Chiasson has been better than Canucks fans give him credit for
There’s nothing sexy about the way Alex Chiasson plays.
Big, but slow, he’s not going to get you out of your seat — unless he scores a goal.
It’s understandable that the 31-year-old doesn’t receive a lot of fanfare, but among Canucks fans this season, he’s actually become somewhat of a whipping boy.
It’s through no fault of his own, and it’s completely misplaced.
Chiasson made the team out of training camp after impressing former Canucks coach Travis Green following a pro tryout (PTO).
The team put Zack MacEwen on waivers the same day they signed Chiasson. They lost MacEwen to the Philadelphia Flyers for nothing the next day, which begins to explain why many Canucks fans aren’t big fans of Chiasson.
A week earlier, the Canucks lost Jonah Gadjovich on waivers also.
Chiasson started the season on the top power play unit, displacing Brock Boeser.
While you can quibble with Chiasson getting top unit power play time — he has gone on to play more on the second unit than the first — the Montreal native has actually been pretty decent for the Canucks this season.
He’s not going to score 22 goals this season like he did three years ago when he benefitted from playing with Connor McDavid in Edmonton, but he’s also not being paid like a 22-goal scorer.
Chiasson accepted a cheap one-year, $750,000 contract in October. Only Matthew Highmore ($725,000) makes less on the Canucks.
Among Canucks forwards, Chiasson is 12th in overall ice time, but ninth in points — producing five goals and four assists. He scored his latest goal on Monday, Chiasson’s first at even strength, in his 600th NHL game in Chicago.
Alex Chiasson getting things started here in the Windy City! pic.twitter.com/BD7iMvYgG8
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) February 1, 2022
Chiasson has only three points at even strength, which isn’t impressive, though he does rank 12th in overall ice time among forwards. His underlying numbers won’t knock your socks off (47.8 CF%, 45.53 xGF%), but he’s not a liability defensively.
What keeps Chiasson on Vancouver’s roster is his play on the power play.
Chiasson is fifth among Canucks forwards in power play time, playing more than everyone not named Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat, and Brock Boeser.
But you know what? He’s been full value for his time there.
Chiasson’s four power play goals are equal to Pettersson, and just one behind Miller, Horvat, and Boeser for the team lead.
The unheralded forward has six power play points, which is just two behind Horvat and three behind Boeser. Chiasson has more power play points than Tanner Pearson and Conor Garland combined, despite having seen only marginally more ice time with the man advantage than each of those two players.
Given that production, it’s fair to conclude that Chiasson is doing his job. A net-front presence on the power play, he fearlessly stands in front of shots to screen the goalie and has proven effective at tipping pucks and finding rebounds.
Chiasson making his presence known up front on the PP 🚨 pic.twitter.com/e6YDtZOBSf
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) December 2, 2021
Two of the 6-foot-4 winger’s goals have come off deflections, which matches Boeser for the team lead. Only eight Canucks goals this season have been officially counted as deflections, according to NHL.com.
For those fans that are still wringing their hands because Chiasson made the team over MacEwen and Gadjovich, consider that the Canucks winger has more points than both of them combined.
MacEwen has one goal and three assists in 42 games for the Flyers, while Jonah Gadjovich has no goals and two assists in 24 games with the San Jose Sharks. Sure, those two players bring a physical edge to their games, but neither one of them have been trusted to play on special teams for their new teams. They’re averaging under 10 minutes of overall ice time in Philadelphia and San Jose, respectively.
If you still feel like MacEwen and Gadjovich should have cracked the Canucks roster, keep in mind who else made it ahead of them. Justin Dowling and Nic Petan were on the opening night roster. Dowling has four points in 21 games, while all of Petan’s games have been for the Abbotsford Canucks this season.
He’s not a perfect player by any means, but yes, Chiasson deserves some respect here.
“Today I had a moment just to realize [there’s] a lot that I’ve been through,” Chiasson said following Monday’s win. “This is the greatest game to play. I’ve had the opportunity to win [the Stanley Cup] in Washington and I think that kind of keeps you open minded on things. The opportunity to play with some of the best players in the game. This game has given me so much. I just feel really grateful to all these opportunities and being part of this group.”
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