Canucks: Deciding on Tyler Motte puts Vancouver on the spot

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Tyler Motte turns 27 on Thursday.

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It’s often a signpost to signal the entrance to prime career years, especially if you’re a consistent contributor who helps drive the top-six offensive mix.

But if you’re a fast, feisty, hard-hitting, shot-blocking, penalty-killing and shutdown fourth-liner, reaching that age could start a different conversation for the Vancouver Canucks’ new hockey operations department.

Players with that pedigree usually pack plenty of hard kilometres on their hockey odometers and can be considered expendable. There are always younger and cheaper roster options or prospects to promote.

The Canucks have one in winger Will Lockwood, 23, who’s checking a lot of boxes in Abbotsford with an American Hockey League game that packs speed, edge and scoring potential.

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Motte will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and whether the left-winger warrants a contract extension or is moved in advance of the March 21 National Hockey League trade deadline, it will be a barometer of where the Canucks are heading. He carries the club’s culture and considerable workload.

“For me, it’s pretty simple,” Motte said Monday following practice at Rogers Arena. “It’s out of my control. I can control showing up every night and working hard and that’s what has got me to this point. It’s going to be my way of continuing to have a long career.

“I love this city and I love playing here, but I’m not going to let those things distract me. I don’t think guys are playing with more of a chip on their shoulders because of trade speculation. We’re a pretty tight-knit group.

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“The outside noise hasn’t crept in to the point where it’s in guys’ heads on a daily basis.”

Motte is not the Canucks’ biggest salary-cap concern. But the days of fourth-liners being roster afterthoughts — a landing spot for struggling players, those in the coach’s doghouse or others returning from injury — are long gone and that’s a consideration.

The most versatile and efficient fourth-liners are deployed in every conceivable situation. And that’s where Motte adds value. He has always been a bargain and his expiring two-year extension carries a $1.225-million cap hit and $1.45 million in actual salary (all figures in U.S. dollars). 

Motte (7-7-14 in 42 games this season) missed the first 15 games this season while recovering from off-season surgery to repair a bulging disc in his neck. He still leads Canucks forwards in blocked shots, is fourth in hits and has always carried a “we” and not “me” team persona.

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If the Canucks talk contract, Motte has leverage to possibly double his salary, and Sean Kuraly’s deal in Columbus has been cited as a possible comparable.

Like Motte, the Blue Jackets’ bottom-six forward has never hit 10 goals in any NHL season, but he plays an appreciated bump-and-grind game. At 29, he has three years remaining at a $2.5 million annual cap hit.

If that’s too rich for the Canucks, then Motte would be a good rental for a Stanley Cup contender.

“It would depend on who you ask,” he responded when asked of his worth. “I’ve always been a skater, worked hard and added some offence. I’m reliable and love to kill penalties. I try to show up every night to help the team and sometimes it’s blocking a shot or potting a goal.”

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Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau found chemistry and reliability when he aligned Motte with the seldom-used Juho Lammikko and Matthew Highmore. The speedy trio uses pace and push to frustrate on the forecheck and has been matched against top lines.

Lammikko and Highmore are restricted free agents and that adds to some suspense on who returns next season.

“Our line talks a lot about what we can generate to get the job done,” said Motte. “We’re listed as a fourth line, but sometimes we’re playing 13 to 18 minutes. We all have that hunger. That builds confidence and who knows where we can take it.”

Motte was a fourth-round pick (121st overall) of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 draft and had 32 goals in 34 games during his final season at the University of Michigan. However, at 5-foot-10 and 192 pounds, he had to tailor his approach in a big man’s game to remain relative in the NHL.  

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The player you see today is a product of perseverance on and off the ice. Motte has struggled with mental health issues and supports initiatives to help others.

“To be honest, that’s just me,” he said. “I don’t try to change who I am and just try to mold myself to the group. Outside of that, I just try to be true to myself. I like to think I was raised right and give my parents a lot of credit for that. I just try to do the right thing.

“Growing up, I had a coach who said always do the next right thing. You can’t change things in the past, but you can always do the next right thing. Some days, that’s helping other people.

“Some days, that’s just doing what’s best for yourself.”

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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