Was Teddy Blueger the Canucks' best offseason addition?

There are are no shortage of success stories when it comes to acquisitions made by Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin since last summer.

Ian Cole, Carson Soucy, Pius Suter, Sam Lafferty, Casey DeSmith, Nikita Zadorov — they’ve all been positive additions to the lineup.

But the best one of all just might be Teddy Blueger.

Teddy Blueger roofs it to give Vancouver a 5-1 lead! 🏠 pic.twitter.com/mCGNRcKcMr

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 20, 2023

Signed to a one-year, $1.9 million contract on July 1, Blueger came to Vancouver after being a healthy scratch for most of Vegas’ Stanley Cup run last year.

A bottom-six centre during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Blueger was thought to be a solution for Vancouver’s fourth line and penalty kill. The 29-year-old Latvian native has done better than that, centring a surprisingly good trio with Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua.

Garland ➡️ Joshua ➡️ Blueger pic.twitter.com/NWPELcKvRo

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 16, 2023

They were the third line, but since the Lotto Line reunited, they might now be the second line.

That helps explain why Allvin told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that the Blueger signing was the move he’s most pleased with.

With 18 points (5-13-18) in 30 games, Blueger is on pace for a career-high 41 points this season. He has done that while becoming the Canucks’ most-used forward on the penalty kill.

But was Blueger the Canucks’ best signing? There’s competition for that title.

What a play from Blueger to Åman. 😮‍💨

📺: Sportsnet
📲: Stream on Sportsnet+ pic.twitter.com/KwzNIygzO1

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 24, 2023

Lafferty (19 points in 44 games) is the highest-scoring new addition. Suter (12 points in 30 games) has been a good two-way centre also.

Then there’s Cole, who doesn’t produce much offence, but has stabilized the back end.

And what about DeSmith? The Canucks haven’t lost a beat with him in net. His save percentage (.918) is just one point worse than starter Thatcher Demko (.919), and he has a 7-3-3 record in 13 starts — five of which have been on the second half of games on back-to-back nights.

It all points to the phenomenal work from Allvin, who deserves credit for helping to put the Canucks on pace for their best season since 2010-11.