Vancouver Canucks LW Daniel Sedin Struggling to Score

Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin is struggling to score. What’s going wrong?

With 365 goals and 965 points for the Vancouver Canucks, Daniel Sedin ranks second in all-time franchise scoring. So far in 2016-17, however, he is experiencing mighty struggles. Daniel’s last goal dates back to a Dec. 18 match-up against the Columbus Blue Jackets. But what’s the issue?

The easy answer to that would be “Jayson Megna.” After starting the season with the AHL Utica Comets, Megna somehow played his way onto the NHL top line. So far, it just hasn’t worked out.

There is definitely some truth to that — Megna has just three goals and four points in 25 games this season. The Sedins and Megna just don’t seem to be a fit. But, Daniel’s struggles have started before that.

Thankfully, we have some interesting data to display what is going wrong this season.

Unblocked Shot Rates With and Without Daniel Sedin

In the past, the Canucks were all about the twins’ cycling game that would eventually lead to a Daniel Sedin shot. That is still what they try to do most of the time, but they aren’t getting into good-enough shooting positions.

Here’s what that means in Daniel’s case:

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Without Daniel Sedin on the ice, the Canucks aren’t great at creating high-danger chances from the slot. However, they do record unblocked shots from the high circles and and in close at an above-average rate.

Now, knowing what the Sedins have done for more than a decade, you would expect an increase in high-danger scoring chances with Daniel on the ice, right?

Well, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.

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With Daniel on the ice, the Canucks constantly struggle to record unblocked shots from anywhere close to the net. That often leads to two things: Daniel or a defenceman shooting from the left side wall or a D-man shooting from the blue line — both low-danger areas.

Game Clips

Here are two typical situations Sedin attacks tend to lead to these days.

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More often than not, the Sedin line struggles to enter the offensive zone with possession and transition into an attacking formation. Because of that, they often try to get a shot off as quickly as possible.

In the clip above, Daniel enters the zone with possession. Loui Eriksson wants to crash the net while Henrik Sedin drops back to support Daniel. But, without exploring his options, Daniel rips a shot at the net that has close to no chance of going in against an NHL goaltender.

Shooting right after the zone entry can be a tactic to catch the goalie and defence off guard and regain possession in the corners or create a rebound. However, zone entries followed by a pass are statistically more likely to result in a goal.

Unfortunately, the Sedin line also struggles to create high-danger scoring chances when they manage to enter the zone and keep possession.

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In this clip, Megna has possession on the right wing and rims the puck around the boards to Daniel Sedin. Daniel then forwards it to Alex Edler who shoots from the same low-danger position we saw from Daniel in the previous clip.

Outlook

This is of course not all Daniel’s fault. Daniel plays close to 100 percent of his shifts with his brother Henrik at centre, so he is a part of the issue just as much. Plus, the twins have struggled with every line mate they have had this season.

Why is Henrik the team’s third-best scorer of the past 10 games while Daniel hasn’t scored a single goal? The likely reason is luck, as Daniel’s shooting percentage is down from his career average of 11.5 percent to 6.7 percent. A slight regression would be normal due to age, but 6.7 percent is even low for a 36-year-old Daniel Sedin.

Next: Henrik and Daniel Must Produce Again

Yet, age is certainly a factor. There are some exceptions, like Jaromir Jagr and Joe Thornton, but the average NHLer enters a heavy regression in his early to mid-30s.

So, expect Daniel to get out of his slump soon, perhaps with Eriksson back on the first line. Also expect the twins to finish the 2016-17 campaign second and third, respectively, in Canucks scoring — at best.