Tyler Myers played as advertised in his first season with the Vancouver Canucks. Next year, the 6’8 giant on skates will have a bigger role to fill on the blueline.
There were originally a lot of mixed feelings across the Vancouver Canucks‘ fanbase when Jim Benning (the team general manager) signed defenseman, Tyler Myers to a five-year deal worth a team-high $6 million dollars annually.
The ex-Kelowna Rocket enjoyed his first year playing on the west coast and he was pretty much the player people were expecting him to be. His puck-moving skills and his break out passes were a breath of fresh air in Vancouver and when all was said and done, the 30-year-old giant racked up a respectable 21 points (six goals, 15 assists), which was good enough for the third-most points amongst Canucks’ defenders.
Now, Myers still has four-years remaining on his contract with Vancouver, and with Alex Edler (the team’s franchise leading defenseman) reaching his mid-thirties on an expiring pact next season, Myers will need to fill a bigger role on the back end. Not to mention the current cap situation just got a whole lot stickier with the NHL pause still in full effect and Benning might have to cut one of Chris Tanev or Troy Stecher loose.
If that happens, a roster spot will be filled by an AHL call-up and Myers will be the guy that Travis Green looks at to step up. He’ll be 31 when next season arrives, (that’s only four years younger than Edler), but behind Quinn Hughes, he’s the only roster blueliner in the team’s possession that is capable of filling those minutes. It’ll be vital for the team’s success.
Responsibility in his own end will be at an all-time high. Myers isn’t exactly the defender you want to have to anchor his own pairing, but if he is partnered with either Edler or Hughes (who think defence first), he should be put in a place where he can earn his contract and be a good top-four fit.