The Vancouver Canucks had an impressive turnaround last year and are now anticipated to reach the playoffs right from the start of the season. They went from being outside the playoff picture to becoming one of the league’s top teams in just one year, which makes continued success challenging. As a result, some players are likely to see a decline in performance, and we’re here to highlight who they might be.
1 Dakota Joshua
Dakota Joshua was previously not considered a scorer until last season, when he emerged as one of the top third-line players in the league. Not only did he find the back of the net and accumulate a significant number of points, but he also fulfilled the expectations of a bottom-6 player by playing physical and tough.
Before the 2023-24 season, Joshua recorded 15 goals over 121 games in his first three seasons, but last year, he tallied 18 goals and 32 points in just 63 games. Remarkably, he did this without even playing 25 minutes on the power play. Maintaining such a performance will be difficult, even though the Canucks will rely on him just as much this season.
2 Filip Hronek
Filip Hronek began last season strongly, but his performance dipped in the second half, leading to a noticeable change in his play. This inconsistency suggests he may settle somewhere in between, and we shouldn’t anticipate the same elite level of defense he displayed early on.
He achieved five goals and 48 points, but with Quinn Hughes taking charge on defense and the team’s overall offensive strength looking weaker this season, Hronek, while still a reliable top-4 defenseman, is likely to experience a decline.
3 Tyler Myers
The Canucks realized they couldn’t afford to splurge on a second-pair defenseman, so they opted to re-sign Tyler Myers for three years. While this wasn’t their ideal scenario, it was preferable to risking free agency and potentially missing out on a competent player for the right side. Myers is now in his mid-30s and averaged two fewer minutes per game last season compared to 2022-23, even though he recorded more points due to an improved team. However, this contract may not age well as the veteran is likely to decline over time.
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