Canucks have the best-performing depth forwards in the NHL right now
Gone are the days of Michael Chaput and Jayson Megna in the Vancouver Canucks’ bottom-six.
Heck, the days of overpaid, aging slugs like Jay Beagle and Loui Eriksson on the fourth line are also a distant memory.
Patrik Allvin has been general manager of the Canucks for nearly two years now. In that time, the biggest decision he made was clearly the choice to keep J.T. Miller over Bo Horvat, while also acquiring Filip Hronek.
Both of those moves have paid off so far. What’s also paid off is the mix that Allvin has put together in the Canucks’ bottom-six.
When you look at the Canucks depth forwards this season, only Conor Garland and Nils Höglander remain from the previous regime.
Garland and Höglander are joined by five other players that Allvin has brought in: Dakota Joshua, Pius Suter, Sam Lafferty, Anthony Beauvillier, and Teddy Blueger.
So far this season, these seven skaters are arguably making up one of the most efficient bottom-six forward groups in the entire NHL.
Canucks’ bottom-six is statistically dominating
There aren’t many â if any â NHL teams who can say that their depth forwards are as good as Vancouver’s this season.
According to MoneyPuck, there have been 103 NHL forward lines that have skated for at least 50 minutes together at even strength.
When ranked in terms of expected goals-for, you’ll find both the Canucks’ third and fourth lines near the top of the list.
MoneyPuck.com
The Canucks’ third line of Joshua, Suter, and Garland in particular have been effective.
In their 73 even-strength minutes together, they’ve yet to be on the ice for a goal against. They’re also outshooting the opposition 40 to 17 at five-on-five.
While they won’t be stealing the spotlight away from the Elias Pettersson or Miller lines, there’s an argument that the Joshua/Garland line has been the Canucks’ most efficient even-strength unit so far this season.
NET PRESENCE đȘ pic.twitter.com/JNaTLQBy0l
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 13, 2023
Another reason why Joshua and Garland deserve some love is because they’ve continued to be effective, even with Suter missing that last three Canucks contests. Blueger was plugged right into Suter’s spot, and that line hasn’t missed a beat.
With Blueger at centre, the Canucks’ third line is outshooting the opposition 17-8 in their 25 minutes together at evens. They’ve also yet to be scored on at five-on-five and are rocking a near identical expected goals-for percentage (68.9% with Blueger, 68.8% with Suter).
In terms of possession, the Canucks’ third line has been the best line on the team. However, the de facto fourth line of Beauvillier, Lafferty, and Höglander have outproduced the third line.
Here’s where these two Canucks’ lines rank league-wide in terms of actual goals-for percentage.
MoneyPuck.com
Among all Canucks skaters this season, Beauvillier, Hoglander, and Lafferty rank first, second, and fourth respectively for on-ice goals-for percentage at even strength.
NaturalStatTrick.com
Höglander in particular has been lights-out during the last handful of games for the Canucks. Over the team’s last 12 contests, the 22-year-old has been on the ice for eight goals scored, and only one goal against. He’s been on the ice for an even-strength goal scored in seven of the Canucks last 12 games.
Not bad for a “fourth-liner.”
Canucks finally found value with their bottom-six forwards
This might be the most important aspect of the Canucks bottom-six forward makeup.
Unlike Jim Benning, who consistently overpaid bottom-six forwards, Allvin has melded his depth forward group at relatively low acquisition costs.
Here’s the rundown:
- Dakota Joshua: Signed a two-year deal with a $825,000 cap hit in free agency (July 13, 2022)
- Anthony Beauvillier: Acquired in the Bo Horvat trade, presumably as a cap dump (January 30, 2023)
- Teddy Blueger: Signed a one-year deal worth $1.9 million in free agency (July 1, 2023)
- Pius Suter: Signed a two-year deal worth $1.6 million in free agency (August 11, 2023)
- Sam Lafferty: Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2024 fifth-round pick (October 8, 2023)
It wasn’t long ago that Beagle, Eriksson, and Antoine Roussel made up one of the most expensive fourth-lines in hockey. Worst yet, they were old, slow, and unproductive.
The Canucks might have a couple of expensive pieces in their bottom-six in Beauvillier and Garland, but the two players are in those roles because they’ve been pushed down the depth chart due to strong competition.
Cap hit aside, it’s hard to complain about where Beauvillier and Garland are slotted in the Canucks lineup because right now, everything is working wonderfully for the team in the bottom-six.
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