Canucks: Alexander Edler proved he’s still valuable
Vancouver Canucks blueliner Alexander Edler may be on the back nine of his NHL career, but this year he proved that he’s still a very valuable asset to the team.
For a long time, Alex Edler has been the backbone of the Vancouver Canucks blueline. Still, at the growing age of 34, the team’s highest-paid player continues to prove he can hold down the fort.
The 2019-20 campaign was a little different for Edler than most. The arrival of Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers meant change was here in Vancouver. A retraction of minutes from the power play was inevitable but ultimately it paved the way for the Swedish d-man to cut back his immense workload, stay healthy and begin focusing on teaching the next wave of Canucks defencemen.
While Hughes and Myers were taking care of business on the man-advantage, Edler now had the energy to put all his time into strengthening the penalty kill. Together as always in a longtime shutdown pairing with Chris Tanev, Edler’s role was still different, but it grew his game overall.
Through 59 games (missing 10 to injury) this season playing with fewer minutes in a slightly smaller role, Edler posted a respectable 33 points (five goals, 28 assists) and was well on his way to one of his best statistical seasons before the pause. Removed from the power play altogether, Edler still managed to put up over a half a point per game. That’s extreme value for a 34-year-old.
Besides the points he produces offensively, Edler’s defensive game this season was just as good, maybe even better. Faced against opposition’s best players night in and night out by the command of head coach Travis Green, Edler still had the best +/- (+13) amongst all Canucks blueliners in 2019-20.
Edler is still signed to Vancouver for another year (and we all know how much he likes it here), but considering how strong his game remains at his age, an early extension wouldn’t be surprising.
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If anything is clear about Edler, it’s that he still has a lot of hockey left in him. Let him play.