandably, the Canucks have been cutting his playing time. During his first season, Eriksson played over 18 minutes per game. This has been cut to 16 minutes in 2017-18 and 14 minutes in 2018-19.

More from Puck Prose

• Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
• This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
• 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
• 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
• This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings

In a recent interview with Sweden’s HockeySverige, he discussed his frustration regarding his lack of playing time. Eriksson noted his relationship with head coach Travis Green likely has something to do with it.

“It is difficult when I do not get the same trust that I received from all the other coaches I had during my career,” said Eriksson, via TSN (translation). “Of course, it is tough on that front.”

Eriksson does sort of have a point. As shown earlier, his playing time has decreased. However, Eriksson’s production hasn’t justified much playing time. He has yet to reach the 30 point plateau in Vancouver. Though Eriksson did pick up 29 points this season. He has yet to score more than 12 goals in any season with the Canucks.

Green has been his coach the past two seasons. Eriksson is also correct in his assessment of his deployment. In 2016-17, his first season in Vancouver, he had an offensive zone start percentage of 50.5%. This has decreased under Green to 46.9% in 2017-18 and to just 38% in 2018-19.

It’s hard to argue with the coach, though. Eriksson’s offense has been declining quickly. He’s still a fairly strong defensive forward, though, as he’s one of the Canucks better penalty killers. However, it’s hard to see Eriksson producing if he’s not happy.

This further complicates his future in Vancouver. His contract consists primarily of signing bonuses, which makes his contract next to impossible to buyout. Eriksson could, however, terminate his contract, much like Patrik Berglund did with the Buffalo Sabres last season.

While this option would get his contract off the books for the Canucks, it’s not likely he’ll do it because he’s still due $13 million. Eriksson also has a full no-trade clause until the 2020-21 season, which makes it even more difficult to trade him.

Though, at this point, the Canucks would probably welcome that. It’s possible he could start the season in the AHL, as Green has shown he’s not afraid to send expensive veterans to the minors. He did exactly that with Sam Gagner. Eriksson has three years remaining on his contract with a $6 million annual cap hit.