EA SPORTS NHL 17: Vancouver Canucks Player Ratings
Defensemen
Chris Tanev: 86
Chris Tanev is without a doubt Vancouver’s top defenseman, but he isn’t considered elite, nor is he seen as a top defenseman by fans around the league. The IIHF world champion doesn’t do much to drive the attack, but he defends extremely well and gets the puck out of his own zone. A defensive defenseman, Tanev deserves to be an 86.
Alex Edler: 84
Next up is Tanev’s D-partner Alex Edler. Once rated 87, Edler is on the decline and there is no doubt about it. Canucks fans are starting to bash him at every chance, but I believe that is mostly due to the fact that they remember Edler being elite, and he won’t get back to that standing. He is, however, still a good player, and 84 is definitely fair.
More from The Canuck Way
- Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
- What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
- Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
- Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
- 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg
Erik Gudbranson: 83
We are all hoping for Erik Gudbranson to be a force on Vancouver’s blue line. Speaking in NHL 17 terms, we are all hoping for him to be an 86 or so. But he isn’t — at least not yet. Gudbranson’s biggest asset is his size and physicality, but he doesn’t look like much of a possession player.
Ben Hutton: 82
Sophomore defenseman Ben Hutton was without a doubt the biggest surprise of the 2015-16 season. He surprised everyone by making the NHL club out of training camp and followed that up with an outstanding rookie campaign. By the end of the year, he played top-pairing minutes with Tanev when Edler and Dan Hamhuis were injured. But we don’t want to give him a star rathing just yet.
Luca Sbisa: 81
Luca Sbisa has really fallen out of favor with Vancouver Canucks fans. He seems to mess up every once in a while, but so do others. The reason why he gets criticized so much is that he is in his prime and likely won’t get much better, while making top-four money. Still, an 81 rating is fair.
Nikita Tryamkin: 78
Fans are more hopeful for Nikita Tryamkin, but he is the perfect player to talk about following Sbisa. Tryamkin is a good skater who has all the tools to be successful, but he did struggle mightily in his first 13 games. He just isn’t criticized very much because he is “the new guy” who’s played all of his career in Russia. People even praise him as the next star defenseman, but he is far from that. A 78 for now with potential to go as high as 82 by the end of the season.
Philip Larsen: 78
Like Tryamkin, Philip Larsen is joining the Canucks out of the KHL. He did a decent job in his last NHL stint but he, too, has a lot to prove. Larsen is supposed to improve the power play, but he wasn’t an outstanding player on the man advantage in Edmonton. A 78 for now with potential to go higher as the season progresses.
Alex Biega: 76
If the Canucks decide to go with seven defensemen, the list likely finds its end before Alex Biega. If they decide to roll with eight, meaning two healthy scratches each game, Biega has a chance to stick around. He played 51 NHL games last season but likely would have seen more AHL time if it hadn’t been for Vancouver’s many injuries. A 76 seems fair at this point.
Next: Left Wingers