Vancouver Canucks Midseason Report Card: Defence and Goaltending
By Owen Munro
The second part of our three-part series on the midseason report card focuses on the defence and the goaltending, two positions that have had their relative shares of successes and failures.
Joining the TCW team is Deep Thind, who’s making his “debut” with his analysis on the back-end.
Kevin Bieksa
Dan – C+ – This hasn’t been Bieksa’s best season. He is behind his usual career pace in points with only 9 on the season, and he’s sitting out right now with a broken hand. His Corsi is on the lower end of the team (48.2%) as well. I think he was hurt the most by Hamhuis’ injury. He has played his best hockey on a pairing with Hamhuis. But I’m also concerned that age is catching up to him. And Tortorella probably messed him up last year. Yeah, I blame Torts.
Joel – C+ – When it comes to Hamhuis and Bieksa–Vancouver’s veteran, usual go-to defensemen–it’s hard to say that it’s been an optimal year for either. But while Hamhuis’ struggles have largely been luck and injury based, it’s hard to make the same case for Bieksa, who has displayed concerning examples of diminishing returns. Overall, Bieksa’s CF% this year is the lowest it’s been, pretty much ever. Additionally, it seems as though he’s been involved in an inordinate amount of miscues and errors that have directly led to goals. (In fairness, we witnessed this with Edler last year–but Edler had the underlying numbers to back his mistakes up, while Bieksa doesn’t.) One pro-Bieksa argument is that he’s spent this year playing with a far-diminished quality of defense partner. So far, in 310:58 minutes with Ryan Stanton, the pair have posted a dismaying CF% of only 43.8. Imagine: that’s so bad that if they were on Metacritic, they would be red-labeled and ranked as “Generally Unfavorable”. However, if you put Stanton as far away from Bieksa as possible, and replace him with say, his security Hamhuis, Bieksa’s possession returns to a much more respectable 51.4%–which basically is the long way of saying that at this point, Bieksa is not the kind of guy who can pull a lesser player’s performance up, but he won’t kill the team if he’s with the right people. Sadly, with his recent hand injury, we might have to wait until next season (or a lengthy Cup-run, amiright?) to see if Bieksa can turn things around and transition into a useful depth veteran in the later stage of his career.
Deep – B – Bieksa is currently a -4 and has 9 points through 45 games. I have heard/seen Bieksa get a lot of flack from Canuck Fandom this season and honestly, I do not know why. Ya sure, his point production has slowed to a crawl and I’ve seen him make a few bad decisions in his zone this season. However, have we all forgotten what a great leader this guy is? Guess what, The Canucks are in a transition stage and a good number of the core roster players will most likely retire in a few years, Bieksa included. We need guys like Bieksa to mentor the Frankie Corrado’s and the Jordan Subban’s and teach them how to play in the NHL, but more importantly, teach them how to play with heart. Remember when Bieksa was asked if he wanted to stay with the Canucks, even though they were going through a rebuild? He said “I’m here until they throw me out of here”. That is classic Bieksa and why he deserves every Canuck fans respect. My favourite Bieksa moment from this season so far? When Bieksa fought Patrick Maroon :03 second into the game to get his team going after they got spanked 5-1 the night before. Again, classic Bieksa.
Alex Edler
Dan – A – Edler is having a great season with little to complain about, except that he breaks his sticks in the worst possible situations. Can he use a stainless steel one? Is that allowed? Otherwise Edler has been playing the toughest minutes on the team (along with Tanev) and coming out on the positive side in terms of possession (53.6% CF). His 16 points this season are nowhere near career high, but he is making a useful contribution offensively. Edler is a solid top pairing defenseman, if not quite elite.
Feb 26, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; St. Louis Blues forward Chris Stewart (25) is defended by Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler (23) and goaltender Eddie Lack (31) during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Joel – A – As LL Cool J–star of the classic film Great Blue Sea–once said: “don’t call it a bounce-back.” (At least I think it was something like that, right?) While a lot of talk this year has been about Edler’s resurgence from a dismal season last year, others were correct to point out that most of what was perceived as poor play, was actually just a result of horrendous luck rather than any grand failings on Edler’s part. Still, when even a continuation of last year’s play and a normalized amount of luck would have been enough to label Edler’s current season a success, Edler has still gone above and beyond expectations, emerging as a true number one defenseman who can be counted on in all situations. To the eyes, he’s also eliminated a lot of the more glaring giveaways and errors that he had developed a reputation for in the past. Some of this might be experience, some of this might be playing with the ever-steady Chris Tanev, or some of it might just be confirmation bias based on his better stats (and us having a new scapegoat in Luca Sbisa), but in any case, I’ll take it.
Deep – A – Like many other Canucks, Alex Edler is having a bounce back year. Currently, Edler is a +5 and has 16 points through 50 games. I really like the season Edler is having. So far this season, Edler has been physical, has jumped up into the play at key times and has held down the fort defensively. Honestly, it is like night and day from last season. Edler has proved to all the ‘fans’ (yes, I use that term loosely) who were calling for him to be traded last season, that he belongs on this Canucks team and deserves the salary and minutes that he is getting. Sure, his point production has slowed down since the beginning of the year (wow its February already?), but that is true for all of the Canucks. To me, at least in the case of defensemen, defensive play is of utmost importance and points are really just icing on the cake. In other words, points from defensemen are good if they happen, but I really wanna see our defensemen focus on defense, rather than getting points. Can you tell I don’t like offensive defensemen?
Dan Hamhuis
Dan – A – Hamhuis value is clear when he is playing, but it was even clearer when he wasn’t playing due to injury this year. He is a smart defensive player who doesn’t panic easily. He is great for the Canucks’ breakout plays as well. He makes smart passes and gets the puck out of the zone quickly. I must say though, I miss the days when you could count on a few more hip checks from him.
Joel – B- – Unfortunately, instead of Alex Edler, it’s been Hamhuis’ turn for an unlucky year so far. My explanation for this? It seems possible that bad luck on the Canucks’ blueline is like the law of conservation of energy: it can be neither created nor destroyed–only transferred to a different defenseman. (Alternate theory: maybe Hamhuis and Edler swapped haunted lockers?). I wrote a bit about his early season bad luck earlier on this year, but it turns out I was wrong about him being happy for November: a torn hamstring sidelined him from November 20th, until January 16th’s game against the Hurricanes. Since his return, though, things have been starting to look up (despite a shaky looking game in Winnipeg): his Score Adjusted Corsi For % is a stellar 54.8%. Also encouraging are his results playing with Frank Corrado. Since Bieksa’s injury the two have a 55.2% EVCF% (in limited minutes), which would indicate that the two have potential chemistry going forward. So, while the first half of the season might be a time Hamhuis would like to forget, there looks to be no evidence that with the right bounces and the right personnel, he can’t return to being one of Vancouver’s most steady and reliable D-men.
Deep – C+ – Now a mid-season grade for Hamhuis will be tricky, as he has missed almost half the season due to injury. I know that Hammer has been back for a few games now, but I do not think we are really seeing the true Dan Hamhuis playing. Currently Hamhuis is a -7 and has 9 points through 28 games. Hammer had a pretty serious lower body injury, one that doctors were saying would need surgery. However, Hammer and the Canucks opted for rehab and it appears that the rehab was successful enough that it allowed Hammer to continue to play BUT who knows if that injury still bothers him. All I know is that Hammer has been playing differently since he returned from injury. I am seeing a lot more defensive mistakes from him post injury and he just hasn’t played like the cool, calm and collected Dan Hamhuis that we all love (Love you Hammer!). Hopefully a few more games will help Hammer gain his pre injury form, because pre injury he was looking like his old self.
Luca Sbisa
Dan – C – Luca “Free Delivery” Sbisa is certainly an adventure. He has received consistent playing time this year with varying results. Sometimes he’ll score the overtime game winner, as he did against the Jets on Tuesday. And sometimes he’ll be at the center of a few goals against, as he was against the Wild on Sunday afternoon. Overall his possession numbers are among the worst on the team (47.5% CF). He’s not too bad as a depth defenseman, but right now he’s playing regular minutes. Unless he’s able to develop his game, that probably needs to change fairly soon.
Oct 4, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luca Sbisa (5) reaches for the puck against Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (74) during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Joel – C+ – Like Zack Kassian, Luca Sbisa has been another polarizing Canucks figure–but maybe in the opposite way that Kassian is: instead of being in the fans’ good books and the coach’s doghouse, Sbisa seems to have an eternally long leash with coaches, and can never seem to please the myriad fans who mock him with ‘pizza delivery’ jokes every time he screws up (which, admittedly is more often than I’d like). However, he definitely has some upside, and as has been mentioned, seems to be improving of late. Overall, for the time being, he’s been nothing if not enigmatic. But if he can put things together in the second half, he’d make either great trade bait, or could make a strong case for a contract renewal for next year.
Deep – D – Luca is really a work in progress on the blue line this season. Currently, Luca is a -13 and has 5 points through 44 games. I have seen Luca make a lot of mistakes in his own zone, BUT I have also seen him make brilliant defensive/ offensive plays. I really do like Luca’s game, as he is a very physical defensemen and does hit quite a bit. I also think that he is a decent stick handler and I have seen him stick handle his way out of trouble a few times (and INTO trouble a few times as well). I think some time with the Comets would really help out Luca’s game. I think Luca is almost at that regular NHL defensemen level, but that he needs a little bit of time.
Ryan Stanton
Dan – D – Speaking of poor possession numbers, Stanton’s are the worst among Canucks defensemen (44.6% CF). I’m not sure what happened to Stanton this year. He was a revelation last year as a waiver wire addition, posting a 52.9% CF and putting up 16 points. Perhaps he was one of the few Canucks who thrived in Tortorella’s system. Hopefully he can pick his game up in the second half of the season. Because between him and Sbisa I’m frightened of the playoffs.
Joel – D – Ugh, Stanton. If ever there was a case of sophomore slump, this guy is it. What’s more confusing is that usually these kind of downswings are somewhat predictable: guys will go on a percentage driven tear that we can recognize as unsustainable before they come down to earth. With Stanton, however, there’s not much I can find that would have predicted this: last year he posted a healthy CF% over 50% and seemed to be a great depth pick up. Maybe part of what we’re seeing is Stanton struggling to adjust play to a different coach and system? It’s also possible that, playing alongside Bieksa on the second pairing, Stanton has been less sheltered and is in over his head. He also may have lost a step since an early season injury. Whatever the case, though, with a CF% of 44.6 at even strength, Stanton is by far the under-est achieving of all Canucks defensemen, and with the addition of Clendenning–another Blackhawks cast-off, but with more prospect pedigree and a higher overall upside–it’s possible that Stanton may have played himself off the depth chart for the season’s second half.
Deep – B – I have to give Stanton a pass so far this season. Yes, I know the guy has gotten into some penalty trouble lately and who can forget all those own goals (really, you can’t put them on the guy). Despite all of this, I have really liked Ryan Stanton’s game so far this season. Stanton’s another d-man who fearlessly blocks shots and is not afraid to sacrifice his body for the sake of the team. Honestly, you can never have too many of these type of defensemen on a team. Stanton has 7 points and is a +6 through 34 games. Let’s face it though, we did not bring in Stanton to score 100 goals. We brought in Stanton to give us some stability on the blue line and I believe that he has given us that.
Stanton has missed some time this season, so I do think that he will get better as the season continues. One thing I would like to see from Stanton as the season goes on is for him to stop taking stupid penalties. If Stanton just moved his feet, he could easily have avoided many of the penalties he took in the first half of the season.
Chris Tanev
Dan – A+ – Tanev is the jam to Edler’s peanut butter, the bacon to his eggs, the milk to his chocolate. His steadying influence and cool under pressure play is a big factor in Edler’s success. The pair lead the Canucks in Corsi, with Tanev playing at a 53.7% clip, the best on the team. His scoring is up a bit this year as well, which is a nice bonus. He’s the kind of player you want on the ice when the team is defending a one goal lead late in the third period. I trust Tanev. Or more accurately, #ITrustTanev.
Joel – A – What more can I say in praise of Tanev that hasn’t already been said? Dare I say, he might be the least controversial player in Canucks history? (Hopefully this doesn’t jinx it or anything.) The only debate worth making I suppose would be that the Canucks would have been wise to lock Tanev up earlier this season before he broke out as a top-pairing 1B defenseman. Overall, if you could make one knock against Tanev, it’s that a little more offense would be nice from a guy playing so many big minutes; however, a) this problem hasn’t been exclusive to him, and might be more of a reflection of the defensive systems overall, and b) it’s hard to complain when he does such a good job of limiting chances, driving play, minimizing mistakes and keeping the puck out of his own net–while chipping in the odd Birthday OT goal as well, of course. Now let’s get this guy a contract!
Deep – A- – I have to say, out of all the Canuck defensemen, Tanev has to be my favourite so far this season! Why is a 3/4 defenceman my favourite? It’s simple, the guy never gives up and is simply a warrior. How many times have we seen Tanev take huge hits to make the play? Honestly, I lost count after the first 10 games. Tanev is also not afraid to fearlessly block even the hardest of shots. Former Canuck head coach John Tortorella also praised Tanev for his fearless shot blocking and willingness to sacrifice his body for the sake of the team. Combine his gutsy defensive play with his smooth skating ability and you have got a solid No. 3 or 4 defenceman.
Now, currently Tanev has 13 points and is a +9. In my opinion, Tanev has got to be the most stable d-man we have and is definitely the most consistent in terms of solid defensive play. Let me tell you, I have watched nearly all the Canucks games this season and I can’t really recall any major defensive mistakes made by Tanev. I know the Canucks are trying to sign Tanev to a longer contract, as Tanev only signed a 1 year contract at the start of the season. I would love to see Tanev in a Canucks jersey for a long time and if the Canucks do not sign him, watch for the 29 other teams to be vying for his services. Will Tanev score 20 goals this season? Probably not. Will he be solid defensively? You can bank on it.
Feb 26, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev (8) waits for play to resume against the Dallas Stars during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeated the Canucks 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE
Yannick Weber
Dan – B – With some of the injuries in the lineup, Weber has seen quite a bit of action this year. And he hasn’t been too bad. He’s not the kind of player I’d want to see in the top 4, but he’s holding his own in terms of possession (49.2% CF). I actually prefer him to Sbisa, but both are prone to make glaring errors. The upside with Weber is his excellent shot, which tends to be under used given the relatively low minutes he plays.
Joel – B – So far this season, Yannick Weber has proven himself to be the plain Hershey’s chocolate bar of defensemen: a dependable option in a pinch, if you want something sweet, kind of insubstantial, but will more-or-less get the job done. Overall, his WOWYs show that he has actually paired very well with the more bitter flavours of Ryan Stanton, bringing his CF% up to 50.4% in the 118:40 minutes they’ve played together at even strength this year. Additionally Weber has filled in nicely with Hamhuis at times, with an EVCF% of 53.3% in more limited minutes. Weber has also proved to be an effective depth scoring option, posting 11 points, ranking him third in scoring for the team’s defensemen, despite only playing 37 games. In his career, Weber has developed a bit of a reputation for being an offensive threat with a weaker defensive side; however, this year he’s shown that he’s not necessarily a liability in his own end–and with the Canucks’ concerns about getting points from the blueline, I’d like to see Weber suit up for more games in the Canucks’ second half.
Deep – C+ – Currently Weber is a +2 and has 11 points through 38 games. Let’s face it, Weber will probably be no higher than a 5/6 defensemen in the NHL. However, he is a SOLID 5/6 NHL defensemen. I believe that Weber has done well so far this season with the Canucks and fits perfectly into that 5/6 d-man role. He has that wicked right handed shot from the point, which has proved useful more than once this season for the Canucks. As a depth defensemen, I believe that The Canucks can’t really go wrong with Weber.
The Goaltenders
Ryan Miller
Dan – B – Miller’s game is in some ways the story of the Canucks in general: stretches of great play, but also some baffling flops. I understand, for the most part, why Benning and Linden felt they needed to sign a veteran goaltender like Miller. My concern is that he might not be able to play up to the level that his reputation and the price of his contract have led us to expect. I don’t dislike Miller, he’s a perfectly serviceable goaltender. I just don’t know if he’s worth price the Canucks are paying for him as a sort of “transition guy” while they develop their younger talent.
Joel – C+ – So far this season it’s been a rollercoaster ride of emotions with Ryan Miller in net. While Miller’s play was below average for the first stretch of the season, the Canucks’ run of actual goal scoring was able to mask that–so much so, in fact that Wayne Gretzky called Miller the best free agent signing of the past fifteen years (!?!), and many other wonder-pundits declared his gaudy win totals to be evidence of his elite skill and veteran presence (which it wasn’t), rather than it being a reflection of the team’s play in front of him (which it was). Since the media flurry of the first month or so, Miller has seen his share of downs–getting shelled against Toronto and New York–as well as ups: stealing a game from San Jose, as well as that crazy-awesome shutout streak. Overall, it’s averaged out to what I expected when they signed him in the off-season: a basically league average goalie who is not worth, and will continue to not be worth, his exorbitantly high contract that also blocks the goalie pipeline from developing two legitimately talented Swedish netminders in Lack and Markstrom. What I didn’t expect, I guess, is just how up and down the ride to average would be. Overall, I’ve got nothing against Miller as a player, competitor and a person, and I obviously wish him the best–not just for the Canucks, but for his sake. But, I also kind of wish that he wasn’t around.
Deep – B – Ryan Miller was probably the most talked about off season acquisition for the Vancouver Canucks. Many people wondered if perhaps Vancouver paid too much for the ageing goalie and if Miller was still the goalie that he was 5 years ago when he played for his country in the 2010 Olympics. Watching Miller during the first half of the season, I have to say that I am very impressed with what I have seen. There has been a few games where Miller has literally put the team on his back and carried them to the victory line. He has been absolutely amazing in some games and sometimes I am just sitting there in amazement at how he managed to stop the puck. However, there has been a few games where Miller has let in some pretty bad goals and he has gotten the hook a few times this season. Currently, Miller has a 2.41 GAA, a .914 SV%, 5 SO’s and 24 wins through 38 games. In my opinion, Miller has put up pretty decent numbers and overall (so far this season), I think most people have to be pleased with Ryan Miller. In addition to being a great goaltender, he is a perfect mentor for Eddie Lack, who many people believe 9including myself) will be the Canucks goalie for many years to come in the future.
Oct 21, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Vancouver Canucks goalie Eddie Lack (31) replaces goalie Ryan Miller (30) during the second period against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Eddie Lack
Dan – B – Presumably Eddie Lack is the younger talent the Canucks are seeking to develop. The interesting thing is that his and Miller’s numbers are fairly close. Granted Lack has played 15 games to Miller’s 37, but their save percentages are almost identical (.915 for Miller, .913 for Lack). Lack has had a difficult time earning wins thanks to a notable lack of scoring support when he’s been in net. Otherwise he’s been a solid goalie. The problem for me is that neither of these guys stand out as elite goaltenders. And when you’ve spent the last few years watching Luongo, it’s hard not to miss that. I guess you never really know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.
Joel – A- – Like Tanev, Eddie Lack is a fan favourite almost above reproach. Unlike Tanev, however, his play hasn’t always been at an elite level this year–although he’s certainly shown flashes of it. In fact, even though his GAA of 2.57 and SV% of .913 are both lower than Miller’s overall totals, Lack has been very consistent since his early season stumbles. For example, since November 9th, Lack has a GAA of 1.95 and a SV% of .929. Like the reverse of Miller’s good fortunes, however, Lack’s W-L record isn’t even close to reflective of how well he has played, as the Canucks have failed to generate offense in the majority of his starts. However, it’s been a long enough stretch of play, I think, to determine that Lack deserves way more chances to start in the second half, as for my money, he is the goalie who gives the team the better chance to win on a nightly basis.
Deep – A+ – To all Eddie Lack haters: If you are trying to find people to agree with your point of view, you will not find it here. I think Eddie has done everything you can ask of a back up goalie and then some. I simply do not understand how anyone can not like this guy. He’s charismatic, a great team player and has an amazing attitude on and off the ice. I honestly believe that Eddie Lack is the best goalie prospect the Canucks have had in recent memory and yes, I think he can be better than Schneider (I got nothing but love for you Schneids).
So far this season, Eddie has a .913 save percentage, 2.57 GAA and 4 wins out of 15 games. I know, those numbers do not sound amazing but this is a case where you really have to look past the numbers. Eddie has looked great this season and the majority of the games he lost were either because A) Canucks played horrible defensively or B) Canucks could not score, or a combination of both. Sure, Eddie let in some questionable goals this season, but what goalie hasn’t? One thing I noticed so far this season with Eddie is the fact that he does not let a bad or questionable goal against shake him. He continues to fight and remains cool and calm in the net. Case in point, the Feb. 3rd game against The Jets. Blake Wheeler scored on him on a breakaway and later on in the game, Wheeler had another breakaway but Lack remained cool and collected and stopped Wheeler cold.