MONTREAL – Often relegated to the role of spectator, Vincent Desharnais does not hide the fact that his first months with the Vancouver Canucks were difficult, very difficult. But the imposing defender has found his smile again and he is convinced that he will emerge victorious from this ordeal.
For an athlete who narrowly escaped the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers this spring, it was normal that the shock was brutal to find himself out of the lineup.
It was even more so since the Canucks had just demonstrated their confidence in him with a two-year pact on the autonomy market.
Despite everything, from the second match of the season, he had to take the elevator to the bridge instead of helping his new team. The scenario repeated itself a few times, including for six consecutive matches.
Thanks to his efforts, the tide seems to have turned since December 16. This allowed him, on Monday, to wear a smile a few hours before the match against the Canadian.
“It feels good!” It’s good for your confidence and your mind because it wasn’t easy. I spent three long months asking myself a lot of questions and questioning myself,” admitted Desharnais, who still possesses the same pleasant frankness.
“I got help from my support group and changed little things. I did a lot of mental work and it got better in the last few weeks. I felt more like myself,” added Desharnais, who notably relied on his family, a sports psychologist and his agent.
In the opinion of his coach Rick Tocchet, we should not deduce that it was only a change of system, from that of the Oilers to that of the Canucks, which caused him problems.
“I don’t really know if it’s a question of system, maybe more in the preparation and the way of playing. I think he learned a lot. He’s a very good kid to coach, but in the last month he’s worked really hard with (Adam) Foote (defenders coach) and (Sergei) Gonchar (defenders development) on the details in his arsenal. If he continues to work very hard with them, he can become a very good defender,” said Tocchet, especially talking about the mobility of his feet and his decision-making.
Yes, Desharnais belonged to the Oilers since his selection in the seventh round of the 2016 draft. But he had only played two seasons with the Oilers and he had been left out a few times during the playoffs.
So, Desharnais fell into the trap that would have trapped a ton of athletes who want to do well.
“It seems like I wanted too much to change the person I am instead of staying myself. I worked on that and having fun. I know I’m a good hockey player, it’s coming,” explained the 28-year-old skater.
“I really believe in the fact that nothing happens for nothing. Over the past few months, I have learned a lot about myself. I let go of the pressure I put on myself. When I look back in the past, I’m going to be happy to have been there,” continued the man who had played 78 regular games with Edmonton in 2023-2024.
Rumors about him and the big names
This path was essential because he solidly absorbed the transaction rumors concerning him.
“I won’t lie, I went through a few days where things weren’t going so well mentally. I found out about the rumors while I was having bad gastro. Not much was going well. I had a 24 hour bit of anxiety, thinking about scenarios. I talked to the people I trust. It’s part of the game, it will be present throughout my career. I told my family not to talk to me about it,” Desharnais said candidly.
Regarding the rumors, they keep targeting the Canucks. The names of Elias Pettersson and JT Miller are even on the market according to Elliotte Friedman.
“We have to regroup. Some players are more used to it and we had a few meetings to say, ‘The media can say what they want, we focus on us,’” Desharnais reacted.
A tension would exist between Miller and Pettersson, but Desharnais added this.
“It’s definitely exaggerated. It’s like in Montreal. When something happens, the media will always amplify it. These are big hockey markets like Edmonton. It’s our job not to listen too much,” he submitted.
For the moment, Pettersson is out of the game and he is not expected to face the Habs. There is hope for Quinn Hughes who has missed his team’s last four games. Desharnais is impressed by Hughes, the Canucks general.
“It’s fun to see that he always wants to learn. I didn’t know him very well and he asked me several questions about the leaders in Edmonton. How Connor (McDavid) did such a thing… He reads a lot and I do too, we exchange books. He knows that he is not the one who will speak the most, but he does it to help others,” he boasted.
Currently, the Canucks have not yet regained their composure from the previous season. They still hold a place in the portrait of the series, but the rest promises to be intriguing with a very trying portion of their schedule.
Desharnais tips his hat to Brisebois
When we talk about a winding path, that of Desharnais represents an inspiring example. He confounded the skeptics by establishing himself in the NHL and he can only have a ton of respect for Guillaume Brisebois who is trying to do the same.
Drafted in 2015 by the Canucks, he has only played 29 games in the NHL, including 2 this season. A severe concussion limited him to 8 games last season.
“We discussed it, I have a lot of respect for him. It’s not easy, he suffered big injuries and he wandered between the two levels. I had difficult days, but you look at him and you realize that he ate his black bread longer than me,” Desharnais underlined with respect for his resilience.
“We must give him the opportunity to play a few matches to demonstrate his qualities. Adam Foote likes him a lot, he defends very well and I’m very proud of his progress. There are players who develop late and end up playing for a few years. We hope that this will be the case for him,” concluded Tocchet.
