The Vancouver Canucks are off to a relatively strong start, going 5-2-3 through 11 games. With roughly an eighth of the season out of the way, it’s time to start looking at who is in the running for the Canucks MVP.
Alex Edler
Coming off a season that saw Alex Edler rebound in a big way, the Swedish defender is backing it up with another superb start. Alongside partner Chris Tanev, Edler has been playing big minutes against other teams top players (assignments to-date include Alex Ovechkin, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Connor McDavid), averaging a career high 24:58 per night. In addition to his significant defensive responsibilities, Edler has been producing offence at a respectable rate, with two goals and five points through ten games, the majority of that at even strength, with his goal against the Dallas Stars being his only point with the man advantage. If Edler can keep this level of play up, I’m sure the Canucks will be very content.
Chris Tanev
Much like his aforementioned defense partner Edler, Tanev has had a wonderful start to the season on the Canucks blue line. Playing a career high 22:35, Tanev has been dynamite defensively this season, shutting down others teams top players with regularity. Additionally, Tanev has more than doubled his power play time per game, going from 40 seconds last season to 1:37 this year, and while he has just a single goal to show for it, it represents the fact that management sees something in Tanev offensively. The 25-year-old has gotten better with each season, and look for that to continue in 2015-16.
Jared McCann
The surprise of the season thus far, 19-year-old Jared McCann unexpectedly made the team out of camp, and has exploded for a team-high five goals in nine games, shocking just about everybody. While this sort of production can hardly be expected throughout the remainder of the campaign, the 2014 24th overall pick has been a key part of the Canucks strong 5-2-4 start to the season, and has been a game breaker for the club early. Don’t expect a 40-goal season, or really anything close, but through the first eighth of the season, McCann has been an integral part of the team.
Ryan Miller
If you were to ask 100 people who they thought the Canucks MVP to-date was, chances are the majority would say Ryan Miller. The 35-year-old netminder has posted a .923 SV% and a 2.16 GAA, numbers significantly higher than his career statistics of .915 and 2.58. Miller started the first 10 games of the season (the only goaltender to do so) and performed exceptionally in just about every one of them. There were some questions surrounding Miller heading into the campaign, mainly due to the trading of fan-favorite and now-Hurricane Eddie Lack, and he’s answered each and every one of them.
Brandon Sutter
Some may question this selection, but Brandon Sutter, acquired from the Penguins this past offseason, has been one of the Canucks’ most consistent and reliable forwards through 11 games. He currently boasts seven points in 11 games, third among Canucks, along with three goals (second among Canuck skaters). Even more impressive, of his three markers, one was scored shorthanded, one on the power play, and one at even-strength. More importantly perhaps, is the fact that he has been a key member of the Canucks third ranked penalty kill, and has taken key match-ups against other team’s top players. He’s certainly not the flashiest player, but he’s been consistently solid, and in a league as competitive as this one, that is unquestionably important.
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