A quarter of the way through the 2015-2016 season, Last Word On Sports names the Canucks award-winners thus far.
Canucks Award-Winners
Most Valuable Player: Daniel Sedin
Through 29 games, Daniel Sedin has been among the league’s most effective offensive producers, ranking 5th in points among all skaters with 31 points. He ranks 10th in goal scoring with 12 and holds the team lead in both categories by margins of four points and three goals. Many didn’t anticipate an improvement in Sedin’s performance coming off a 76-point 2014-15. The fact that he’s on pace for 88 points comes as one of the league’s more pleasant surprises. Don’t look for this pace to hold up over the course of the entire year, but after a quarter of the year having been played, Sedin is without question the Canucks MVP.
Best Forward: Daniel Sedin
Everything that needed to be said was said above – Sedin has been a tier above the rest of the season, even besting his brother Henrik in many regards. Sedin is the heart of the Canucks offence and is the main reason the Canucks find themselves up there with the rest of the Pacific playoff teams.
Best Defenceman: Chris Tanev
After signing a five-year extension last season, Chris Tanev has once again established himself as a pillar on the Canucks blue line. Playing alongside Alex Edler, Tanev continues to play almost flawless defensive hockey on a nightly basis, and routinely against other team’s top players. Averaging almost 22 minutes a night, Tanev has been far and away the most consistent Canucks defender, and arguably the most consistent player overall. His offence isn’t quite there yet – with just one goal and four points in 27 games, despite averaging 1:39 of power play time per game, but his overall game lands him this title with relative ease.
Biggest Surprise: Ben Hutton
Coming into the season, there were very few people who anticipated Ben Hutton making the team, let alone making the impact he has on the club. The 22-year-old defenceman had dominated the college hockey scene, but had played just four games of pro-hockey before joining the Canucks, all at the AHL level. Because of this, people believe he was still a few years away from making an impact at the National Hockey League level. However, he has burst onto NHL scene in a big way, putting up nine points (all assists) in 22 games, for a 31-point pace. Hutton has also breathed some life into a previously stagnant Canucks defence, bringing dynamic skating and puck moving ability to the table. In fact, it could be argued that Hutton trails just Edler and Tanev in terms of overall quality of play, no small feat for any rookie defenceman. He may not keep it up all season, but so far, Hutton has been by far their biggest surprise of the season.
Unsung Hero: Brandon Sutter
Despite being injured for the past 13 games, Brandon Sutter has still earned the Canucks award as the unsung hero. In fact, his absence has perhaps only magnified his value to the team. Through 16 games, Sutter scored four goals and eight points, but his presence was felt in other ways. Sutter was an integral part of the Canucks penalty kill, and was a major reason why they got off to such a good start in that regard, and was also consistently played in the top-six. Since exiting the lineup, the PK has tumbled down the league standings, an the team’s general defensive play has fallen off considerably. Sutter is a classic case of “you don’t what you’ve got until it’s gone” and the club will be very content once he returns.
Main Photo.
