Canucks roster year end grades

[lmm]

18 hours ago, NUCKER67 said:

A+ - Boeser

A - Horvat, D. Sedin, Edler

B - Sutter, Vanek, Leipsic, Jokinen, Dorsett

C+ - Gagner, Baertschi, Virtanen, Tanev, Goldobin, Gaudette, Biega, Sautner

C - Archibald, Del Zotto, Markstrom, Motte, Gudbranson, Stecher, Pouliot

D - Granlund, Gaunce, Eriksson, Dowd, Boucher

 

F - Rodin, Burmistrov, Hutton, Nilsson

 

This is the most honest evaluation so far.

I don't think Daniel or Edler are "A" players but I would give them a "B"

I can't see Dorsett with a "B" when he missed 3/4 of the season while Tanev is more important to team wins but rates lower probably because of games missed.

Vanek? was a huge minus but provided goals in games lost.

No Hank.

 Do you really think your "D" and :F: players played enough to warrent the Caunucks finishing 6th to last?

[TheGuardian_]

Brock Boeser A+

Great rookie season, I will be concerned about the severity of the injury he suffered, it could have life long effects both on and off the ice.

 

Bo Horvat B+

A great start but faded a lot after his injury, his points per game were way down in the second half of the season, still great on FO's

 

Daniel Sedin A

- Despite being 37 years old, Daniel still has a lot of hockey left in him. 23 goals this year. Going to miss him and Henrik dearly. Happy retirement.

 

Alex Edler A-

Edler's resurgence was good to see, maybe he was getting a jump on his contract year, maybe he doesn't want to get traded whatever, he played through the pain of a back injury and surgery, he was physical, was excellent both offensively and defensively and top 5 in the league in most blocked shots. 

 

Brendan Leipsic C-

Maybe it just me but I was seeing him cough up the puck when about to be checked, I saw him as not being able to fight for pucks or do almost any body checking or winning any puck battles, when he had the puck he was okay, not really dynamic not a big upgrade and IMO easily replaced.

 

Chris Tanev B+

-Injury riddled season, was good in the games he played. His impact on the entire team was felt when he was healthy 

 

Jussi Jokinen

Too short an amount of games but the team will need a vet or two. He might not sign here.

 

Brandon Sutter A

His second half was his best as a Canuck and looked like the most effective and consistent player.

 

Derrick Dorsett AA

HEART

 

Jacob Markstrom A

The team in front, the system.

 

Alex Biega C+

 - Was a solid 6th/7th defenseman for us.

 

Henrik Sedin C+

-3 goals this year. 47 assists, but to be honest, he looked really done. Was a liability at times. But the last few games I've seen a gear in him that I haven't seen in a long time.

 

Adam Gaudette C-

-Was below expectations and barely average

 

Troy Stecher C

Hate to harp on it but size matters, there is no doubt of his work ethic or intelligence. As a whole the entire D needs to be re-examined, the team really needs players that can contribute offensively from the backend, "try" only goes so far. 

 

Jake Virtanen C+

Once the leash was loosened he started playing much better and showing more of the skills of a power forward, his speed was very notable. In the last game of the season he out skated McDavid while carrying the puck, that is more than notable.

 

 

er C+

I liked him. Saw flashes of a young Kevin Bieksa in him. Strong, tough defenseman with an offensive upside. Was very unfortunate that his 1st career goal was disallowed. Was a beautiful goal.

 

Nikolaj Goldobin C+

-Like Virtanen, had a slow start but towards the end of the season he was on fire. Needs to work on consistency and his defensive game.

 

Sven Baertschi C

-Was decent. Baertschi frustrated me. He's a perimeter player that doesn't really do a whole lot to retrieve the puck. Didn't battle and lacked effort. His game suffered when he wasn't playing with Horvat.

 

Micheal Del Zotto B

-Sercivable top 4 defenseman. He is doing something he isn't really suited for but his effort and heart are without question.

 

Darren Archibald B

-Great physical forward, provided a lot of grit and toughness. Did what was asked of him for his role. The type of player needed in a playoff run.

 

Derrick Pouliot C

For the amount of icetime he was given he showed all he has, IMO, on this team right now, just enough but if they get more dmen, meh.

 

Reid Boucher C

No chance, just not enough icetime but again not NHL.

 

Brendan Gaunce C

-Good defensive player but that's about it. Doesn't seem to have any offensive upside, puck dies on his stick a lot.

 

Sam Gagner C

-Had quite a lackadaisical start to the season, was largely inconsistent throughout the year. 31pts, but would've liked to see a lot more from him.

 

Loui Eriksson C

-Short season for him, had a good stretch of offense but then disappeared. His defensive game makes up for a lot of that offense he hasn't seem to regain.

 

Nic Dowd C

-Good stopgap player. I actually liked his game and I thought he looked a little snake bitten. Started to fade away late in the season (got benched too). Could still be a serviceable 4th line/13th forward.

 

Tyler Motte D

Not a really fair grade but not a lot of icetime, lacks the finish. He is more effective checker than either Leipsic or Sven.

 

Ben Hutton

Was in the dog house this year and suffered some injuries. Maybe off ice issues need to be addressed.

 

Anders Nilsson C+ 

Played like a player who lost a job and doesn't know why, both of the goalies had similar stat lines and if anything his were better, maybe just disappointment, he didn't play all that badly with this team in front of him.

 

Markus Granlund C- 

-Granlund didn't really play well at all. Had only 8g and 5pts in 53gp. Injury riddled season for him, but he's going to need come to camp prepared. Needs to be consistent.

 

Erik Gudbranson C-

Thought he struggled defensively this year. Didn't provide a lot of physicality too until around the time of his injury. Needs a resurgence year.

 

Thomas Vanek A

was also fantastic during his time here. Going to miss him.

 

Again I come back to size especially for the dmen, they have to take more chances and play a "contain" game because they aren't likely to push Kovitar size players off the puck or from in front of the net. This makes the goalies job harder.

 

It is hard to grade players on a team that finished in the bottom third of the league 3 years in a row, grading how they do on this team is not the same as grading them league wide, 8 of the players on this team could not make the NHL regularly on teams that drafted them, some have shown that they could play good enough in a specific role on some teams, but could they beat out a player in the playoffs? The playoffs should be the team built.

 

But hey, they are rebuilding and the draft picks should all be better than the roster players. 

[189lb enforcers?]

Size does matter for a D-core. 

 

And a willingness to use it. 

Each playoff team is a current example of it’s importance. 

 

The Canucks’ D is far too soft and small. OJ isn’t going to help much in this regard. Benning has much to do for the future D-core. 

[TheGuardian_]

11 minutes ago, 189lb enforcers? said:

Size does matter for a D-core. 

 

And a willingness to use it. 

Each playoff team is a current example of it’s importance. 

 

The Canucks’ D is far too soft and small. OJ isn’t going to help much in this regard. Benning has much to do for the future D-core. 

You have to remember that Benning was a small skill dman himself and was cut from teams because of his lack of tenacity and hitting, also size, so just maybe he has a deep down need to prove small skilled non hitting dmen like he was can play the game.

So far the only big dman he signed doesn't look nearly as skilled and the little guys, by design? No, but the other big guy isn't here anymore.

 

I just am stirring the pot that's all, making stuff up, how could I possibly know why small players are the majority traded for or signed.

[IBatch]

45 minutes ago, TheGuardian_ said:

You have to remember that Benning was a small skill dman himself and was cut from teams because of his lack of tenacity and hitting, also size, so just maybe he has a deep down need to prove small skilled non hitting dmen like he was can play the game.

So far the only big dman he signed doesn't look nearly as skilled and the little guys, by design? No, but the other big guy isn't here anymore.

 

I just am stirring the pot that's all, making stuff up, how could I possibly know why small players are the majority traded for or signed.

Ellis is becoming the new prototype for defenseman.  Vatanen, McAvoy, Theodore all lack in size but more than make up in ability.  This is a trend throughout the NHL, the overall size of the top ten draft picks, going right into and through the second round is more geared towards ability now, it's trumpng size (when twenty years ago if you were 6' 2" plus a modicum of skill you were picked before a better, undersized guy, Stajonav agrees).  

 

Not sure if this is a fad given PIT is two cups away from starting to collect rings on the other hand, and NSH is winning President trophies with an enviable mobile and Uber skilled top four, or if it's here to stay.  A big part of me hopes for WNP this year, Byfuglien or power forward Wheeler as MVP.

 

Then things can get back to normal, and Vancouver can get back to drafting guys like PLD and the BT/MT  upfront, and Chabot, Sergechev (he's built like a tank), Bouchard types on defense.

 

Of course it would be great to nab a McAvoy, Vatanen type too, but I'd much rather have a Byfuglien or Hedman type patrolling our blueline and gaurding the front of the net.  Boqvist and Dahlin fit the new prototype to the tee, but here in the west you need size to both get to and make it through a few rounds in the playoffs.

[lmm]

19 hours ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Year end grades seem too high for most of the players.    Assuming winning the Stanley Cup is an A+ and finishing dead last is an F.....Canucks overall are in the D range this year and the cumulative score of the players should add up to that.   Thing is, much of their up and coming pieces are like Grade four kids taking Grade 8 courses and naturally they are not "quite there" yet.    Not sure how anyone gets an "A+" on the team.   Boeser had an outstanding rookie season but a solid B sort of thing.    Horvat a C+ and so forth if you must score.

 

Anyway, this is a team sport so no matter how you want to score things, if it is adding up to something more than about a "D", how do you rationalize that against where the team finished?   Remember school, they didn't give you marks relative to your own expectation - you were measured against all the other kids.

I agree abolutely with this comment.

most people are using 3 "A" "B" "C" , 2 "D" (no D+) and 1 F

that gives 12 catagories for 31 teams whisch equals about  2.5 teams per letter grade. Or the top 5 teams receive "A+" or "A" the next 5 "A-" or "B+"ect.

The Canucks still get a "D". So most of the palyers should be graded near (+/-) a "D".

 

As I see it there are 3 ways to score, 

1. against the league (mean)

2. against expectation (hypothetical)

3. against paygrade (production/ $)

The confusing thing about most posters scoring is they are using all 3 methods depending on the player/emotion.

 

Most schools also have an "I" for incomplete. Where you set the line is up for debate, but -25% or -50% seems fair.

Dorsett played -25%, he deserves an "I". So too do Leipsic, Jokenen, Sautner, Motte, Gaudette. Most posters have graded these players emotionally. hence the high marks.

 

I would ask all previous posters which method of scoring they are using?

Pick one system and use it consistantly throughout your assement.

[IBatch]

1 hour ago, TheGuardian_ said:

Brock Boeser A+

Great rookie season, I will be concerned about the severity of the injury he suffered, it could have life long effects both on and off the ice.

 

Bo Horvat B+

A great start but faded a lot after his injury, his points per game were way down in the second half of the season, still great on FO's

 

Daniel Sedin A

- Despite being 37 years old, Daniel still has a lot of hockey left in him. 23 goals this year. Going to miss him and Henrik dearly. Happy retirement.

 

Alex Edler A-

Edler's resurgence was good to see, maybe he was getting a jump on his contract year, maybe he doesn't want to get traded whatever, he played through the pain of a back injury and surgery, he was physical, was excellent both offensively and defensively and top 5 in the league in most blocked shots. 

 

Brendan Leipsic C-

Maybe it just me but I was seeing him cough up the puck when about to be checked, I saw him as not being able to fight for pucks or do almost any body checking or winning any puck battles, when he had the puck he was okay, not really dynamic not a big upgrade and IMO easily replaced.

 

Chris Tanev B+

-Injury riddled season, was good in the games he played. His impact on the entire team was felt when he was healthy 

 

Jussi Jokinen

Too short an amount of games but the team will need a vet or two. He might not sign here.

 

Brandon Sutter A

His second half was his best as a Canuck and looked like the most effective and consistent player.

 

Derrick Dorsett AA

HEART

 

Jacob Markstrom A

The team in front, the system.

 

Alex Biega C+

 - Was a solid 6th/7th defenseman for us.

 

Henrik Sedin C+

-3 goals this year. 47 assists, but to be honest, he looked really done. Was a liability at times. But the last few games I've seen a gear in him that I haven't seen in a long time.

 

Adam Gaudette C-

-Was below expectations and barely average

 

Troy Stecher C

Hate to harp on it but size matters, there is no doubt of his work ethic or intelligence. As a whole the entire D needs to be re-examined, the team really needs players that can contribute offensively from the backend, "try" only goes so far. 

 

Jake Virtanen C+

Once the leash was loosened he started playing much better and showing more of the skills of a power forward, his speed was very notable. In the last game of the season he out skated McDavid while carrying the puck, that is more than notable.

 

 

er C+

I liked him. Saw flashes of a young Kevin Bieksa in him. Strong, tough defenseman with an offensive upside. Was very unfortunate that his 1st career goal was disallowed. Was a beautiful goal.

 

Nikolaj Goldobin C+

-Like Virtanen, had a slow start but towards the end of the season he was on fire. Needs to work on consistency and his defensive game.

 

Sven Baertschi C

-Was decent. Baertschi frustrated me. He's a perimeter player that doesn't really do a whole lot to retrieve the puck. Didn't battle and lacked effort. His game suffered when he wasn't playing with Horvat.

 

Micheal Del Zotto B

-Sercivable top 4 defenseman. He is doing something he isn't really suited for but his effort and heart are without question.

 

Darren Archibald B

-Great physical forward, provided a lot of grit and toughness. Did what was asked of him for his role. The type of player needed in a playoff run.

 

Derrick Pouliot C

For the amount of icetime he was given he showed all he has, IMO, on this team right now, just enough but if they get more dmen, meh.

 

Reid Boucher C

No chance, just not enough icetime but again not NHL.

 

Brendan Gaunce C

-Good defensive player but that's about it. Doesn't seem to have any offensive upside, puck dies on his stick a lot.

 

Sam Gagner C

-Had quite a lackadaisical start to the season, was largely inconsistent throughout the year. 31pts, but would've liked to see a lot more from him.

 

Loui Eriksson C

-Short season for him, had a good stretch of offense but then disappeared. His defensive game makes up for a lot of that offense he hasn't seem to regain.

 

Nic Dowd C

-Good stopgap player. I actually liked his game and I thought he looked a little snake bitten. Started to fade away late in the season (got benched too). Could still be a serviceable 4th line/13th forward.

 

Tyler Motte D

Not a really fair grade but not a lot of icetime, lacks the finish. He is more effective checker than either Leipsic or Sven.

 

Ben Hutton

Was in the dog house this year and suffered some injuries. Maybe off ice issues need to be addressed.

 

Anders Nilsson C+ 

Played like a player who lost a job and doesn't know why, both of the goalies had similar stat lines and if anything his were better, maybe just disappointment, he didn't play all that badly with this team in front of him.

 

Markus Granlund C- 

-Granlund didn't really play well at all. Had only 8g and 5pts in 53gp. Injury riddled season for him, but he's going to need come to camp prepared. Needs to be consistent.

 

Erik Gudbranson C-

Thought he struggled defensively this year. Didn't provide a lot of physicality too until around the time of his injury. Needs a resurgence year.

 

Thomas Vanek A

was also fantastic during his time here. Going to miss him.

 

Again I come back to size especially for the dmen, they have to take more chances and play a "contain" game because they aren't likely to push Kovitar size players off the puck or from in front of the net. This makes the goalies job harder.

 

It is hard to grade players on a team that finished in the bottom third of the league 3 years in a row, grading how they do on this team is not the same as grading them league wide, 8 of the players on this team could not make the NHL regularly on teams that drafted them, some have shown that they could play good enough in a specific role on some teams, but could they beat out a player in the playoffs? The playoffs should be the team built.

 

But hey, they are rebuilding and the draft picks should all be better than the roster players. 

Gaurdian is that you?

 

I'd expect more Ds and less C's ....

 

I mentioned earlier that this ranking system is arbitrary and should be graded against peers, ie Wheeler, Kopitar, Crosby, Malkin, Stamkos ranked against Horvat, Edler ranked against  Hedman, Carlsson, Karlsson, Klingberg etc.  Up until the last couple weeks and the Sedins retirement push, we were at or near DFL....a bottom team realistically doesn't have many C's or above when compared to its peers.   Boeser could and should be ranked against other rookies and deserves an A, with Barzal getting the A+, but other than that most of these guys are below average.  I'd take these rankings as comparable to previous seasons and the same player though.   

 

Of course it's subjective, and fun.  Your posts might all not be popular, but it's sure obvious that you appreciate the players and what they do for us.

[189lb enforcers?]

1 hour ago, IBatch said:

Ellis is becoming the new prototype for defenseman.  Vatanen, McAvoy, Theodore all lack in size but more than make up in ability.  This is a trend throughout the NHL, the overall size of the top ten draft picks, going right into and through the second round is more geared towards ability now, it's trumpng size (when twenty years ago if you were 6' 2" plus a modicum of skill you were picked before a better, undersized guy, Stajonav agrees).  

 

Not sure if this is a fad given PIT is two cups away from starting to collect rings on the other hand, and NSH is winning President trophies with an enviable mobile and Uber skilled top four, or if it's here to stay.  A big part of me hopes for WNP this year, Byfuglien or power forward Wheeler as MVP.

 

Then things can get back to normal, and Vancouver can get back to drafting guys like PLD and the BT/MT  upfront, and Chabot, Sergechev (he's built like a tank), Bouchard types on defense.

 

Of course it would be great to nab a McAvoy, Vatanen type too, but I'd much rather have a Byfuglien or Hedman type patrolling our blueline and gaurding the front of the net.  Boqvist and Dahlin fit the new prototype to the tee, but here in the west you need size to both get to and make it through a few rounds in the playoffs.

Ellis? Disagree.

Maybe Chairot.

 

Give me 6 of him. 

 

Also, imagine EP with Boqvist on a PP?

 

[189lb enforcers?]

1 hour ago, IBatch said:

Gaurdian is that you?

 

I'd expect more Ds and less C's ....

 

I mentioned earlier that this ranking system is arbitrary and should be graded against peers, ie Wheeler, Kopitar, Crosby, Malkin, Stamkos ranked against Horvat, Edler ranked against  Hedman, Carlsson, Karlsson, Klingberg etc.  Up until the last couple weeks and the Sedins retirement push, we were at or near DFL....a bottom team realistically doesn't have many C's or above when compared to its peers.   Boeser could and should be ranked against other rookies and deserves an A, with Barzal getting the A+, but other than that most of these guys are below average.  I'd take these rankings as comparable to previous seasons and the same player though.   

 

Of course it's subjective, and fun.  Your posts might all not be popular, but it's sure obvious that you appreciate the players and what they do for us.

Guardian is too real for Vancouverites. 

Too raw.

 

Your point about the twins is bang on. 

Seldom said, they were not A level players, more like C+ until they decided to show up and play at their capacity and then the team did as well. 

 

 

[Odd.]

2 hours ago, IBatch said:

Gaurdian is that you?

 

I'd expect more Ds and less C's ....

 

I mentioned earlier that this ranking system is arbitrary and should be graded against peers, ie Wheeler, Kopitar, Crosby, Malkin, Stamkos ranked against Horvat, Edler ranked against  Hedman, Carlsson, Karlsson, Klingberg etc.  Up until the last couple weeks and the Sedins retirement push, we were at or near DFL....a bottom team realistically doesn't have many C's or above when compared to its peers.   Boeser could and should be ranked against other rookies and deserves an A, with Barzal getting the A+, but other than that most of these guys are below average.  I'd take these rankings as comparable to previous seasons and the same player though.   

 

Of course it's subjective, and fun.  Your posts might all not be popular, but it's sure obvious that you appreciate the players and what they do for us.

Tbh he did copy and paste some of my thoughts but probably because he agrees with them. I highly respect him too.

[Odd.]

On 2018-04-13 at 8:22 AM, Where'd Luongo? said:

Cringe

What’s cringe?

[Odd.]

3 hours ago, dpn1 said:

I think a lot of the grades are a bit high for a team that finished so low in the standings. 

 

3 hours ago, dpn1 said:

I think a lot of the grades are a bit high for a team that finished so low in the standings. 

The reason why mine and many others posters grades seem a bit generous is because here is a team that was expected to finish dead last in the standings. We have 2 aging stars, an unknown rookie, and a bunch of stop gap players who were struggling with their former teams. Considering all that, my expectations for this season were very low. I gave  A’s to Daniel, Edler, Horvat and Boeser because each of them blew my expectations. Horvat has he no been injured would’ve eclipsed his production. We all know the story with Boeser. Edler had his highest offensive production since 2012. And Daniel scored 23 goals. To me, considering what kind of team we were supposed to be, they exceeded my expectations. I laughed when a few posters here decided to give Boeser a B+. 

[Rob_Zepp]

3 hours ago, TheGuardian_ said:

You have to remember that Benning was a small skill dman himself and was cut from teams because of his lack of tenacity and hitting, also size, so just maybe he has a deep down need to prove small skilled non hitting dmen like he was can play the game.

So far the only big dman he signed doesn't look nearly as skilled and the little guys, by design? No, but the other big guy isn't here anymore.

 

I just am stirring the pot that's all, making stuff up, how could I possibly know why small players are the majority traded for or signed.

Ya, Vancouver is quite a bit smaller than that big, bad Vegas team people are talking about.    That 0.1 lb is huge.

 

[2009cupchamps]

I’m not sure why so many posters are ranking Liepsic higher than Virtanen. Obviously their not looking st Liepsic whole season which has been mostly terrible. So if the judgement is only going to be on his 2 months in Vancouver then it’s only fair to rate Virtanen on his last 2 months. Virtanen has one of the Canucks best player in the last two months. I feel posters are using preconceived opinions of Virtanens play in their judgement of him. 

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

Honours goes out to

And

 

And giving an A to 

And

 

B's goes out to Leipsic Vanek, Sutter  Jokinen 

 

C+  goes out to Virtanen Gaudette Baertschi, Tanev, Biega, Sautner, Goldobin 

 

C goes out to Motte, Stecher, MDZ, Archie, Gudbranson, Gagner, Markstrom, Pouliot 

 

D goes out to Dowd Eriksson Granlund, Boucher, Nilsson

 

F goes to Burmistrov 

 

[lmm]

Vanek? Do We Really Need Him

[CanadianRugby]

7 hours ago, IBatch said:

Gaurdian is that you?

 

I'd expect more Ds and less C's ....

 

I mentioned earlier that this ranking system is arbitrary and should be graded against peers, ie Wheeler, Kopitar, Crosby, Malkin, Stamkos ranked against Horvat, Edler ranked against  Hedman, Carlsson, Karlsson, Klingberg etc.  Up until the last couple weeks and the Sedins retirement push, we were at or near DFL....a bottom team realistically doesn't have many C's or above when compared to its peers.   Boeser could and should be ranked against other rookies and deserves an A, with Barzal getting the A+, but other than that most of these guys are below average.  I'd take these rankings as comparable to previous seasons and the same player though.   

 

Of course it's subjective, and fun.  Your posts might all not be popular, but it's sure obvious that you appreciate the players and what they do for us.

Multiple ways to grade.  Your method is fine.  I think it's also fine to grade players against themselves like I did.  So if Baertschi and Crosby both have 50 points, they wouldn't get the same letter grade as 50 points means something very different for those players.  If we were ranking Canuck players vs the rest of the league, considering where we ended up we should have mostly failing grades. 

[TheGuardian_]

17 hours ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Ya, Vancouver is quite a bit smaller than that big, bad Vegas team people are talking about.    That 0.1 lb is huge.

 

Not sure how the weights were achieved, I found it difficult to find them this year but Vancouver has 20 players under 200lbs and Vegas 13, Vegas has 9 players listed under 6'.

 

Your chart does show that the lighter teams excel in the east while most of the lighter teams are not in the playoffs.

[TheGuardian_]

20 hours ago, IBatch said:

Gaurdian is that you?

 

I'd expect more Ds and less C's ....

 

I mentioned earlier that this ranking system is arbitrary and should be graded against peers, ie Wheeler, Kopitar, Crosby, Malkin, Stamkos ranked against Horvat, Edler ranked against  Hedman, Carlsson, Karlsson, Klingberg etc.  Up until the last couple weeks and the Sedins retirement push, we were at or near DFL....a bottom team realistically doesn't have many C's or above when compared to its peers.   Boeser could and should be ranked against other rookies and deserves an A, with Barzal getting the A+, but other than that most of these guys are below average.  I'd take these rankings as comparable to previous seasons and the same player though.   

 

Of course it's subjective, and fun.  Your posts might all not be popular, but it's sure obvious that you appreciate the players and what they do for us.

Grading and ranking are different.

 

Now if you were to rank the players on a league basis, which is almost impossible, they would, for the most part, be on the bottom half of the bell curve.

 

In grading, effort, is a major part and none of these players had too many nights off and as I have posted many times in "tank" threads, this team was not tanking, they were playing and giving the most and very best they had, they just aren't a good team. Many of the players are good AHLer's but marginal NHLer's.

 

Apart from Sven, who I have stated before I have some irrational dislike of, I have never really dissed a player, coaches, GM's, Presidents yes, NEVER the owners, I remember McCaw too well, some of the posters here don't remember what "hands off" or an owner that ran the team as a business. "this team is worth a quarter, for the price of a phone call it can be in Seattle, a quarter, that's how much it would cost to move this team" now that might not be the exact phrase used, but it almost exact. That is what happens when an owner is only interested in making money.

 

So I grade the owners as AAA+, unlimited budget, agreeing to sign stupid contracts (Eriksson), spending to the cap on one of the worst teams over the last three years.

 

 

[RogersTowell]

Grading on a normal curve means that the bulk will be getting C- to C+.

 

Boeser: B+.  This is as good as it gets this year for a Canuck.  He had flashes of brilliance and a wicked shot.  Injuries reduced his production and he did have the benefit of being at least somewhat sheltered with the Sedins drawing at least some of the oppositions attention.  Pretty solid two way player.

 

Horvat: B.  He had a solid season and played well both ways, but didn't do anything spectacular.

 

Daniel: C+.  Had a decent season without much regression, which isn't bad for a 37 year old ex-superstar.  He even started to throw some hits.  Not a bad swansong year.

Henrik: C.  Put up some points, made some nice plays, but like Daniel was not strong in his own end and overall they were both liabilities 5 on 5.  Good powerplay performances.

Baertschi.  C.  Would be a C+ with less injury time.  He still plays a bit too much on the periphery at times, but when he goes to the hard places he creates some offence.  Decent creativity.  He can score or make plays.

Virtanen: C.  He started a bit slow and struggled with consistency but he made steady progress and stepped his game up in the last 10 or so of the season.  Wicked fast and decent hands that are starting to catch up with his speed.  It's taken a while, but the coaches are getting through to him and he's playing the 'right way' a lot more now.

Goldobin: C.  Goldobin is another player who is starting to 'get it' in terms of what it takes to make it as a professional.  Green is probably the perfect coach for Virt and Goldy as he had to make a lot of changes to his game to make a career for himself.

Gagner: C.  He's versatile and can slot in up and down the roster when needed, but is occasionally in over his head defensively.  His offensive production has been OK, but you can't help but think there's more there, somewhere.

Eriksson: C.  Offensively he's produced at between 35-40 points pro-rated for a full season, which is less than we'd expect for his history and contract.  However, he's been deployed a lot in a shut down role with Sutter and has done a great job in that role.  He's a very responsible two way player with significant upside offensively, but he hasn't shown enough in the last two years to justify the contract.  WIth a better team around him, he'd shine much brighter.

Sutter: C+.  Sutter is a stalwart defensively and shows some flashes offensively, but his production wasn't as good as you'd like this season.  Still, his line generally outscored the opposition 5 on 5 and they almost always had the toughest assignments each night.  Great shutdown duties.  WIthout him, this season would have been a tire fire.

Poulliot: C.  Another player who improved visibly over the season, Poulliot looks like he'll become a solid 2 way d-man in this league.  He's still got some work to do in his own end, but he's moving in the right direction.

Hutton: D.  I like the guy, I really do, but he needs to make smarter decisions in his own end. He didn't use his speed as much to his advantage this season as he did previously and seemed to regress overall.  Needs a strong off season to make the team next year.

Edler: C+.  Plays a lot of hard minutes.  Only missed 12 games and put up his best offensive numbers in 6 years.  Defensively he got better over the year and he reduced his often flagrant giveaways.  Defensively he was good but looked worse due to some often bad goal tending.

Markstromm: C.  Had a solid end to the season, but was inconsistent the rest of it.  If he could find his A game more consistently he'd be a real starter in this league.  As it is he's a backup playing more games than he should be.

Nilsson: E.  Showed flashes of brilliance that were massively overshadowed by incredible inconsistency.  Barely backup material this year, needs to get it together to stay in the league.  Demko will be challenging for his spot next year.

Del Zotto: C.  I expected more from him, especially pp production.  He was possibly the Canucks most physical defenseman, and at least dominated this hits stat.  Neither terrible nor great in his own end, but at least 'good'.

Stecher: C.  Improved defensively, declined offensively.  This might be a neccessary step to grow as a hockey player for him.  Here's hoping he works both ends next season.  "E" for effort, though.

Granlund: C-.  Struggled to produce offence, but very solid defensively.

Tanev: C.  Our best shut down defenceman, but no offensive upside and plagued by injuries.  Need more games from him to win.

Jokinen: C+.  A big surprise, Jokinen found some chemistry here and produced some good numbers.  He's a professional and probably wanted to prove that he could still play the game.  Solid two way play.  Surprised he was just thrown in to the deal.

Dorsett: A for the 20 games he played.  Too bad he had to retire, he was the heart of the team in a lot of ways.

Archibald: C+ with "E" for effort.  Archi played a great two way game and still managed some points.  A physical presence and he probably just earned a full time spot for next year.

Leipsic: C+.  Started with a bang and then had fairly solid performances.  He could be a keeper.

Biega: C+ (modified grade for a guy who's a 7/8 d-man).  Strong effort every night, but he did the job well when called upon.

Gaunce: C-.  Good defensively, but needs to learn how to produce at this level.  Might not make the bubble next year.

Gudbranson: C.  Played a lot of hard minutes, but broke.  Need his physical presence.  Can't help but think there's better to be seen from him in the future - and we'd better see it.