3 Vancouver Canucks Who Will Regress In 2024-25
The Vancouver Canucks had a great turnaround year and are now expected to make the playoffs this season from the start. This team went from missing the playoffs to one of the best teams in the league in one season, so it is tough to sustain. That being said, there will be some players who will regress because of it and we are here to reveal them.
Dakota Joshua
Dakota Joshua was never thought of as a scorer or point producer until last season when he was one of the best third line players in the league. Not only did he score and put up a solid amount of points from the third line, he did what a bottom-6 player is expected to do on a checking line, hit and play tough. Joshua had 15 goals in 121 games across three seasons prior to 2023-24, then scored 18 goals and 32 points in just 63 games. He also did so without spending even 25 minutes on the power play either. That is very tough to sustain, even if the Canucks need just as much from him this coming season.
Filip Hronek
Filip Hronek had a very good start to last season, but trailed off and was a fairly different player in the second half. This high and low make it seem like he falls somewhere in the middle and we shouldn't expect the type of stellar defenseman we saw in the first half. He scored five goals and 48 points, but Quinn Hughes runs the back-end and the team doesn't look as strong offensively this season. Hronek is still a solid top-4 d-man, but will take a step back.
Tyler Myers
The Canucks figured they weren't going to be able to splurge on a second-pair defenseman without a lot of money to work with, so the team decided to bring Tyler Myers back for three years. This wasn't ideal for them, but it was better than testing their luck in free agency and potentially not ending up with a capable player to play the right side. In any case, Myers is in his mid-30s and played two fewer minutes per game last season than 2022-23, even if he did finish with more points because the team was much better. This contract might not look good at all soon as the veteran is going to decline with age.
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
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