Following the 2015-16 season, the Vancouver Canucks had to make changes to their defensive group. Dan Hamhuis, Matt Bartkowski and Yannick Weber were let go, Erik Gudbranson, Philip Larsen and Troy Stecher came in. Along with winger Loui Eriksson, Gudbranson was the biggest addition, but he has been unable to live up to the hype.
Before we get into Gudbranson’s play with the Canucks, let’s look at the expectations most fans and management had for him.
- Be a physical presence
- Stand up for his teammates
- Block shots
- Shut down opposing top players
As you may notice, those expectations sound good to a traditional hockey fan, but analytics supporters will say “none of this matters, except for shutting down top players — and Gudbranson doesn’t do that.