The Vancouver Canucks’ 2022-23 season ended a lot better than it began. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much because the season began so poorly.
In the first half of the season, the Canucks went 17-21-3. They improved a bit in the second half, but their 21-16-4 record was still only 18th in the NHL, though they did better after a coaching change from Bruce Boudreau to Rick Tocchet.
I graded the Canucks at the halfway point of the season and now it’s time to grade their second half performances and give them a final grade. Think of it as first and second-semester grades. The players will be graded on a slight curve as different players do have different expectations but that doesn’t mean fourth-liners get an automatic pass either.
Which players managed a passing grade and which ones flunked out? Let’s take a look in alphabetical order by last name. All advanced statistics come from Natural Stat Trick.
Ethan Bear - B-
First Half: C+
Second Half: B-
Final Grade: B-
Ethan Bear continued to have a solid impact on puck possession, with a 50.18% corsi that ranked sixth among Canucks who played at least 15 games in the second half of the season. It certainly helps that he played a lot with Quinn Hughes but he made other defencemen he played with better as well and helped usher rookie Cole McWard into the NHL.
Among regular Canucks defencemen, only Hughes had a lower rate of expected goals against at 5-on-5 than Bear in the second half of the season. And Bear maintained strong defensive numbers even away from Hughes.
There’s some statistical evidence that Bear is the Canucks’ best defensive defenceman, though that’s perhaps damning him with faint praise. According to the WoodMoney method of measuring quality of competition, Bear was the Canucks’ most effective defenceman when facing elite competition.
Bear did this primarily with his mobility, puck retrievals, and puck movement, rather than any particular acumen at the stay-at-home game.
What keeps Bear from a higher grade is his limited offensive contributions — he had just 7 points in 30 games in the second half — and some struggles on the penalty kill. He was better on the penalty kill in the second half than he was in the first but it was still a weakness of his game. Still, a strong B- in the second half drags his overall grade up to a B- as well.
Anthony Beauvillier - B-
First Half: n/a
Second Half: B-
Final Grade: B-
I’m only concerned with how players performed for the Canucks, so I won’t be grading how Anthony Beauvillier did with the New York Islanders.
Beauvillier had 20 points in 33 games with the Canucks after he was acquired in the Bo Horvat trade. That’s low-end first-line production from Beauvillier, as he quickly found some chemistry with Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko, and chipped in on the power play as well.
There was a lot to like from Beauvillier’s game, as he showed some speed and an ability to play the type of north-south game that Rick Tocchet prizes, even if he wasn’t always consistent.
The question for Beauvillier is whether he can be effective without being on a line with Pettersson. The jury is still out on that one, as Beauvillier struggled when he was away from Pettersson and Kuzmenko. To be fair, he was generally centred by Nils Åman and Sheldon Dries when he was away from Pettersson, rather than another top-six centre in J.T. Miller.
As a result, Beauvillier had a 46.46% corsi with the Canucks, which isn’t pretty. In addition, Pettersson’s underlying numbers were better when he wasn’t playing with Beauvillier, suggesting that Beauvillier wasn’t actually adding much value to that line.
Still, Beauvillier’s point production gets him into B territory, bumped down to a B- for the other concerns.
Brock Boeser - C
First Half: D+
Second Half: C+
Final Grade: C
Brock Boeser did a lot of work to turn his season around after an ugly start that saw him playing some of the worst defensive hockey of his career.
Boeser was better defensively in the second half of the season, but still wasn’t particularly good. He was more engaged in battles along the boards and more effective on the forecheck and regularly faced tough competition on a line with J.T. Miller under Tocchet. But he was still on the ice for a lot of chances and goals against — the most high-danger chances and goals against of any Canucks forward at 5-on-5.
That defence is a major issue, but what drags his grade up to a C+, however, is that he just kept plugging away offensively, putting up 31 points in 41 games in the second half. He wasn’t as reliant on secondary assists in the second half either, as 23 of his 31 points were primary points.
That brings Boeser’s final grade up to a C. Boeser was fifth among Canucks forwards in scoring but badly needs his defensive game to bounce back, as it was flat-out bad this season.
Guillaume Brisebois - D-
First Half: I
Second Half: D-
Final Grade: D-
For most of his time in the Canucks’ organization, Guillaume Brisebois has not looked anything like an NHL defenceman. The biggest compliment I can manage for him this season is that he sometimes looked like he belonged in the NHL. Sometimes.
However he looked on the ice, the results were just plain ugly. In the 14 games Brisebois played in the second half, the Canucks were out-attempted 243-to-138 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5, giving him a brutal 36.22% corsi — the worst among Canucks who played at least 100 minutes at 5-on-5.
Beyond just the shot attempts, the Canucks were out-shot 117-to-79, out-chanced 122-to-80, and out-scored 11-to-6 when Brisebois was on the ice at 5-on-5.
At least he wasn’t a disaster on the penalty kill, though he wasn’t particularly good either. We’ll let that, as well as low expectations, save Brisebois from being an outright F.
Still, there’s something to be said for his perseverance, as he finally scored his first NHL goal eight years after he was drafted.
Brisebois seems like a great teammate and there’s a reason why the Canucks signed him to a two-year extension. But he still has a long way to go to become an NHL regular.
Kyle Burroughs - C
First Half: C-
Second Half: C+
Final Grade: C
Kyle Burroughs stepped up his game quite a bit in the second half of the season, putting up better defensive results. He was effective at limiting quality scoring chances, had a positive goal differential, and was one of the Canucks’ better penalty killers — all good things.
That said, he still wasn’t great in puck possession, provided next to nothing offensively, and was sheltered from difficult competition.
Burroughs threw a lot of hits, blocked a lot of shots, and was willing to drop the gloves, which are all things his teammates and coach appreciated. There are limits to his game but he always gave a consistent effort.
A C+ for his second half and a C for the season is pretty good for a seventh defenceman and I think the Canucks should bring him back to play the same role next season. He works well as a guy the Canucks can plug into the lineup when needed, particularly since he can play on both the left and right sides.
Collin Delia - C-
First Half: C+
Second Half: D+
Final Grade: C-
Collin Delia had some solid performances in the second half of the season and had a 7-4-2 record in the Canucks’ net. He also got absolutely blown up in several starts and had an ugly .877 save percentage in the second half.
It’s tough to say how much of that rests on Delia. Even after Rick Tocchet came in and introduced various structural changes to improve the team defensively, the Canucks still weren’t a great defensive team.
Still, an .877 save percentage is pretty dang bad. Among the 60 goaltenders who played at least 10 games in the second half of the season, Delia’s .877 was 57th. There was an element of chaos to Delia’s game and some of the goals that beat him were utterly baffling.
Delia gets a D+ for the second half, which is still a passing grade — Ds get degrees, after all — and brings his season grade down to a C-.
Thatcher Demko - B
First Half: C-
Second Half: A
Final Grade: B
When Thatcher Demko returned from injury, he seemed like a completely different goaltender from the one who started the season. There’s no denying that Demko struggled, though it wasn’t entirely his fault.
By the time Demko came back, the Canucks were implementing a new defensive structure under Tocchet and there was a reciprocal relationship: the new structure made Demko’s job easier but he also made the defensive structure look better with his excellent goaltending.
Demko posted a .918 save percentage in the second half of the season, miles above the league average of .904. That was good for 12th among the 60 goaltenders who played at least 10 games in the second half.
As much as it might have made sense to shut Demko down for the season — both to ensure his healthy and to avoid winning too many games down the stretch to sewer the team’s draft position — it was admittedly reassuring to see that Demko is still capable of stealing games and making highlight-reel saves.
There was still some shakiness, especially early in his return to the lineup, which bumps him down to an A, but he looks poised to have an A+ season next year.
Travis Dermott - I
First Half: I
Second Half: I
Final Grade: I
It was a nightmare season for Travis Dermott, who was limited to just 11 games. After suffering a concussion during a preseason practice, Dermott managed to return but had to take himself out of the lineup as he felt his awareness on the ice was compromised to the point that he was putting himself in danger.
Dermott gets an Incomplete for the season. Hopefully, he can get back to full health over the offseason and return to the ice next season.
Phillip Di Giuseppe - B+
First Half: n/a
Second Half: B+
Final Grade: B+
After not playing at all in the first half of the season, Phil Di Giuseppe got called up from the AHL and made himself an indispensable part of the lineup in the second half, to the point that the Canucks didn’t want to send him down for the AHL playoffs and risk losing him on waivers.
Di Giuseppe regularly faced tough competition on a line with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser and handled the assignment well, with solid defensive results along with a pinch of offence. He had 12 points in 30 games and his 52.61% expected goals percentage was third among Canucks forwards who played at least 200 minutes at 5-on-5, behind only Andrei Kuzmenko and Elias Pettersson.
He added penalty killing to his repertoire and was one of the Canucks best penalty killers in the second half, with the lowest rate of unblocked shot attempts against among Canucks forwards when he was on the ice shorthanded.
All told, Di Giuseppe was a very effective complementary player. He wasn’t driving play on his own but his straightforward north-south game helped make Miller better, giving them some excellent underlying numbers together in tough matchups. That’s worth a B+.
Sheldon Dries - C-
First Half: C-
Second Half: C-
Final Grade: C-
Canucks goaltenders couldn’t make a save behind Sheldon Dries in the first half of the season. They couldn’t stop making saves behind Dries in the second half of the season, with a .942 save percentage when Dries was on the ice at 5-on-5.
As a result, Dries went from one of the worst rates of goals against on the Canucks in the first half to one of the best in the second half. It’s not that Dries played any better defensively, as he still had one of the worst rates of expected goals against.
Dries chipped in a little offence with 6 goals in 39 games and played a bit on the second power play unit. He played with some grit and dropped the gloves a few times. He wasn’t particularly good, with a 43.13% corsi, but I’m not sure anyone expected anything different from Dries.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - D
First Half: D
Second Half: D
Final Grade: D
Before an injury ended his season, Oliver Ekman-Larsson continued to struggle in the second half of the season the same way he did in the first half. The Canucks bled goals against when Ekman-Larsson was on the ice, whether at 5-on-5 or on the penalty kill, as he gave up a ton of high-danger chances.
I have to give him a little bit of credit for some solid puck possession numbers, as his 52.09% corsi was among the best on the Canucks. The troubles for Ekman-Larsson started when the puck got into the defensive zone, as he seemed completely incapable of keeping opponents and the puck away from the most dangerous areas on the ice.
It was just a disastrous season for Ekman-Larsson and the Canucks have to hope that a healthy offseason and a stricter structure under Tocchet will help him bounce back next year.
Conor Garland - B-
First Half: C+
Second Half: B-
Final Grade: B-
After a mediocre first half of the season, Conor Garland looked reinvigorated in the second half, particularly when Tocchet took over.
Garland was sixth on the Canucks in scoring in the second half with 25 points in 41 games despite primarily playing in the bottom six with the likes of Sheldon Dries and Nils Åman. Considering his linemates, a 49.21% corsi is decent and he managed to maintain a positive goal differential at 5-on-5, while making some pretty plays along the way.
There’s still a lot to like about Garland despite some of the flaws in his game. He wins a lot of puck battles, is excellent at carrying the puck up ice, and has a knack for finding teammates with the puck. He’s a little too fond of bad-angle shots for my tastes, especially since he’s so good at protecting the puck with quick cuts along the boards, giving him more time to find a better play.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Canucks do with Garland, as they have too many wingers and need to free up cap space. Garland could be a victim of that.
Akito Hirose - I
First Half: n/a
Second Half: I
Final Grade: I
I liked Akito Hirose a great deal when he joined the Canucks this season after signing out of the NCAA. But seven games isn’t quite enough to get a grade, so he gets an Incomplete.
That’s probably for the best. As much as Hirose passed the eye test with flying colours thanks to his poise with the puck and excellent mobility, his underlying numbers were, frankly, terrible.
Hirose had the worst corsi percentage on the Canucks in the second half at 35.44% and his expected goals percentage was even worse at 27.35%. The Canucks were out-shot and out-chanced at 5-on-5 with Hirose on the ice and only a team-high .965 on-ice save percentage saved him from getting out-scored too.
But that was a small sample size and Hirose was making the jump directly from college to the NHL. Perhaps next season, after working on his strength and conditioning in the summer, he’ll be more effective, but those underlying numbers should make temper everyone’s expectations.
Bo Horvat - A
First Half: A
Second Half: I
Final Grade: A
Horvat is not a Canuck anymore and isn’t even a Canuck in most fans’ hearts these days . Since he only played eight games for the Canucks in the second half of the season, we’ll give him an Incomplete.
He did have eight points in those eight games, so he’d likely get a pretty good grade, but we’re sticking with the I.
Filip Hronek - I
First Half: n/a
Second Half: I
Final Grade: I
We are only grading how a player performed for the Canucks, so Filip Hronek’s season with the Detroit Red Wings doesn’t count.
Hronek was injured when the Canucks acquired him at the trade deadline for a first-round pick and a second-round pick and only played four games with the Canucks before he was shut down for the season. That gets Hronek an Incomplete and leaves Canucks fans curious to see what Hronek can do in a Canucks jersey next season.
Quinn Hughes - A
First Half: A-
Second Half: A+
Final Grade: A
Hughes got an A- in the first half because of his defensive struggles. Those were much less of an issue in the second half, as he dominated puck possession and kept the puck out of the defensive zone. He was also one of the Canucks’ best penalty killers in the second half after struggling early in the season.
Combine that with his dominance offensively and Hughes gets an easy A+ for the second half, bringing his full-season grade up to an A.
Hughes had 40 points in 41 games in the second half, finishing the season second among defencemen in scoring with 76 points in 78 games.
Put it this way: when Hughes was on the ice this season, the Canucks had a plus-20 goal differential at 5-on-5. When he wasn’t on the ice, the Canucks were minus-43 at 5-on-5.
It’s no wonder that Tocchet put him on the ice so much: he led all NHL players in average ice time in the second half of the season, averaging 26:15 per game.
Nils Höglander - C+
First Half: C+
Second Half: n/a
Final Grade: C+
Nils Höglander was sent down to the AHL during the first half of the season and never returned. He’s played well for the Abbotsford Canucks and should be back in the NHL next season, but it’s impossible to grade a player for games he didn’t play. We’ll stick with the first-half grade.
Dakota Joshua - C
First Half: C-
Second Half: C+
Final Grade: C
Dakota Joshua found another level to his game in the second half of the season and earned the favour of Rick Tocchet, who used him throughout the lineup, including in the top six. By the end of the season, he had the fans’ vote as the team’s Unsung Hero.
That said, it would be easy to overstate just how good Joshua’s second half really was. He had 14 points in 41 games, which is fine, and his 50.07% expected goals percentage was solid. He played the type of physical, north-south game that Tocchet likes out of his complementary wingers.
But Joshua’s stints in the top-six were not particularly effective overall, even if he had some good moments. He was middling on the penalty kill and made some mistakes in the defensive zone.
There’s something there with Joshua and I think he has the potential to be an impactful player for the Canucks, but there’s still some growth needed, as he himself has admitted. I quibbled between a C+ and a B- for his second half quite a bit, but landed on C+.
Noah Juulsen - C
First Half: I
Second Half: C
Final Grade: C
No one benefited more from playing with Quinn Hughes than Noah Juulsen, who had a 52.72% corsi at 5-on-5 in his ten games in the second half of the season. Sure, that corsi immediately cratered when he played with anyone other than Hughes, but you have to give him some credit for being able to play with a great player, right?
Juulsen provided nothing offensively and pivoted like the Ever Given in a canal, but I do want to give him credit for holding his own on a pairing with Hughes. As much as Hughes does a lot himself and makes life easier for his partner, it’s not a cakewalk playing in that situation, regularly facing the top players in the NHL.
Juulsen was mostly okay! So, he gets a mostly okay grade: C.
Vitaly Kravtsov - F
First Half: n/a
Second Half: F
Final Grade: F
After he was acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers, Vitaly Kravtsov was largely a non-entity for the Canucks in the second half of the season. Most nights, you barely noticed he was even in the lineup.
That can be an okay thing if you’re a depth player who plays a low-event game that doesn’t hurt your team. The trouble was, Kravtsov did hurt the Canucks when he was on the ice.
Kravtsov’s 42.80% corsi was one of the worst on the Canucks in the second half and his 41.99% expected goals was second-worst among Canucks forwards, ahead of only Jack Studnicka. There’s a reason why he was a frequent healthy scratch down the stretch.
While there were flashes of the talent that led to Kravtsov getting picked ninth overall in 2018, they were too few and too far between. I tried to think of reasons to avoid giving him an F grade but I just couldn’t find enough.
This is a significant offseason for Kravtsov: next year’s training camp could make or break his NHL career.
Andrei Kuzmenko - A
First Half: A
Second Half: A
Final Grade: A
Kuzmenko may have disappointed a lot of Canucks fans with one decision he made this season, but he otherwise delivered on the ice.
After a stellar first half of the season, Kuzmenko didn’t slow down in the second half, scoring 22 goals and 38 points in 41 games. He also led the Canucks with a 55.77% expected goals percentage.
Can Kuzmenko possibly maintain his sky-high shooting percentage next season? Probably not, but that doesn’t change how good he was this season, finishing with 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games. He took some tough love from Tocchet, who pushed for him to play better away from the puck, and took it all in stride.
Curtis Lazar - D+
First Half: D-
Second Half: C
Final Grade: D+
After a very rough first half of the season, Curtis Lazar was actually turning things around for the Canucks before he got traded. Lazar was still getting lit up on the penalty kill but his underlying numbers at 5-on-5 were actually quite good. He was even starting to win more faceoffs.
That gets Lazar a C for the second half, dragging his final grade up to a D+.
Full credit to Lazar, he’s in the playoffs with the New Jersey Devils and contributing in a fourth-line role. He even has a goal.
Will Lockwood - I
First Half: I
Second Half: I
Final Grade: I
The jury is still out on Will Lockwood. His underlying numbers have been pretty good in his few games, with one of the lowest rates of expected goals against on the Canucks. He’s done well when matched up against tough competition and he’s more than willing to use his speed on the forecheck and play the body.
His play with the puck leaves a lot to be desired, however. If he’s an NHLer, he’s unlikely to be anything more than a fourth-line energy guy. If he does manage it, of course, it'll be with the New York Rangers, where he was traded for Vitaly Kravtsov.
Spencer Martin - D-
First Half: D+
Second Half: F
Final Grade: D-
With just six games played in the second half of the season, it might be more fair to give Spencer Martin an Incomplete, but there’s no denying just how bad he was in those six games, all of which he lost.
Martin had an .831 save percentage in those six games and a 5.03 goals against average, which is just appallingly bad. There’s no way that can get anything other than an F, I’m sorry to say.
To Martin’s credit, he got his groove back in the AHL, posting a .916 save percentage after getting sent down, then putting up a .943 save percentage in three playoff games.
Aidan McDonough - I
First Half: n/a
Second Half: I
Final Grade: I
Aidan McDonough got a taste of the NHL after signing at the end of his college season. He scored his first NHL goal but six games isn’t enough for a grade, which is a good thing given his underlying numbers.
Cole McWard - I
First Half: n/a
Second Half: I
Final Grade: I
It’s the same story for Cole McWard as it was for McDonough. He scored his first NHL goal but only played five games, so no grade. Again, like McDonough, that’s a good thing as his underlying numbers weren’t pretty.
Ilya Mikheyev - B
First Half: B
Second Half: I
Final Grade: B
Ilya Mikheyev played just eight games in the second half of the season before he was shut down to have knee surgery. He gets an Incomplete for the second half, leaving him with just the B grade for his first half.
J.T. Miller - B
First Half: C-
Second Half: A
Final Grade: B
J.T. Miller played much better in the second half of the season, with a team-leading 53.54% corsi to go with 45 points in 40 games. His point production at 5-on-5 jumped up and he was more attentive defensively, even if he still frequently lapsed into his puck-watching habit.
That said, Miller still got out-scored at 5-on-5, though he was regularly facing difficult competition and made up for that negative goal differential by scoring 5 shorthanded goals in the second half of the season.
He even improved in the faceoff circle, getting back to his usual dominance on the draws at 56.6%.
While some of the same weaknesses still exist for Miller, he was a lot better at playing to his strengths in the second half of the season and thrived under Tocchet. That’s an easy A, dragging his final grade up to a B.
Tyler Myers - D-
First Half: D+
Second Half: F
Final Grade: D-
Guess who had the worst goal differential on the Canucks at 5-on-5 during the second half of the season?
Tyler Myers was on the ice for a whopping 41 goals against at 5-on-5 in the second half of the season, with a minus-20 goal differential. His 45.48% corsi was the worst among regular Canucks defencemen.
When Myers wasn’t the one in the penalty box, he was one of the Canucks’ worst penalty killers.
I hate this. I like Tyler Myers as a person. He’s a good guy. But I can’t see any way out of giving him an F for his second half.
Tanner Pearson - I
First Half: I
Second Half: n/a
Final Grade: I
No grade for Tanner Pearson this season, just a prayer that he can play hockey again.
Lane Pederson - I
First Half: I
Second Half: I
Final Grade: I
Lane Pederson played just three games for the Canucks in the second half of the season before he was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Incomplete.
Elias Pettersson - A+
First Half: A+
Second Half: A+
Final Grade: A+
Elias Pettersson’s second half was somehow even better than his first half.
Pettersson led the Canucks in scoring all season, putting up 21 goals and 52 points in 41 games in the second half. He cracked the 100-point barrier, finishing 10th in NHL scoring with 102 points. I know for a fact he got at least one fifth-place vote for the Hart Trophy because I gave it to him.
Pettersson was a beast in all situations, even if power play goals were hard to come by with penalty kills cheating toward him all season. He wasn’t the Canucks’ best penalty killer, but he made up for it with five shorthanded goals.
His ice time increased over the second half, as Tocchet relied on him more and more. He averaged 21:15 per game over the last 41 games.
Pettersson was outstanding all season long and is well deserving of the A+ grade.
Vasily Podkolzin - C-
First Half: C
Second Half: C-
Final Grade: C-
I’m not going to lie, I was hoping for a lot more out of Vasily Podkolzin this season. The young Russian gave a consistent effort but didn’t have much to show for it by the end of the season.
In the second half, Podkolzin managed just four points in 23 games, had a 47.96% expected goals, and saw the Canucks get out-scored 10-to-7 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5, all while being used predominantly in the offensive zone against weaker competition.
There were things to like about Podkolzin’s game and Rick Tocchet praised him on occasion for his north-south game, calling him a “moose” and a “bull.” He was better in battles along the boards and showed flashes of the high-end talent that made him the tenth-overall pick in 2019.
The trouble is that his overall impact was still negligible. The Canucks really need Podkolzin to take a significant step forward next season.
Tucker Poolman - I
First Half: I
Second Half: n/a
Final Grade: I
At least Tucker Poolman was able to be there for Travis Dermott as they both dealt with their respective symptoms.
Jack Rathbone - I
First Half: I
Second Half: I
Final Grade: I
Jack Rathbone was better in the second half of the season than he was in the first half but still barely played. It’s tempting to give him an F for the season because the expectations for Rathbone heading into the season were that he was going to be a regular part of the Canucks’ blue line.
I have to stick with the Incomplete grade for Rathbone and hope that he can reach another level next season to become a full-time NHLer.
Aatu Räty - I
First Half: n/a
Second Half: I
Final Grade: I
Aatu Räty played just three games for the Canucks after they acquired him in the Bo Horvat deal. He was mostly fine in those three games but there’s no grading someone on that small a sample. Incomplete.
Luke Schenn - C-
First Half: C-
Second Half: C-
Final Grade: C-
Luke Schenn gets high marks for character and leadership. His honest, hard-nosed game was appreciated by both fans and his teammates. He’s an absolute gem of a human being. But boy do his numbers look bad.
Schenn dragged down everyone he played with this season, including Quinn Hughes. When Schenn and Hughes were on the ice together at 5-on-5, the Canucks had a 46.33% corsi. Do you know how hard it is to have a corsi below 50% while playing with Quinn Hughes?
Schenn even struggled on the penalty kill in the second half of the season with one of the highest rates of unblocked shots and goals against.
I know Canucks fans love Schenn — heck, I love Schenn — but even considering his league-minimum cap hit and that he was asked to play more difficult minutes than he really ought to, Schenn just wasn’t very good this season.
Riley Stillman - F
First Half: F
Second Half: D
Final Grade: F
Before he got traded, Riley Stillman wasn’t as bad in the second half of the season as he was in the first half.
He wasn’t good, mind you, as the Canucks were out-scored 11-to-4 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5 and he had the worst expected goals percentage of any Canucks defenceman who played at least 10 games. He still frequently looked lost in the defensive zone and was late to seemingly every puck, every battle, and every check.
But he was way worse in the first half, so grading on a curve bumps him up to a D for the second half. It just doesn’t outweigh the first half, so his overall grade is still an F.
Jack Studnicka - F
First Half: F
Second Half: F
Final Grade: F
Jack Studnicka works hard. He works so hard. But the results of all that hard work are so very, very bad.
Even as he was heavily sheltered from tough competition, Studnicka got caved in at 5-on-5. His 40.44% expected goals percentage was dead last among Canucks regulars. Offensive opportunities died on his stick. The only goal he scored in the second half was a bizarre, floating knucklepuck that had no business beating Sergei Bobrovsky.
Studnicka had the worst Goals Above Replacement (GAR) on the Canucks at -7.9, meaning he cost the Canucks nearly eight goals against compared to a replacement-level player. Riley Stillman was next worse on the Canucks at -4.4.
At this point, there’s good reason to believe that Studnicka is simply not an NHL player.
Christian Wolanin - C+
First Half: n/a
Second Half: C+
Final Grade: C+
After an utterly dominant season with the Abbotsford Canucks, Christian Wolanin won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenceman and was a First-Team All-Star. Wolanin led Abbotsford in scoring as well as all AHL defencemen with 55 points in 49 games.
It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that the AHL’s best defenceman was pretty decent in the NHL.
Wolanin has struggled to stick in the NHL for any length of time in his career but held his own in 16 games with the Canucks in the second half of the season. He wasn’t spectacular, by any means, but he moved the puck well, activated in the offensive zone, and provided another power play option.
While Wolanin has some clear defensive warts, he carried a 50.39% expected goals percentage and the Canucks out-scored their opponents 8-to-5 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5. His strong play earned him a new two-year contract that is quite lucrative at the AHL level despite being a two-way deal.
Wolanin has yet to prove that he can be an everyday NHLer, but he’s given himself a chance to earn a spot as the team’s seventh defenceman next season.
Nils Åman - D+
First Half: D
Second Half: C-
Final Grade: D+
As noted in the first-half grades, “Å" is a separate letter in Swedish and comes near the end of the alphabet, so Nils Åman is in proper alphabetical order here.
There was a lot to like about Åman played after a stint in the AHL. He was more confident with the puck, picking up 11 points in 33 games. That included some pretty nifty playmaking, such as his setup for Guillaume Brisebois’ first career goal.
I think Åman has the potential to be a solid bottom-six forward, as he does a lot of intelligent things on the ice and plays some really sound positional hockey. So why is his second-half grade C- and his overall grade D+? Because currently, his results are abysmal.
As much as he looked better in the second half of the season and put up some points, his underlying numbers were just about as bad as they were in the first half. His 40.92% corsi was the worst among regular Canucks forwards and his 44.88% expected goals percentage was better than just Kravtsov and Studnicka.
Part of the problem is that Åman spent a good amount of time on the ice with Studnicka, but he spent even more time on a line with Conor Garland, one of the Canucks’ best 5-on-5 players, and absolutely sewered Garland’s underlying numbers when they were together.
Åman just turned 23 and this was his first season in North America, so there’s reason for optimism. He showed some promise as a low-event defensive centre but he still has a long way to go to fulfill that promise.
