It’s been said by some that sorting by hits should find you the worst possession players on a team. After all, you can’t have possession of the puck when making hits.
That theory definitely holds some merit when it comes to journeyman Darren Archibald.
The 28-year-old grinder has brought the energy, grit, and physicality lost when Derek Dorsett retired. That has value, but so does playing responsible two-way hockey. Unfortunately, Archibald has failed to deliver on the latter.
Archibald’s underlying numbers are porous even by the Canucks’ standard of mediocrity. Most concerning is that these struggles have led the Canucks to control less than 30% of goals scored with Archibald on the ice.