(The following is the second part of my analysis of the Canucks individual players. To view part one, click here: http://thenhlarenaprogram.blogspot.com/2007/03/living-up-to-expectations-part-one.html )
SAMI SALO
GP: 62, Goals: 12 (tied for 12th among NHL defencemen), Assists: 20 (tied for 54th among NHL defencemen), Points: 32 (tied for 36th among NHL defencemen), +/-: + 18 (tied for 17th among NHL defencemen), game winning goals: 5, overtime goals: 3. Salary: $1.5 million.
TSN Scouting Report:
Assets: Has one of the hardest point shots in the league. Reads the ice well and knows when to jump into the play. Is solid in his own end and executes good breakout passes.
Flaws: Isn’t very physical, despite being 6-3, 215 pounds. His durability is constantly questioned and staying healthy is always an issue.
Career potential: Top four defenceman.
My thoughts: The scouting report is pretty accurate for Salo, although personally I hadn’t noticed a lack of physical play. His shot is incredible from the point. He’s a great anchor for the Canucks powerplay. His defensive play is very solid as well, because he plays smart and is rarely out of position. He doesn’t seem to get rattled or intimidated by anything or anyone. His skating style reminds me of an old man, although I don’t know why, and that’s not to say he’s a bad skater.
His ability to stay healthy is his major flaw. This season, he missed a few games with a shoulder injury, and he is currently out of the Canucks lineup with a groin injury. However, when he is healthy he is truly fantastic. In my eyes, he is a star defenceman, and is currently a bargain at $1.5 million per season. I’d be very surprised if the contract he signs this summer isn’t for double that amount.
OVERALL: Has exceeded my expectations.
(For the next two, I changed it up a bit and wrote my own thoughts about each player prior to reading the scouting report. As it turns out, my thoughts and the scouting reports are very similar)
MATT COOKE
GP: 73, Goals: 7, Assists: 16, Points: 23, +/-: -5, PIMs: 60, Shots: 117. Salary: $1.5 million.
TSN Scouting Report:
Assets: Plays an agitator’s role to perfection and can easily get opponents off their game. A fairly quick skater, he defends his own end effectively and is an outstanding penalty-killer. Is extremely versatile.
Flaws: Despite his dedication, he doesn’t have the size or skill to be a major scorer. Can ill-afford to take any shifts off.
Career potential: Third line agitator.
My thoughts: He is an agitator, and he is fantastic at it. I think some people expected to see higher points production from him this year (myself included, although I’m not sure why). I have come to realize that because of the type of player he is, points just don’t tell the story. His strength is throwing the opposition off of their game by playing physical and often drawing penalties. To me, his main weakness is his lack of shooting accuracy, which I often find very frustrating to watch. He has, however, scored some key goals this season, and he plays his heart out almost every shift of every game.
OVERALL: Has exceeded my expectations.
TREVOR LINDEN
GP: 72, Goals: 12, Assists: 11, Points: 23. Salary: $600,000
TSN Scouting Report:
Assets: An outstanding leader, he commands respect throughout the league. Is a very responsible two-way forward. Likes to crash the net.
Flaws: Has struggled on offense since the 1995-96 season. Needs to step up his game during postseason play. Is clearly on the decline in terms of production.
Career potential: Checking line forward.
My thoughts: Obviously Linden is a very different player now than he was in the 93-94 season when he led the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals. He’s older and slower and now plays a very different style of game than he used to. The things about Linden that has not changed are his heart and his incredible leadership skills. This season, he seems to have also taken on something of a coaching role with the younger guys on the team, as he is often seen giving out pointers between plays. His career is winding down, although he has had some offensive success this season (he is currently on a 4 game point streak!). In my opinion, even if Linden didn’t get a single point this season, he would still be a very valuable member of the team because of everything else he does.
OVERALL: He exceeds my expectations. Not necessarily because of his play, but just because he is one of the classiest guys ever to play the game.
