Vancouver Canucks Year in Review: Grading 2015 X-Factors
By David Joun
#2 Matt Bartkowski (Grade: B-)
"My prediction for Bartkowski is mixed. I expect him to provide offensive punch here and there when Weber stalls, but he is most likely to stack up assists by giving Horvat, Vrbata, or Hansen hundred-foot-long breakaway passes out of the D-zone. Prediction for Bartkowski for the 2015-16 season: 3 goals, 15+ assists, and perhaps an astoundingly low plus/minus rating alongside some 30+ penalty minutes."
Hey. I was bang on. 37 games in, he has two goals and seven assists, a minus-four, and 26 penalty minutes.
Matt Bartkowski isn’t playing with Luca Sbisa, nor is Yannick Weber stalling offensively — Weber never started in the first place. But Bartkowski has been the steadiest newcomer to the Canucks thus far. Of course, until he recently started turning pucks over and tried to outlet through Jacob Markstrom’s crease.
Verdict on Bartkowski: The only question left for Bartkowski is his fate with the Canucks. Although his name has not surfaced in any rumours, his UFA status at the end of the season is certainly a liability to his chances of staying in Vancouver.
Next: Linden Vey