This season has already seen ups and downs...and ups..and downs. So I figured it was a good time to give the Canucks my warranty approved evaluation on the majority of the players. We'll start from the back end...
Goalie: Luongo:
B - Lou did have a slow start - which is expected, not tolerated, expected - but he found his game right before that weird "upper body injury". He has even started to pick up some pointers from the back up, as you slowly see Roberto's game evolve for the better.
Schneider:
A - The "Ginger Jesus" has been nothing other than a god send this season so far. When he was in the back up position, he excelled every time he started. When he was a starter for that stretch of 6 or so games, he did even better. Schneider would probably be a starting goaltender
today on about 20 other teams in the NHL.
Defense:
Alberts:
C+ - When he is a defenseman he does just fine, but that last showing as a forward wasn't the greatest. That doesn't drop his score at all though, Alberts has been a very steady D-man for the Canucks this year, laying the body into everybody whenever he gets the chance and usually plays the simple plays out of his own end. I am a HUGE Alberts fan simply because he does exactly as what is expected of him.
Rome:
B - Aahhh Aaron Rome. What an interesting story you are. This man is like a robot, never really shows emotion on the ice, just acquires targets - whether its the back of the net or an opponent - and hones in on them. Other than injury, there isn't much negative to Rome's game. The only problem is, there isn't much offensive upside either, despite scoring 3 goals in 3 games. Hopefully that changes though, because in those games he looked very good.
Bieksa:
B - Bieksa is a little like Luongo, in the sense where he can be either extraordinarily great, or just plain ol' bad. Usually, the bad doesn't show as much as Luongo's would because there is an extra defenseman to cover for him, where there isn't another goalie behind Luongo when he's in net. Bieksa's physicality and meanness has only emerged recently, but he is most effective when those traits are prominent. He was a plus 3000 last year for good reason, he should be among the leaders in +\- again this year.
Hamhuis:
A - He logs the most minutes, he is put in every key situation, and now he is showing an offensive side that wasn't there as much last season. What more can you ask for from a player? My only gripe, is that he isn't mean enough, but I guess that's why he's usually paired with Bieksa.
Ballard:
C+ - When he wants to be, he can go end to end and beat everybody down the ice. He could start a rush and get a shot on net, then back check and be the first one back preventing an odd-man rush...when he wants to be. I never understood why Ballard isn't the best offensive D-man on the roster, I thought that when Ehrhoff left Ballard would be the natural fit, apparently not.
Salo:
A - He's responsible defensively, he's smart, and boy howdy can he ever shoot the puck. Plus, he only makes 2 million this year, which puts him under the "Bargain" category. The Canucks are just a much better team when Sami is in the line up.
Edler:
A - Alex Edler picked up where he left off last season before he got hurt. He was on a Norris trophy pace, but the injury to his back slowed him down. This year, after all summer to recover, he looks just as dangerous. He was touted as the next Lidstrom when he was drafted, which is ridiculous because defensemen are going to be winning Lidstrom trophies soon, but Edler is making a strong case for himself. The plus side, he still has potential to grow.
Forwards:
Sedin's:
A+ - There isn't much you can fault the twins for, they are on a more than point per game pace, and they are the players that set the tempo of the game. The only real complaint anyone could have is that they aren't "tough" enough, but it's hard to be tough when you have the puck all the time and you're putting up 100+ points a season.
Burrows:
B - Took a while for him to find his scoring touch and still hasn't fully returned to his 35-goal form. He may never get back to that high of a goal total, but he is a great two-way player and is always gives it 100%. Could tone down the embellishment though, Burrows is probably 50% of the reason the hockey world see's the Canucks as 'divers'.
Kesler:
B - He plays best when he's angry - like we saw against Ottawa - but he isn't angry nearly enough. Kesler seems to flourish when the Sedin's are being shut down, because the only way to shut down the Sedin's is to get under their skin, and Kesler doesn't like that much. A big reason why he did so well against Nashville was because the Sedin's ate up all the big defencemen minutes.
Hodgson:
B - One of the more consistent forwards. Coming into his own form now that he has capable line mates. He has a great future in the NHL, hopefully the Canucks are able to keep him long term and not just showcase him for a possible trade.
Higgins:
B+ - He scores, he forechecks, and he doesn't complain ever. Might be the hardest working player each game, Higgins is doing what the Canucks
hoped he would do last season. If Vancouver was able to get three 20-goal scorers on the second line, imagine the nightmare that creates for opposing coaches.
Raymond:
B+ - He hasn't been back long, but since returning from a very scary sounding injury, Mason Raymond has exceeded everybody's expectations. Hopefully, he can keep this up, because you don't realize how much you've missed Raymond until you see him beat out an icing two or three times a night.
Booth:
B - Like every other Canuck, he had a slow start after getting used to a new team and a new part of the world. In every way, Vancouver is different from Florida, and that is going to take some getting used to. His knee injury - on a very dirty hit by Porter - is a tremendous loss because Booth was just starting to catch fire.
Hansen:
B+ - The Danish Army Knife, everybody saw his potential - comparing him to Kesler - but nobody believed that his hands would catch up to his feet. Hansen has the foot speed, but only recently has he found the scoring finish to become a very good 2nd line player or an excellent 3rd line player.
Lapierre:
B - Great forechecker and an even better agitator. I'm not sure what he says during the games, but I know that if I was playing against him, I'd want to punch him in the face too. He is the other 50% of the reason why the Canucks are seen as 'divers', so the head-snapping and embellishment has to be toned down, not all the way, just a little.
Weise:
C+ - Could chip in a little more offensively, but what more do you expect from a player who is on the fourth line with limited minutes? After being brought in off waivers from New York, he has helped out Volpatti with the tough guy role. Although, he hasn't really won too many fights.
Volpatti:
B - Nobody knew what Vancouver had in Volpatti until he went down with season ending shoulder surgery. He is a big guy who could fight and throw the body around. Volpatti is really the only thing standing in between the Sedin's and the opponents tough guys. It's going to be a challenge to find a replacement for him this season.
Malhotra:
C - Not quite himself since having that eye surgery. He was brought for his face off abilities and defensive prowess, but it's hard to justify having him as a centremen when he has lost his face off dominance. He is slowly getting the timing back and hopefully that comes sooner rather than later because he is going to be seeing less and less minutes if he isn't able to be put into key situations.
