Why Thomas Vanek Is Similar To Dany Heatley

When Thomas Vanek signed with the Minnesota Wild this summer, fans saw the move as the final piece in the Minnesota Wild taking the next step towards becoming a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup.

Even though Thomas Vanek has 8 assists early on this year, he was brought in to put the puck on net. So far he has only average a pair of shots per game for a total of 26.

His goal scoring prowess and history are undeniable. He has continuously been menace around the net by jabbing home rebounds and finding loose ice on the powerplay. He is a power forward through and through with a heavy shot and a goal scoring history that justifies a $6+ million contract. Sounds a lot like a former Minnesota Wild member who unceremoniously departed after last year, doesn’t it?

When Dany Heatley arrived in 2011, he was supposed to solve the Wild’s scoring woes that had been seen as the reason for the team’s recent failures. He was coming off of a 26 goal season with the San Jose Sharks which was a relative down year compared to his history. His first season in Minnesota, it was clear he was on the wrong side of 30 years old despite scoring 53 points and playing all 82 games. From there on, Heatley saw his minutes diminish as the team’s talent pool expanded. He quickly became a defensive liability and his slowness of foot had caught up to him in a league that rewards speed. Add in a nonchalant attitude with a lack of physicality and Heatley simply couldn’t play at the pace the Wild needed.

Based solely on the visual product, Thomas Vanek looks eerily similar of Heatley in many ways. Even though the 30-year-old Austrian winger has put up 9 points in 13 games to open the season, his style of play doesn’t seem to fit with that of his teammates. Vanek is rarely willing to be the first man on the forecheck and struggles to keep up with speedy linemates. Similar to Heatley, there are even times where Vanek looks lazy in his puck pursuit and just lacks an overall effort.

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In addition, Vanek hasn’t pulled his weight in the defensive zone. There is no sense of tenacity in his game. This is cause for real concern because the rest of the roster has shown a willingness to go the extra mile. Smaller, younger guys such as Mikael Granlund have had no problem getting dirty in going after pucks and battling for position whereas Vanek has stood around and waited for the play to come his way. In fact, Vanek has only registered two hits and zero blocked shots so far this season. Obviously he wasn’t brought in for his ability to create turnovers and be physical, but the fact that he turned down a 7-year, $50 million contract offer from the Islanders for less money and a shorter term shows that he wants to be here. With that said, he needs to get out of his comfort zone and add a physical dimension to his game.

The area where Thomas Vanek has excelled far beyond Heatley is his passing ability. He has chucked several 2-on-1 gems that have resulted in tap-in goals for teammates. His feathery touch at important times has been nothing short of remarkable. This aspect of his game is clearly better than advertised.

Thomas Vanek has the ability to help the Wild get closer to the Stanley Cup than ever before. History shows that he can score goals like no one’s business and I don’t doubt that his shot and goal total will increase as we move along into the season. He will hopefully catch a spark as he becomes more comfortable with his fourth system in under a year. What worries Wild fans is that the fire doesn’t seem to be burning inside him. Heatley had the same issue and we’ve all seen where his career trajectory has led him.