According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedmann and TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Vancouver Canucks and free agent defenseman Tyler Myers are in the final stages of negotiating a contract that will see the defender move to the Pacific Coast. Financial terms are expected on July 1st.
No reason the Canucks and Tyler Myers won’t come to terms. Vancouver is considering structural options. It’s expected details will be worked out tonight or in the morning.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2019
Tyler Myers to Sign With the Canucks
Over his ten-year NHL career, Myers has played for the Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets. He has put up 74 goals and 191 assists for 265 career points in 635 career NHL games. He was originally drafted in the 1st round, 12th overall of the 2008 NHL draft by the Sabres.
Last season he scored nine goals and 22 assists for 31 points. He also added 63 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 48.8 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -0.2.
Myers is a former Calder Trophy winner, having his best season as a rookie. In 2009-10, he scored 11 goals and 37 assists for 48 points while playing in all 82 games. He’s also made five career playoff appearances (two with Buffalo and three with Winnipeg), totalling seven career goals and eight career assists for 15 points in 39 games.
What This Means for the Future
While by no means a number one or even a top-pair defenseman, Myers at times is a really solid two-way player. Albeit his possession numbers weren’t the best this past season, he wasn’t consistently on the ice with Winnipeg’s top-end talent, seeing a lot of playing time with their third or fourth lines (so not much offence to support). Additionally, he has good mobility despite his size. Myers clocks in at 6-foot-8 and 229 pounds, yet can still be elusive with the puck and possesses a good shot and good passing vision. He also brings experience, including a deep run to the Western Conference Final two seasons ago with the Jets.
However, an area where Myers lacks is his stick-handling. He can make some pretty nasty giveaways at points, and when he’s not on his game, he can really look lost out there with the puck. These times are rare, though, and overall, Vancouver is getting a quite solid two-way defenseman with legitimate offensive upside.
ST PAUL, MN – OCTOBER 15: Tyler Myers #57 of the Winnipeg Jets controls the puck against Minnesota Wild during the game on October 15, 2016 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
