For the last 19 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 20th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Gone – Juho Lammikko, Matthew Highmore, Nic Petan, Justin Bailey, Brad Hunt, Jaroslav Halak

Incoming – Ilya Mikheyev, Andrei Kuzmenko, Curtis Lazar, Dakota Joshua, Christian Wolanin, Wyatt Kalynuk, Collin Delia

Impact of Changes – With the first offseason under a new president (Jim Rutherford) and new GM (Patrik Allvin), the Canucks were expected to make major changes to the roster to begin cleaning up the salary cap mess left by the previous regime. However, not only has the roster been largely left intact so far, but the Canucks have also signed J.T. Miller to a seven-year, $56 million extension. Miller enters 2022-23 on the final season of a team-friendly $5.25 million cap hit. Even though the Canucks have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, new management seems to be confident enough to make another push with the existing core.

The signings of Kuzmenko and Mikheyev should help bolster what is shaping up to be a strong top-9 forward group. Kuzmenko was signed to a very team-friendly one-year, $950,000 contract after he was the second-leading scorer in the KHL (53 points in 45 games). The downside is that he doesn't have any NHL experience and will be difficult to project. Mikheyev battled injuries during his time in Toronto, but he was fairly effective in what was largely a bottom-6 role with the Leafs. He will likely be given more of an opportunity on the Canucks scoring lines, although the Canucks' first-unit power play probably won't change from last season.

Ready for Full Time – Due to previous GM Jim Benning trading away numerous draft picks in an attempt to compete now, the Canucks might have one of the emptiest prospect pipelines in the league. As a result, Jack Rathbone is the only Canucks prospect that could make an impact this season. After an end-of-season debut in 2020-21, the Canucks elected to keep Rathbone in the AHL for most of 2021-22 so he could play more minutes. Rathbone succeeded in the AHL with 40 points in 39 games, but he will likely project to third-pair minutes at best to start as both Quinn Hughes and Oliver Ekman-Larsson are left-shot defensemen. There's a chance he could also sneak onto the second-unit power play.

Will Lockwood could also make the Canucks after two AHL seasons, but he seems destined to be a middle-six forward at best and probably shouldn't be on anyone's fantasy radar. Mike DiPietro's lack of playing time during COVID has stunted his growth, while Spencer Martin has passed him on the depth chart while the Canucks have also acquired Delia. DiPietro will likely spend another season in the AHL, and there are even rumblings that he would like a fresh start elsewhere.

Fantasy Outlook – Once the Canucks parted with Travis Green and brought in veteran coach Bruce Boudreau to inject some much-needed enthusiasm and confidence, several Canucks regulars were able to salvage their seasons. Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser were two notable beneficiaries of the Boudreau bump. After a lukewarm first half (22 PTS in 42 GP), Petey flipped to a point-per-game pace in the second half (46 PTS in 38 GP). Boeser's splits weren't quite as pronounced (19 PTS first 36 GP; 27 PTS last 35 GP), but he's also an option if you're looking for players to rebound to potentially buy low on.  

Speaking of splits, Conor Garland scored 15 points in his first 22 games, then just 17 points in his next 36 games, then up to 20 points in his last 19 games. Garland may not be able to maximize his value as a Canuck since he's usually a second-unit power-play option, and like Miller before his signing, he has been mentioned in trade rumors. Among Canucks, only Miller had more even-strength points than Garland last season (49 EVP).

One Canuck who might be easier to project is Bo Horvat, who has consistently averaged between 0.7 to 0.8 over the past five seasons. The Canucks captain also scored a career-high 31 goals in 2021-22, although he could be bumped down to the third line if Boudreau opts for Miller, Pettersson, and Horvat all down the middle on separate lines to spread out the scoring.

Hughes scored a career-best 68 points (0.89 PTS/GP) and is reliable an option as you'll find on the Canucks. Don't be surprised if he is a top-5 scorer among defensemen this season. Only Miller scored more points among Canucks last season.

Thatcher Demko has the potential to be a top-5 option among goalies in fantasy if the Canucks can become a playoff-level team in 2022-23. Only two goalies played more games than Demko (64 GP) in 2021-22. An improved defense will be key, although it won't be easy because the Canucks will be returning with much the same defense as they had in 2021-22.

Fantasy Grade: B+ (last year was also a B+)

Check out the rest of the Dobber team previews here.