Canucks Sign Adam Novotny: Now Comes the Hard Part

There was a pretty wide range of reactions when the Vancouver Canucks announced that Adam Novotny had signed his three-year entry-level contract. Some fans were already dreaming about him playing with Elias Pettersson, while others were wondering whether he might get the Braeden Cootes treatment and see some NHL action before heading back to junior. One fan called him a potential top-six forward in a couple of years. Another said the Canucks had “struck gold.” And, naturally, there were a few people wondering whether the organization actually knows what to do with another young player once it gets him.

There’s little need to rush Novotny through the Canucks system.

That last part is probably the most interesting reaction. Novotny doesn't have to make the Canucks this season for the signing to be successful. He is 18 years old, coming off a 34-goal, 65-point season with Peterborough, and he has plenty of time to develop. The temptation, especially when a young player arrives with some exciting numbers, is to get him into the NHL as quickly as possible. Fans want to see what they have. Coaches want to see what they have. And the player himself probably wants to see what he can do. But development doesn't always work on that timetable.

That's where I think the Canucks have to be careful. One fan said they would rather see Novotny develop in the NCAA than have the organization rush him, while another suggested the AHL could be an option. There is also the CHL question, particularly because Cootes' situation showed how complicated that can become. None of those choices is automatically right or wrong. The important thing is finding the place where Novotny will play, learn and make mistakes without having his confidence buried by a role he isn't ready for. If that's the NHL, great. If it's junior or college, that's fine too. The destination matters less than the development.

Novotny becomes a test of the Canucks’ patience.

And maybe that's the real test of this Canucks rebuild. Vancouver has accumulated some interesting young players, and now the organization has to show that it can turn potential into NHL players. Signing Novotny is the easy part. Figuring out what he needs next is harder. The Canucks don't need to prove anything by putting him in the opening-night lineup. They need to prove that they can be patient when patience is the right answer.

There is nothing wrong with fans getting excited about Novotny. That's part of the fun of following a rebuilding team. But I'd rather see him become a good NHL player at 21 than see him arrive at 18 simply because everyone wanted to see what he could do. The Canucks have been waiting for the next wave of young talent. Now comes the part that may matter even more than finding that talent in the first place: developing that potential in the right way.

The bottom line is that the Canucks' job now is to make sure that excitement doesn't turn into pressure to rush him.