December 22nd, 2024
Alex Rickman
As we approach the new year, it’s hard to call this season a success for the Canucks so far. Between some uninspired-looking hockey, untimely absences from key players, and potential locker-room drama brewing, the Canucks have managed to avoid disaster so far, but it’s safe to say that so far, this season has been far from the triumph last season was. However, there have been some inspired performances from individual players in this time worth highlighting. Let’s go through the Canucks roster and give out some grades to those who have played more than 10 games this season, along with a few exceptions, to see who’s been pulling their weight and who needs to accomplish more during the second half of the season than they have in the first.
Forwards
Arshdeep Bains- B
Currently playing in the AHL, Bains hasn’t been a world-beater in his NHL action but has been a solid bottom-six player. With decent speed and a high work ethic, Bains has done everything you can ask a fourth liner to do and found the back of the net for the first time in his NHL back in October. For a player added as an undrafted free agent, the Canucks have done a good job with Bains, who could well get another call to the NHL roster as the season progresses. It’s hard to imagine Bains being much more than a depth forward in the long run, but having good depth is critical for any team, so the Canucks are doing well to have a player like Bains around.
Teddy Blueger- A-
Having had to wear a few different hats this year as the Canucks have needed to reshuffle their deck of centres a few times, Blueger has been able to do everything asked of him this season and more. From checking and penalty killing to putting up very respectable numbers on offence, Teddy Blueger is the type of centre who any team would want to have, able to be relied on in just about any situation to get the job done and put his team in a good position. In the first year of a newly signed two-year, $3.6 million deal, the Canucks did a great job in signing and retaining the Latvian centreman, and will be hoping that he can keep this pace up throughout the rest of his contract.
Brock Boeser- B-
Boeser started the year hot, but after returning from a concussion suffered after a dirty hit by Kings forward Tanner Jeannot (The Kings next play the Canucks on January 16th for those wondering), Boeser has had some ups and downs. Some of this can be attributed to misfortune, which has sadly plagued Boeser throughout much of his NHL career to date, but sooner or later the Brock Boeser we saw last season needs to come back out and start finding the back of the net more consistently. With his contract set to expire this summer, some trade rumours are beginning to swirl around Brock again. However, I for one hope that he stays in Vancouver for this season and beyond, as I believe he can and will return to the form that saw him score 40 last year.
Jake Debrusk- A-
Leading the Canucks with 15 goals so far this season, Debrusk has had spots of inconsistency but has overall been a very successful addition to this top six. Goals have not been easy to come by in the Canuck top six so far, so seeing a new acquisition put them away at the clip Debrusk is scoring is an excellent sign that there is still hope for the Canucks star forwards. Debrusk is currently on pace to score ~35 goals this season, which would smash his career high of 27, reached in 2018-19 and 2022-23 as a member of the Boston Bruins. Even if he falls off this pace a little bit, Debrusk is a player fans in Vancouver should be thankful that he is now one of our own.
Conor Garland- A
A favourite among many Canucks fans, including my dad and recent ChronCast guest Jeronimo Pereira, Garland has been arguably the Canucks best forward so far this season. Not only has Garland been putting the puck in the back of the net as efficiently as we’ve ever seen him score in Vancouver, even earning time on the top power play unit, but his all-around play has remained as effective as ever. You’d be hard-pressed to find another player in the league who forechecks with the same aggression as Garland, lending himself perfectly to the ideals of Rick Tocchet’s playstyle. Garland has also been given a chance to kill penalties, a role he has looked solid in, and remains nearly impossible to beat in a puck battle, an especially impressive feat for a player of his stature. Let’s hope Garland can keep this up and continue to cement himself as an important member of the Canucks middle six for years to come.
Danton Heinen- C
The hometown boy signed to a two-year, $4.5 million contract this summer hasn’t been the worst player in his time in Vancouver, but hasn’t done much to impress either. Heinen has, on a few occasions, made mistakes that cost the Canucks, but these have been fairly few and far between. However, he has yet to do much to contribute either, mostly being a net neutral presence in his time on the ice. Ultimately, the money the Canucks are paying Heinen would likely have been better used in bolstering the blue line, but at the end of the day, it’s not like his time in Vancouver has been a disaster. Heinen showed in Boston last year that he can be an effective player, so maybe in time, that side of him can still come out as a Canuck.
Nils Höglander- D
It’s hard to blame Nils Höglander for the struggles that have plagued his season so far, but they have nonetheless happened. Höglander is clearly not trusted by the coaching staff in critical situations and has often looked as if he’s trying to do too much to prove himself to them, leading to a mistake-prone campaign and a lack of production to date. There was a lot of optimism about Höglander going into the season following his strong 2023-24 season and a contract extension in the offseason, but as it stands, it feels extremely likely that Nils Höglander will no longer be a Vancouver Canuck by the trade deadline. Whether or not this is the case, we will have to see, but for reasons outlined by our own JC Clemas in his previous article about the Höglander rumours, I hope the Canucks can find a way to get Höggy going again and keep him in blue and green this season and beyond.
Dakota Joshua- B
It took some time for Joshua to get back into form following his return from an offseason cancer diagnosis, but after taking a few games to find his feet, Dak has been playing some good hockey. Even while the offence was taking some time to find its way back, Joshua was playing the strong two-way game Canucks fans fell in love with last season, always forechecking relentlessly and not shying away from physicality. Now, as the scoring touch seems to be finding its way back into his game, the sky is the limit for what Joshua can get done the rest of the way. And, at the end of the day, it takes some serious courage for someone to go through what Joshua went through this summer and continue playing NHL hockey, so no matter what the rest of his season looks like, it’s impossible not to respect the heart this man shows every day.
JT Miller- C
It’s been a rollercoaster of a year so far for Miller. At times, he can be one of the most electrifying players Rogers Arena has seen, bringing the fans to their feet chanting his name. At other times, it’s hard to understand what is prompting him to make some of the decisions he ends up making. Even after taking a 10-game leave of absence for personal reasons, Miller just hasn’t looked like himself this season, throwing further gas on the flames of a locker room rift between him and Elias Pettersson. At the end of the day, whatever may be causing Miller’s dip in play, he needs to do better if the Canucks are to reach the heights they did last season.
Elias Pettersson- C
Speaking of rollercoaster years, Elias Pettersson’s budding reputation for being streaky is definitely being backed up this season. After what can only be described as a miserable start to the season, Pettersson began to find his footing and went on a tear while Miller was away. However, since JT rejoined the team, neither he nor Petey have been doing nearly enough. What exactly is causing their dips in performance is still not known, despite the theories being pushed by many an armchair analyst on Twitter, but something needs to change and fast for both of the Canucks top centres.
Aatu Räty- B+
While he is currently plying his trade in Abbotsford, Räty has impressed in a bottom-six role in his 20 games of NHL action this year. While he was prone to the occasional mistake, he was buy in large a very effective fourth-line centre, not afraid to throw the body around and strong in the faceoff circle. It does, however, feel like Räty may have another level to his game he can unlock with further development, so having him spend some more time in the AHL seems wise for his development. I’m excited to see what the future has for the former Islanders prospect in Vancouver, as I think we still have yet to see him reach his peak.
Max Sasson- B+
Among the many young players to feature for the Canucks this year, Sasson has surprised me the most. As a 24-year-old acquired as an undrafted free agent, I didn’t expect Sasson to do all that much, and would’ve been happy to see him as a net-neutral presence on the fourth line. However, Sasson has played very well in his small sample size of NHL games, even getting a few chances in the top six playing alongside Elias Pettersson and Jake Debrusk. Sasson looks like he could stick around in the NHL for a good while. Picking a player like him up from an undrafted free agency is a big credit to this front office, which seems to be able to find value just about anywhere.
Kiefer Sherwood- A
Chief Kief is perhaps the best free agency pickup I have ever seen the Canucks make in my years of fandom and I frankly don’t know how I watched this team play without him for so long. In addition to hitting everything that moves, currently on pace to shatter the record for hits in a single season, Sherwood has been very capable offensively. When Sherwood was signed, several people, myself included, considered this signing to perhaps be the Canucks going out and getting the next Dakota Joshua. Not to toot my own horn, but I think those who made that call have hit the nail on the head.
Pius Suter- A
You know how mere seconds ago I called Kiefer Sherwood arguably the best free agent signing I’ve seen the Canucks make? Along with Dakota Joshua, Pius Suter would be another candidate for that title. Suter is a true Swiss army knife, able to play just about anywhere in the lineup and get the job done. From centring Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland on the third line to flanking JT Miller and Brock Boeser, no matter what you ask of Suter, he’ll do it and he’ll do it well. Players who can play up and down the lineup are an incredibly valuable asset to have, so the Canucks should be incredibly grateful to have a player like Pius Suter in their ranks.
Defence
Erik Brännström- B
After an incredibly hot start to his time in Vancouver, the Brännchise has slowed following a few surprise healthy scratches, at times looking like he’s trying too hard to impress his way back into the lineup. However, after what we saw before he was taken out of the lineup, it’s hard not to be impressed by the play of a man required while dumping Tucker Poolman’s contract. As the only Canucks defenceman who can consistently cleanly move the puck outside of Quinn Hughes and the injured Filip Hronek, Brännström has played a very valuable role on a Canucks defence that has too often been getting trapped in their own end. Let’s hope he can regain this form soon and get back into the lineup.
Vincent Desharnais- C
I was excited by this move in the summer, but it just hasn’t worked out yet. The Canucks were betting on Desharnais to take a step forward in his game when he signed his two-year $4 million this summer, but as of right now, Desharnais has failed to do that. Now that Desharnais has fallen behind Noah Juulsen and Derek Forbort in the lineup, it seems as if he may be on his way out of Vancouver via trade in the near future. It’s a shame that things haven’t worked out for Vinny as a Canuck, but that’s unfortunately the nature of the sport.
Derek Forbort- I
Forbort simply has not had luck on his side this season, missing significant time on several occasions and not yet getting a good run of games in to find his form. From tragically losing his father at the beginning of the year to a leg injury to a recent bout of illness, it’s been a difficult couple of months for Derek Forbort. All we can hope for is better luck in the new year, as Forbort has looked solid in his limited action as a Canuck.
Filip Hronek- C+
Before he went down with an undisclosed injury, Hronek had not been particularly impressive for the majority of the season. However, he did put together a few solid games in a row before getting hurt, so we can only hope that upon his return, we’ll be seeing that Hronek as opposed to what we got at the beginning of this year and the end of last. We know that when they’re both on their game, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek can be one of the best pairs in the NHL. If we can get that Hronek back in the near future, it’s impossible to imagine how much help that will be for this team.
Quinn Hughes- A++++++++
Here is a short list of awards I think Quinn Hughes should be in line for this year: Babe Pratt Trophy, Pavel Bure Most Exciting Player Award, Cyclone Taylor Award, Norris Trophy, Hart Trophy, an Emmy, JD Power Best Small Premium Car, and a Nobel Prize. Hughes has been flat-out otherworldly this year, doing every single thing you could possibly ask of a franchise defenceman and captain and then some. The Canucks stats noticeably take a nose dive when Quinn is off the ice as opposed to when he’s out there, showing just how critical he is to the success of the team as a whole. Hughes is undeniably the greatest defenceman in team history, and if he keeps this up, it’s hard to imagine him not surpassing Henrik Sedin to become the greatest Canuck of all time.
Noah Juulsen- C-
Some people will say I’m being too generous giving Juulsen a C-. Others, including the Canucks coaching staff and friend of the ChronCast Maayan Zilbershtein, may consider this too harsh of a rating. At the end of the day, Juulsen does certain things right, including bringing an important level of physicality and strong penalty killing, to the table. However, he is also incredibly mistake-prone and has cost the team one too many times by trying for the hit, taking unnecessary penalties, or failing to cover his man and giving an opposing player too much space. Overall, Juulsen is little more than a seventh defenceman in an ideal situation but is definitely viewed as more than that by those whose opinions count the most.
Tyler Myers- B-
When Tyler Myers and Carson Soucy were partnered on the second pair, neither of them looked good at all. However, since being paired with Quinn Hughes on the top pair, Myers has actually been playing some good hockey. It’s hard to imagine Myers ever kicking the Chaos Giraffe name and reputation, but his play has noticeably improved over the past couple of seasons from where it was a while ago. Does this mean that Myers is a viable option for the Canucks top four long-term? Absolutely not. He’s great to have around as a break glass in case of emergency option on the second pair, but in an ideal world, Myers would be on the bottom pair. Alas, we do not live in an ideal world, so for now, let’s just hope Myers can keep getting by alongside Hughes.
Carson Soucy- B
Soucy looked bad at the beginning of the season but has looked very respectable since being separated from Tyler Myers. After making mistake after mistake when partnered with Chaos Giraffe, Soucy has looked like an entirely different player since partnering with Noah Juulsen. This version of Soucy has looked like a viable option for a team to play in their top four, a much-needed revelation for a Canucks defence in need of all the help it can get. If he can keep this up, let’s hope that the Canucks can acquire a better partner than Myers or Juulsen to close out the season and play alongside Soucy in the playoffs.
Goalies
Thatcher Demko- I
Demko has only made 4 starts since returning from the knee injury that shortened his postseason to a single start, so it’s hard to say what his season has been like. In those starts, however, Demko has been very solid, making some vintage Demko saves that have given fans optimism about his ability to return to being the franchise goalie we know and love. Right now, though, it’s just nice to see Demko back between the pipes, and hopefully in an environment that will allow him the rest he needs to remain healthy.
Kevin Lankinen- A
Signed in September and initially thought of by some as a backup for Arturs Silovs before Demko returned, Lankinen has proven to be one of the most valuable signings of the entire summer. Despite a short rough patch in October, Lankinen has been nothing short of stellar throughout his tenure as a Canuck, stealing some games that Vancouver had no business winning. It’s hard to imagine Lankinen sticking around next season, as his salary demands will almost certainly be higher than the Canucks can afford to meet. So, for now, just enjoy him while we have him.