Canucks: At the quarter mark, here’s how each player has performed

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The Vancouver Canucks have had a nice start to the season, but they can still be better.

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Player by player, how does it all add up?

Let’s take a look at the team report card.

Overachieved

Kiefer Sherwood — Is there a better value winger in the NHL right now? Sherwood is humming along, hitting everything that moves. As a bonus, he’s putting the puck in the net. The scoring rate is out of this world and won’t carry on, but he’s making the Canucks better when he’s on the ice.

Erik Brannstrom — An afterthought acquisition on the eve of the season — let’s not forget, the priority of the trade was to get Tucker Poolman’s contract off the books — he’s proven to be a solid puck-mover on the third pairing, raising Vincent Desharnais’ game just about up to an acceptable standard. Plus, he’s scoring goals.

Conor Garland — Quite likely the Canucks’ best forward so far this season. He’s playing more than he ever has and he’s producing at a point-per-game clip. Can he keep this up?

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Teddy Blueger — Canucks GM Patrik Allvin once said he thought Blueger could score 15 goals in a season. Well, Blueger is currently on pace to do exactly that. When’s the last time you muttered, “Oh no, not Blueger again!” You never have. He’s playing some of the best hockey of his life under Rick Tocchet.

Kevin Lankinen — Where would the Canucks be without Lankinen, essentially a desperation signing during training camp after it became clear Thatcher Demko wouldn’t be ready to play anytime soon. He’s had some bumps lately, but wins like his shutout against Boston on Tuesday have been the majority of his story this season.

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On the Mark

Elias Pettersson — A month ago, we might have said underachieved, but he’s finally found his way and is leading the way on offence.

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Quinn Hughes — He’s even better than last year, so does that mean overachieved? Or is the bar so high with him it’s either on-the-mark or underachieving for him? Well, you can see the answer here.

Brock Boeser — His seven-game absence with a concussion showed why he’s become such an important two-way forward for this team.

Filip Hronek — He’s not scoring like he was last year, but he is once again the perfect partner for Hughes. His penchant for pounding pucks into the opposition’s legs remains there, but he’s generally pretty cool under pressure otherwise.

Pius Suter — The Canucks’ literal Swiss Army knife has performed to expectation in every role he’s been handed this season, whether its centring the second line, as he is right now in J.T. Miller’s absence, or playing on the wing alongside Miller and Boeser. He’s as dependable as they come, a solid middle-six forward.

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Arshdeep Bains — The rookie has added a step this season and is proving to be solid, fourth-line material. He’s got his first NHL goal. The coach is a fan.

Aatu Raty — His skating leaves a lot to be desired, but he’s getting it done as the fourth-line centre. There are no bad moments defensively. He’s dominating in the faceoff circle too.

Jake DeBrusk — After a slow start, he’s proving to be the winger for Elias Pettersson he was signed to be. He’s a very smart hockey player with an instinct around the net that is almost impossible to teach.

Noah Juulsen — Hard hits. Occasional defensive blunders. Good penalty killer. Juulsen is what he is. He’s a good teammate and just fine as the sixth defenceman if you don’t lean on him too much.

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Underachieved

J.T. Miller — A good start, but a rough patch before he went on personal leave last week to get himself re-set emotionally and perhaps a little bit physically. He knows he can better. The Canucks need him to be.

Nils Hoglander — The season started well but has only been downhill since. He’s been on the ice for 13 five-on-five goals against, the worst amongst Canucks forwards. He’s not scoring, he’s not defending. He’s a mess.

Carson Soucy — Low on confidence, perhaps nursing an injury, he’s been a pale impression of the player the Canucks signed to play second-pairing minutes last season.

Tyler Myers — The veteran was brought back to be what he was last year, a solid compliment to Soucy. But as Soucy has struggled, so has Myers. In isolation you might say he’s been fine, but the pairing has been awful. They need to be better.

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Vincent Desharnais — A work in progress. Could he be closer to the player that did just fine for the Oilers last year when partnered with Brett Kulak? The Canucks think he can and with Erik Brannstrom as his partner, he’s shown moments. But the overall package remains disappointing.

Danton Heinen — The Canucks hoped he could be a useful winger for Miller and Boeser, but he struggled to mesh. He’s a smart player, but the Canucks want a little more aggression from him.

Arturs Silovs — Last spring’s starring playoff role seems like a distant memory. He did have a good start last week against the New York Rangers, but he’s otherwise struggled.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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