At this point, the Vancouver Canucks know what they have in Tyler Myers. Tyler Myers is going to be Tyler Myers.
Fans had quickly grown tired of the veteran’s Jekyll-and-Hyde act on defense, and particularly with the mental gaffes that usually serve as precursors to goals against. Lately though, Myers hasn’t been half bad.
Anecdotally, some of this is due to Noah Juulsen’s return to the lineup; the former Montreal Canadiens defenseman has struggled quite a bit when given a regular role within the Canucks lineup. Even though Myers hasn’t been great by any means, he’s been good enough, and certainly an improvement over Juulsen.
Since Akito Hirose entered the lineup following Carson Soucy’s injury, a pairing of he and Myers has been dominant for the Vancouver Canucks. Across 13.6 minutes at 5-on-5 over three games, Hirose and Myers have an expected goals % of 80%, per MoneyPuck. In fact, out of all Canucks defense pairings to have played 10 minutes or more together, Myers features on each of the top-three.
- Hirose-Myers: 13.6 mins, 80% xG
- Friedman-Myers: 34 mins, 60.6% xG
- Hronek-Myers: 12.8 mins, 60% xG
If the Vancouver Canucks truly do have something in a Hirose-Myers pairing, they would be wise to keep Hirose with the NHL club going forward. Plus, it beats having to force Mark Friedman into playing on his off-hand side.
What happens when Soucy returns from injury, we can’t say. He’s already suffered two injuries, hasn’t played particularly well alongside Myers, and is signed for three more years. Irregardless, a split between the two defensemen seems to be the path of least resistance going forward.
After all, this is not to argue that Myers has a future in Vancouver, but more so that he deserves some credit for his improved performances.
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Going forward, even consistently average play from Myers will be a revelation for the Vancouver Canucks.