Vancouver Canucks Midseason Report Card: The Forwards

Nick Bonino

Dan – B+ – Nick’s hot start had me thinking A+ all the way. He’s like the kid in class who comes in knowing every answer because he transferred in from some kind of advanced program. But once you get to the new material, he’s suddenly very quiet. Bonino was fantastic to start the year, but his pace has slowed significantly. He’s still done enough to earn a high grade, but with the caveat that I’d like to see him finish the year with at least 40 points, which would mean 26 points in 36 games. Not impossible, but not entirely likely either.

Joel – C+ – At the beginning of the season, Bonino was so red hot, that the only thing he was fighting off were the endless favourable Kesler comparisons he was garnering. Unfortunately, he was also riding a seriously lucky spike in shooting percentage, cashing in on an unsustainably high percentage of shots before going cold. In the months since, Bonino has instead just been battling to drive play toward the opponent’s end of the ice, and therefore just doesn’t get enough chances to put his dynamic wrist-shot to good use. Since his cold streak, he’s found himself dropped down to the third line, where he can hopefully find some chemistry with Matthias and Kassian. In truth the third line is probably where Bonino’s true talent level lies–he just doesn’t possess the puck well enough to handle a secondary role. Of course, it would be nice if the Canucks had anybody else on their roster who was able to jump legitimately jump past him on the depth chart–which, uh, no offense to Linden Vey, but they really don’t–so it’s not really Bonino’s fault for being forced into a role that is over his head.

Owen – B – Bonino has been an adequate replacement as the centrepiece of the Ryan Kesler deal. As the pivot of the second line, Bonino has scored 11 goals in 49 games after a personal-high 22 last season. He leads the team by a significant margin in points per 60 at 2.22. His most common line mates, Chris Higgins and Alex Burrows, are second at 1.71 apiece. He’s beginning to find his rhythm after playing some inconsistent hockey, a key if the Canucks want to make a playoff push.

Alex Burrows 

Dan – A- – Burrows has posted a respectable 20 points this season, especially considering his age and the injuries he faced last year. I have a hard time not liking the guy, to be honest. I grew up playing a lot of ball hockey, and Burrows has always been something of a hero for me. The guy went from playing in the ECHL (and playing ball hockey in the off season) to putting up 30+ goal seasons with the Sedins. Of course you can’t grade based on past performance, or personal preference.

Oct 30, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks player Alexandre Burrows (14) and Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) watch the puck during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won in overtime 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Joel – A- – After Alex Burrows’ dismal injury luck last season made me half-believe that he’d become a real life Final Destination character, the pesky forward is now experiencing a bounce-back season in about every possible way. While he’ll probably never match his past career highs points-wise, Burrows is instead providing value by being a play-driving forward who can excel in all situations. Any time a different line is struggling, Desjardins sends Burrows in as a fix-it to get them going again. This has also been true for the powerplay, where Burrows has proven to be an effective and tenacious net-front presence. Overall, Burrows remains one of the most underrated depth players in the league, even if his cap hit is a bit paradoxically inflated given how his salary compares to his point contributions.

Owen – A- – Burrows has been the spark plug Willie Desjardins has leaned on when he needs to make a move. He can play with the twins, has played some time on the third line, provides a pesky net front presence on the first power play unit. His bounce back season has been invaluable to the continuity up front.

Derek Dorsett 

Dan – B – Dorsett is the kind of guy who won’t earn any awards at the Science Fair, but you know he’ll work hard at every class. I like the way he plays, I like his intensity, and I have no idea why he’s on the power play. Unfortunately the hit from Ryan Kesler might cause him to miss some time in the next couple of weeks, but his play so far has earned him a respectable B.

Joel – B – We come to Derek Dorsett, who will hopefully recover expediently from the nasty hit he received against Anaheim. So far this year, Dorsett has been about the best fourth line guy a team could ask for: he’s put up a decent amount of points in a limited role, he contributes defensively, and he agitates other teams so effectively that he even convinced Roberto Luongo to unleashed some blocker-punches to his head. He’s also shown a willingness to be the team’s fighter-by-default in the absence of any true goons, so that lends the Canucks some credibility for people who care even a little bit about that part of the game. What I like better is that Dorsett is an actually talented hockey player, who does very little to hurt his team, outside of a few too many dumb penalties, and an inexplicable sometimes-presence on the second-unit powerplay.

Owen – A – Grading simply on the impact Dorsett has provided, his acquisition has proved to be a monster addition. He is the team toughness most nights and leads the NHL in fights. He’s even added a little offence to boot. You can see Dorsett is the type of player Jim Benning envisions on bringing into the bottom six.

Jannik Hansen

Dan – B+ – Hansen has consistently shown that he has the speed and drive to create scoring chances, but not quite the hands to finish them off. Some skills can be learned, like skating and shooting a puck, or using a regular old laser blaster. Some you just have to be born with, like “finishing your breakaways” or “using the force.” Hansen is fast, aggressive and fun to watch. Just don’t expect him to get beyond the 25-30 point range. That being said, he has been one of the bright spots of the Canucks this season, especially during the recent run of losses.

Chris Higgins 

Dan – B- – You’ll sometimes hear people say that the Canucks have too many third line players playing second line minutes. Whenever I hear this type of sentiment, I always think of Higgins. He’s a solid player, and he drives possession the right way (52.2% Corsi – second only to Henrik Sedin among Canucks forwards), but he just doesn’t put up the kind of points you want from a second line player. He has played well enough this year, but there have been too many long pointless stretches. For that I’m giving him a grade that’s too bad to be good, but too good to be bad: the dreaded B-.

Joel – B- – Like his usual second-line mate Nick Bonino, Higgins has come under a lot of heat for withering up like a dehydrated banana crisp offensively, not providing the kind of secondary scoring needed to back the Sedins/Vrbata up when the opposition plays the top line to a stand-still. However, even when he gets held off the scoresheet, it doesn’t mean that he’s not providing maximum effort on a nightly basis. With an EVS CF% of 52.2 he’s the best play driving forward without an orange goatee and an identical twin on the team. With his shooting percentage sitting at 5.8, down from his career average of 9.8, it’s quite possible that Higgins is due for a bit of puck-luck in the coming months. If that’s the case, then we’ll probably see a lot of fair-weather fans jumping back on the good ol’ Higgins wagon. (Good thing his abs look strong enough to withstand the extra load.)

Owen – C – Despite positive possession stats and contributing a 200 foot game to the top six, Higgins looks like he’s running on empty. He often looks a step behind the play and has been snakebitten when it comes to goals. He hasn’t scored more than 20 goals since 2007-08; it’s no surprise the Canucks inability to score goals comes with Higgins playing a key offensive role.

Bo Horvat

Sep 29, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Bo Horvat (53) controls the puck against the Arizona Coyotes during the third period at Rogers Arena. Arizona won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

Dan – B – Earlier in the season I predicted that the best case scenario was that Horvat would stick with the team, keep his face off percentage above 50%, and score between 10-20 points. So far so good for Horvat. He has 8 points through 32 games and is holding steady at 51.6% in the face off circle. Unfortunately he is also dead last on the team in terms of possession (42.1% CF). I can forgive him that though, because he’s a rookie. I’m grading on a curve.

Joel – C- -Bo Horvat’s an interesting case, because, while I think he’s doing about as well as a 19 year old could be expected to do in his first NHL season, I don’t think that all the enthusiasm about his “NHL-ready game” is completely warranted. Sure, he’s good at faceoffs, but a )faceoffs aren’t the most useful skill b) his faceoff numbers have been dropping off toward average pretty quickly. On the plus side, he’s now put up more points than a certain Ryan Kesler did playing his first season as a Canuck in a similar number of games–and Kesler didn’t even stick for a full season before being sent back down. He also seems to have a great attitude and work ethic, which seem to bode well for his future development. However, there are a lot of downsides to Horvat’s game so far as well: despite being sheltered with two of the best “fourth-line” wingers you’ll see in Hansen and Dorsett, Horvat has posted easily the worst possession numbers of any Canuck skater: his 42 CF% is even lower than Ryan Stanton’s 44.5 (shudder). It’s probably safe to assume that if Horvat keeps working at his game that a lot of these possession problems will work themselves out, but having him drag the team’s chances down to the degree that he has is also not a great recipe for team success in the short term.

Owen – C+ – Should Bo Horvat have even played in the NHL this year? Beyond a nine-game audition, the coaching staff and management seemed to like Horvat’s youthfulness. He brings energy on every shift and has adjusted to the pace of the NHL game. His possession stats are gross, but that’s to be expected for a player right on the cusp of staying with the big club.

Zack Kassian

Dan – C+ – Kassian has been the very definition of “enigma” this year. He’s big, but he doesn’t always use his size. He’s smart, but he can lose his head sometimes and take stupid penalties or make mistakes. He has potential to put up points, but he seems to find himself on the bench or in the press box more often than not. I can certainly understand why Willie Desjardins is frustrated. Personally I think his struggles this year have been a little overblown by the media (and to some extent the coaching staff), but he needs to figure out his game quickly or he may not be around much longer.

Joel – C+ – Oh, Kassian. There’s definitely not a more polarizing figure than Kassian on this year’s Canucks–people either love him for his potential and skill-set, or they hate him for being “lazy” or “problematic” or for refusing to play a more physical game. Perhaps surprisingly, then, I’m somewhere in the middle: I don’t think that Kassian naturally fits into the power forward mold that management want to squash his big frame into; however, I also think that he hasn’t really earned anything yet–he’s struggled to earn chances under three different coaches now, and there’s got to be a reason for that other than them just not liking his face. (And who could not love his hilariously GIF-able face?). Two things I do know for sure, though: Kassian is one of the better play-driving forwards–he’s one of only nine players with a positive CF%–and even if he’s not putting up a lot of points, or throwing down a lot of hits, there is definitely value to that. To that end, I’d rather chalk his first half up as an unsolvable mystery, and see how he does on our team for another half-season before contemplating trading him. I say give him the rest of the season to see if he can build up any kind of consistency, or develop the kind of scoring touch he has shown glimpses of before. If not, then we can send him to Boston for the ol’ Cam Neely treatment.

Owen – C – Continue to make all the excuses you want, but there’s a clear disconnect between Kassian and his coaches. He doesn’t shoulder all of that blame, and unlucky or not, he’s scored two goals this year. He wouldn’t get enough of a run in the top-six to make a difference; ultimately, Kassian’s time in Vancouver may be coming to end quicker than expected.

Shawn Matthias 

Dan – A – Speaking of “using your size,” Shawn Matthias has shown he knows how to do that this year. I love watching him when he decides to drive to the net. He has speed and size to make plays happen. His 14 points so far this season have him on pace to pass his career average (about 18 points in a full season).

Joel – B- – Matthias is another guy who has been exciting to watch at times, and who definitely tantalizes the eyes with strong power moves and a rugged style–the kind of role that certain people are expecting from Zack Kassian. However, what’s much less tantalizing is the fact that Matthias is already 27 and has yet to prove that he can drive play forward consistently, having never posted a plus 50 CF% season in his career. Like Vey, he has also shown an inability to excel at the center position, despite there being ample opportunity on Vancouver’s roster for players to step into that role. Overall, Matthias is a guy I know a lot of Canucks fans have hopes for, but I’m not convinced that he has the potential to develop any further than he already has.

Owen – A – Mike Gillis went to great lengths to acquire Shawn Matthias over the final two years of his tenure as general manager. Since coming over in the Luongo deal, Matthias has played the type of game Vancouver’s lacked for a long time: a power game, sprinkled with some finesse and excellent two-way play. He’s become an excellent penalty killer and forechecker, establishing himself on the third-line. Matthias has often been the best forward on the ice, which isn’t always the best sign for the Canucks.

Brad Richardson

Dan – B+ – Richardson has been a pleasant surprise this year in terms of points, with 19 so far. He’s a solid penalty killer and a good face off option on the third or fourth line. He doesn’t always play the prettiest game, and he’s below par in both face offs (48.4%) and Corsi (48.8% CF), but not to the point of being a serious detriment to the team. His performance merits a solid B+.

Joel – B+ – So far this season Brad Richardson ranks sixth on the team with 19 points, which is impressive when you consider that he’s spent the season playing in a depth role. Not only is he sixth in scoring, but he’s also sixth in EVS pts/60 minutes, meaning that he’s used his lower ice-time efficiently. He also has an EVS 1.0 CF% Rel ™, which mean’s that compared he posts a positive Corsi differential isolated from his teammates–an indication that he’s not dragging play, despite receiving some of the most defensive zone starts on the team. He’s also a mainstay on the elite penalty kill. As both he and Matthias are UFAs at the end of the season, there’s been talk that Richardson could be moved at the deadline. If the return is right I’d maybe consider it, but–and this might be an unpopular opinion–I’d rather see the team flip Matthias and re-sign Richardson to keep Horvat’s 3C seat warm for him until he’s ready.

Owen – B – Before his injury, Richardson had been enjoying a good season, mainly in a third-line centre role. His defensive zone starts are second-highest on the team behind Nick Bonino. Richardson is also second to Bonino with 79 minutes short handed. If Horvat develops enough over the summer, Richardson could really maximize his role on the fourth line playing 10 minutes a night.

Henrik & Daniel

Dan – A+ – If there are any two players who are consistently excellent and entertaining, it’s Daniel and Henrik. Daniel leads the team in scoring at this point with 39 points. He doesn’t quite seem to be the sniper that he was two or three years ago, but he’s still a dangerous scoring threat and a positive possession player. I do wonder how well the Sedins will age, considering they take a physical beating most nights with their cycle game. But this year Daniel has performed well so far, and he has bounced back from the dark days of the Tortorella era.

Captain Hank has one less point than his brother, but has also been having a nice bounce back season. His 52.2% CF leads the Canucks forwards. His orange goatee just screams maturity and leadership. And he continues to be one of the nicest and classiest players in hockey.

Dec 7, 2014; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; The Sedin brothers celebrate a goal scored by Vancouver Canucks right wing Radim Vrbata (17) in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Joel – B+ – While the twins continue to the team’s dual MVPs, and their production has been mostly what is needed and expected of them at this stage in their careers, there is definitely some concern with their underlying possession numbers. Despite the popular notion that the Sedins are enjoying a bounce-back season, their point totals aren’t much different so far than they were halfway through last season. And, with their EVS CF% down to 52.6 (Henrik) and 51.6 (Daniel) from last year’s much-more-elite marks of 57(Daniel) and 55.7 (Henrik)–despite less minutes and less time on the PK–the Sedins might actually be slowing down more this year than they were last. They do have some sweet chemistry going with Radim Vrbata, though, and if they can utilize his finishing touch to close out the season with the same consistent production they’ve enjoyed so far, then we shouldn’t be too worried. If their production or health slips, at all like it did last year, then the team could be in for a bit of a rough ride.

Owen – B – I’ll call  a spade a spade and say that Daniel often looks a step behind the play. I think we all know how that one played out. As the go-to players offensively, the twins need to play at a higher pace – I’m just not sure they can do it for sustained periods of time anymore. They’re still posting great possession numbers: Henrik leads forwards with a 53.6-per-cent Corsi For % while Daniel is second at 52.6-per-cent. The development of a quick report with Radim Vrbata allowed the twins to jump out to a quick start.

Linden Vey

Dan – B – I still don’t understand all the trading that happened this summer, but somehow Linden Vey ended up in Vancouver. He has been a welcome addition. He is a creative offensive player, a nice right handed shot on the power play and best of all, he’s not over 30 years old! My concern with him is his size and experience. Of course he’ll gain experience the longer he plays, but the size issue is a concern. He can sometimes be easily knocked off the puck, and he has a hard time creating traffic in front of the net. I would like to see his game take a few lessons from Alex Burrows

Joel – B – Linden Vey is one of the trickiest of the Vancouver forwards to assess. He’s spent time on the powerplay with some success early on, but since then he’s struggled to keep up the pace. He’s also putting up respectable point totals for a rookie, but like many rookies it seems he’s still fighting to develop consistency on a game-by-game basis, while adjusting to a large-sized league as a smaller-sized player. Overall, though, I’m a fan of Vey’s game, and I look forward to seeing how it develops, even though in the long-term I have a hard time seeing him stick at center. With his lack of size, lack of impressive possession stats, and his ineffectiveness in the face-off circle, he’s probably more suited to winger duties to maximize future success.

Radim Vrbata

Dan – A+ – Ah yes, Vancouver’s top goal scorer. The man with murder in his eyes and ice in his soul. What’s not to love about Vrbata and his 18 goals? He is a smart player who isn’t afraid to shoot the puck. He has blended exceptionally well with the Sedins, but he is capable of playing on the second line as well. I only wish he was 25, not 33. My dream is for Vrbata to have a Teemu Selanne like ability to be productive in to his 40’s. It could happen.

Joel – A – In terms of point production, Vrbata has been everything the Canucks could have asked for and more: on pace for over 30 goals, and providing a wild-west style ‘shoot first’ mentality that meshes well with the twins’ passion for passing. As an added bonus, his first line presence has allowed Alex Burrows to run amok up and down lines 2-4 when needed, sharing his ample energy and superlative possession skills throughout the rest of the ranks. His defensive skills are sometimes suspect compared to his offensive instincts, but he has enough speed to fix the occasional mistake with wicked back-check. Overall, Vrbata has been a huge addition this year and it’s great to see a player like him get both the success and All-Star credit he deserves, this late in his career.