I think the Athletic has removed its paywall for 90 days
- VANTEL

Should I do the Flyers report card next?

Just thought it would be nice to discuss some hockey.
- Pacificgem

Some of us are in off season mode already

I am not counting on this year to be completed

Should I do the Flyers report card next?
- Pacificgem

Some of us are in off season mode already

I am not counting on this year to be completed
- VANTEL

Yeah I think this season is a write off and the Flyers would’ve won the Stanley Cup too

Yeah I think this season is a write off and the Flyers would’ve won the Stanley Cup too
- Pacificgem

Maybe

Thanks Lefty for posting those

Thanks Lefty for posting those
- NewYorkNuck

Glad to see you're still alive.

BC_Scan
@BCScan1
·
14m
Abbotsford Police reporting shots fired @ Seven Oaks Shopping Centre, Abbotsford Fire advised to stand bye once on site.

Glad to see you're still alive.
- Marwood

Thanks man. Yes, drove down to the middle of Pennsylvania last week to stay at my girlfriend's sister's place. So, living the suburban life for a bit: 2 year old niece running around, the same animated movies every day, and drinking in a backyard.

Should I do the Flyers report card next?
- Pacificgem

In the flyers blog, pick either flyer alt you want...

Defencemen

Quinn Hughes: A+
2019-20 stat line: 68 GP, 8G-45A-53P

If the season had been able to play out, Hughes surely would’ve broken Doug Lidster’s record for the highest-scoring season by any Canucks defenceman in history. He had an outside chance of passing Ray Bourque’s 65 points, which would’ve given him the fifth-best scoring season by a rookie defender in NHL history.

Perhaps most impressive, Hughes managed to produce at that level while also having one of the most significant impacts on the rate at which his team surrendered shot attempts, shots, scoring chances and expected goals against in the sport. And he was mostly matched up against the opposition’s best, particularly after Christmas.

Also, he’s just 20-years-old.

Hughes wasn’t just good this season, he was historically good.

Chris Tanev: B-
2019-20 stat line: 69 GP, 2G-18A-20P

Chris Tanev was healthy for most of the season and his defensive game complemented Hughes well, but he quietly didn’t make as strong a two-way impact as he’s done in years past. Out of the five players that shared the ice with Tanev most commonly in 2019-20, all but one did a better job of controlling shot attempts and scoring chances away from Tanev than they did with him. This includes Hughes who goes from just below break-even with Tanev, to dominating north of 57 percent of shot attempts and chances.

Hughes’ plaudits as a one-man breakout machine have masked the slow depreciation of Tanev’s skating and transition game that began last year.

As one of the team’s few defensively sound players and a valuable penalty killer, Tanev was still a solid contributor for the Canucks, but unfortunately, he isn’t close to being the two-way ace he was two or three years ago.

Alex Edler: B
2019-20 stat line: 59 GP, 5G-28A-33P

After years of being a player with all the physical tools who was prone to the big mistake, Edler – who is beginning to slow down a bit at the age of 33 – is now as cerebral a defender as you’ll find. What he’s lost in foot speed, he’s made up for with a sharp mind, a higher degree of physical consistency than he had as a younger defender and a general meanness, particularly at the net front and along the wall.

Travis Green managed Edler’s minutes more carefully after he returned from an injury in mid-December.

Now, what’s particularly interesting is that while Edler’s minutes never really returned to their October and November level, neither did his two-way form. Through the 2019 part of the schedule, Edler was carrying a 51.8 percent shot attempt differential in 30 games played. Once the calendar flipped, he was at 46 percent over 29 games played. In the final 20 Canucks games, he was dead last by shot attempt differential among all Vancouver defenders.

What remained constant, however, was Edler’s prolific 5-on-5 scoring rate. Consider this: Hughes’ record-setting offensive season consisted of 24 5-on-5 points over 68 games. Edler had 21 5-on-5 points in 59 games. Among all NHL defencemen who played at least 750 5-on-5 minutes this season, Edler ranked 16th in 5-on-5 scoring rate – 16th!

An overall assessment would suggest that Edler provided a really solid level of value to the Canucks this season – plus offensive value at 5-on-5, plus physical value and played about 30 games at the level of an absolute stud top-pair defender – but with diminishing returns as the season went along.

Tyler Myers: B
2019-20 stat line: 68 GP, 6G-15A-21P

Tyler Myers had a strong first season in Vancouver and provided about what should’ve been reasonably expected, if you put his $6-million cap hit aside. Myers performed at the level of a bona fide second pair defenceman with solid offensive value and minimal defensive impact.

The 5-on-5 scoring was a bit lower than you’d have expected based on his career numbers, largely as a result of him shooting about a third below his career shooting clip and having tough offensive luck on an on-ice basis too. Still, he was second to Hughes by most of the relevant underlying categories, including shot attempt and expected goal differential. Also of the 15 skaters with whom he spent at least 150 5-on-5 minutes, 14 fared better by shot attempt differential with Myers than they fared without him.

That’s solid, especially when one considers that he led all Canucks defencemen in 5-on-5 ice time during the 2018-19 season.

Overall, it was a quietly effective season for Myers. The ticket is a big one, but Myers logged first pair minutes and had credible second pair impact for the Canucks in year one.

Jordie Benn: D
2019-20 stat line: 44 GP, 1G-6A-7P

We could take you through how badly the Canucks get outshot, out-chanced and outscored whenever Benn’s played this season, but the healthy scratches say it all — he just hasn’t been good enough.

What’s more is that because Vancouver’s remarkably avoided injury with their right-handed defencemen, there’s been just one game where Benn’s had the chance to play the right side (anyone who follows the Canadiens will tell you he’s been better on his offside) and sure enough, that was the best game of his season.

Now with the Canucks facing a cap crunch, Benn and his $2-million cap hit might be one of the players the organization tries to move on from to shed salary for next year.

Oscar Fantenberg: C
2019-20 stat line: 36 GP, 1G-5A-6P

You could make a compelling case that Oscar Fantenberg’s performance this season represents the quintessential depth defenceman. He doesn’t appear out of place when you first slot him in the lineup and it looks like he may be able to hold the fort down for a while, but the longer he sticks as one of your top-six defencemen, the more glaring his weaknesses become.

Fantenberg’s play, on the whole, was equally poor as Benn’s (43.5 CF%, 44.1 percent expected goal share, outscored 23-13) with the difference simply being that we expected a lot less from the cheaper Swedish blueliner.

Troy Stecher: C+
2019-20 stat line: 69 GP, 5G-12A-17P

From Game 1 in October, Troy Stecher hasn’t quite looked right. He hasn’t been a liability by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s seemed a step behind on puck retrievals and breakouts which has hampered his usually sturdy transitional game. It also feels like he’s made more defensive mistakes such as the one below more often than usual.

Stecher not playing as well as he has in years past doesn’t change the fact, however, that he’s been miles better than Benn and Fantenberg as a third-pair option.
- Pacificgem

Interesting and with numbers to back up play. So some don't like paying for free agents but Myers performance rating sure goes against he hasn't improved the D. Benn being on the downside is not costly and he could be moved.

J.T. Miller: A+
2019-20 stat line: 69 GP, 27G-45A-72P

Miller couldn’t have made a more excellent first impression in Vancouver if he tried.


- Pacificgem

Imagine how good he'd be if Green could get him to try harder.

Ugh, why do you guys have to fight so much?







Keep up the great work!

Myers was brought in as a #4 and has realistically performed as such. Benn was brought in to be a 5/6, not a 6/7 and has not performed as such. Many of us were happy to get Benn on this team. a 2m mistake for 2 seasons(that can likely be traded easily) is not a bad thing. It's not like we paid the guys 3m for 4 seasons.
- Retinalz

For top pairing money as he's currently tied for 23rd in the nhl among dmen cap hits. I never liked the Benn signing and some here wanted 3 or 4 years for him.

Thanks man. Yes, drove down to the middle of Pennsylvania last week to stay at my girlfriend's sister's place. So, living the suburban life for a bit: 2 year old niece running around, the same animated movies every day, and drinking in a backyard.
- NewYorkNuck

Hopefully you are all 6’ 6 3/4” apart. I would have said 2m, but you know, The US of A.

For top pairing money as he's currently tied for 23rd in the nhl among dmen cap hits. I never liked the Benn signing and some here wanted 3 or 4 years for him.
- golfingsince

I don’t mind Benn, for the $ and term. He’s an ok 6/7/8 guy. Myers is a train wreck, regardless of what the “experts” think.

32 000 Cases in NY 678 dead

Really high numbers

32 000 Cases in NY 678 dead

Really high numbers
- VANTEL

It is a shame that Trump is using this virus to power trip over all the Governors, etc. He would rather everyone die, than do something to help them if it doesn't benefit him personally. Truly the worst President in the history of the US.

32 000 Cases in NY 678 dead

Really high numbers
- VANTEL

That’s 2.1%, isn’t that average death rate? New York State has just under 20 million people, damn that’s a lot of people

Don guarantees he's gone after his bonus is paid this July.
- VanHockeyGuy

(frank) who knows now. I spoke with an infectious disease specialist and this virus won’t hit peak numbers in Canada until early June. No idea when we see hockey again

(frank) who knows now. I spoke with an infectious disease specialist and this virus won’t hit peak numbers in Canada until early June. No idea when we see hockey again
- CanuckDon

That's the thing. Sports is of little importance until this thing is over and then what about the next wave of pandemics. This could go on for a year or two, no one knows

32 000 Cases in NY 678 dead

Really high numbers
- VANTEL

No man. Way off, they are over 60,000. Which in reality likely means they are over 100k

That's the thing. Sports is of little importance until this thing is over and then what about the next wave of pandemics. This could go on for a year or two, no one knows
- VANTEL

Ya man it’s grim. Oh well, heading for a run on the water. Gotta enjoy the sun when we can

New York State, Pennsylvania and Washington DC combined have more people than all of Canada, holy (frank)

No man. Way off, they are over 60,000. Which in reality likely means they are over 100k
- CanuckDon

I am watching a live broadcast right now unless he meant NYC