For the last 21 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 22nd 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 – Elias Lindholm, Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, Nikita Zadorov, Ian Cole, Casey DeSmith, Vasily Podkolzin

Incoming – Jake DeBrusk, Daniel Sprong, Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood, Vincent Desharnais, Derek Forbort, Jiri Patera

Impact of changes – The Canucks needed to address top-6 scoring on the wing, so they decided to commit seven years to DeBrusk. The former Bruin could be a match on Elias Pettersson's wing, although there's also the possibility that Rick Tocchet decides to stack the other scoring line with DeBrusk, J.T. Miller, and Brock Boeser. DeBrusk's career high is 50 points, but he has a chance to exceed that with some strong linemates and potential top power-play time.

The remainder of the signings were strictly for depth purposes, although Sprong has a chance to step in as a top-6 forward. Sprong has posted back-to-back 40-point seasons despite playing just 11-12 minutes per game. 

The departures of Lindholm and Zadorov in particular might be felt since they both made an impact during the playoffs, but the reality is that they were not with the Canucks for a full season. In order to allow cap space for the DeBrusk signing, trading Mikheyev and his $4.75 million cap was critical. Mikheyev could not score at a level that was expected of a player consistently receiving top-6 minutes.

Ready for Full Time – Competition for the last few forward spots should be tight with both Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson in the mix for an opening-night roster spot. The Canucks' AHL affiliate is in nearby Abbotsford, so the most likely scenario is that both are shuttled back and forth between the NHL and AHL. Both have been near point-per-game players at the AHL level and deserve a long look at training camp. The undrafted Bains has surpassed expectations at every level, playing a high-energy game that makes things happen. Karlsson wasn't a highly-touted prospect either, and his career path is likely headed toward a bottom-6 center with Pettersson and Miller both locked up long-term.

Although he is less likely to play NHL games in 2024-25 than Bains or Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki is considered the Canucks' top prospect. After an underwhelming 2022-23 season played in a league below the SHL, Lekkerimaki took a major step forward in his draft+2 season, scoring 19 goals and 31 points in 46 games in the SHL. He also starred in the World Juniors with seven goals in seven games. Lekkerimaki's greatest asset is his shot, which is what should make or break his NHL career. He will try to build on that goal scoring and the rest of his game in Abbotsford.  

We also shouldn't forget about Arturs Silovs here. The untimely playoff injury to Thatcher Demko meant that Silovs stepped in as the starter, backstopping the Canucks to a series win over Nashville and taking the Canucks to seven games against eventual Stanley Cup finalist Edmonton. Silovs has even more big-game experience among professional players, having been named the tournament MVP in the 2023 World Hockey Championship in his native Latvia. With DeSmith signing in Dallas, Silovs appears to have the inside track over Patera as the new backup to Demko. With rumblings that Demko’s offseason rehab is going slower than hoped, Silovs might even be a late-round sleeper in fantasy drafts, although Silovs is dealing with a minor knee issue that forced him out of Latvia’s Olympic qualification games that started in late August.

Fantasy Outlook – The substantial improvement in the grade below is reflective of the major step forward the Canucks took in 2023-24. Expected to be a bubble playoff team, the Canucks ended up winning the Pacific Division with several winners or finalists for NHL awards.

The most significant of these award nominations was that of Quinn Hughes winning the franchise's first Norris Trophy, leading all defensemen with 92 points. Hughes should be one of the first few defensemen off the board in many fantasy leagues because of his scoring, especially points leagues. His value may drop in certain multicategory leagues based on his lack of peripherals coverage. Only Miller finished with more points than Hughes, with Miller himself reaching 100 points for the first time.

There are a few questions surrounding the Canucks' other core players, though. Pettersson should continue to post point-per-game totals, but his production fell off into the second half and into the playoffs (just 6 points in 13 games). The belief is that might have been injury-related, although the team would not confirm that. Boeser scored a career-high 40 goals when he had never previously reached 30, so there's some worry that regression might hit. Filip Hronek scored a career-high 48 points with Hughes as his normal even-strength partner, but those points were heavily concentrated in the first half. Demko was sidelined both late in the season and in the playoffs with little news surfacing about his recovery, so he carries injury risk. These players are worth rostering in many fantasy leagues, although you'll need to be careful not to reach for them.

Fantasy Grade – A- (last year was a B-)

Check out the rest of the Dobber team previews here.