Di Giuseppe proving to be missing piece in Canucks top six
Nobody on the Vancouver Canucks’ roster makes less money than Phil Di Giuseppe, but he’s proving to be a pretty valuable player.
The winger signed a two-year extension this past summer for the league minimum $775,000 per season, placing him last among player salaries on the Canucks.
Despite that, he’s proving to be a significant contributor to one of the team’s best forward trios. The Ontario-born 30-year-old is the winger on the line that scored the most goals in the season opener, all while being matched up against Connor McDavid for most of the night.
Di Giuseppe played 16 minutes against the Edmonton Oilers last night and has locked up a spot alongside J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. After years of bouncing between the NHL and AHL, he has now carved out a full-time NHL role.
While many players with more draft pedigree or a higher salary haven’t been able to mesh with the Canucks, Di Giuseppe has fit like a glove with his constant motor and willingness to battle.
One of Di Giuseppe’s best qualities is his tenacity on the forecheck. He is great at winning puck battles and tilting the ice in his team’s favour. Below is a great example of this in the season opener against the Oilers, as Di Giuseppe’s efforts create a loose puck that eventually turns into a Canucks goal.
THAT SHOT = PERFECTION 🎯 pic.twitter.com/inBy0K7HkQ
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 12, 2023
The line of Miller, Di Giuseppe, and Boeser has now played a total of 224:28 five-on-five minutes together over the past two seasons, according to NaturalStatTrick. During that time, they’ve outscored opponents 14-11, and the Canucks have controlled 54.7% of the total shots.
It’s not the largest sample size, but this trio has been effective together. When playing with different linemates, Miller and Boeser have negative goal differentials over the same time frame. The numbers suggest that playing with Di Giuseppe helps the other two forwards get the most from their game.
Not only has the line been putting up good numbers, but they’ve also been doing so while playing against tough competition, often facing the other team’s top line.
“Last year… me, Phil, and Boes took a lot of pride in playing against other teams’ top lines. We didn’t give them a whole lot,” Miller said to Sportsnet during preseason.
Against the Oilers, the line (which some have suggested calling the PB&J line?) had perhaps its best performance yet. They were matched up primarily against McDavid yet still dominated, besting the consensus best player in the world in a way that does not happen often.
While both Di Giuseppe and McDavid were on the ice at five-on-five, the Canucks outscored the Oilers 3-0 and outshot them 6-3. It was a magnificent performance as they completely neutralized McDavid at even strength.
The Canucks have a glut of wingers, and the return of Ilya Mikheyev could threaten Di Giuseppe’s position in the top six. However, if he keeps playing like he did last night, it’ll be impossible for Rick Tocchet and the coaching staff to do away with his effort level and motor.
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