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While some publications insist on doing weekly power rankings of NHL teams, we thought it would be even more abstract and pointless to do a weekly power ranking of the players on the Canucks. And yes, we understand that Sunday is technically the start of the week, but no one thinks that way.

22. Jake Virtanen (14) ↡

This is hard to write because it’s clear that fans believe in Virtanen. It’s hard to argue against the benching by Green, Virtanen wasn’t very good against Edmonton. But slotting him in the press box is not good for his development. He’s the most underused player on the team and it’s not especially close.

21. Brendan Gaunce (22) ↔

Not a bad week for Gaunce. Yes, he was a minus-2 in Edmonton, but he had a positive Relative Corsi both nights and got the start over Virtanen in Winnipeg. We aren’t huge fans of that last bit of news, but it’s true nonetheless.

20. Derrick Pouliot (19) ↡

Pouliot didn’t have a great couple of games, going minus-3 over the week with a rough Corsi percentage in both. He can take some solace in the fact that when Travis Green decided he needed to change things up, he took Ben Hutton out of the lineup for Alex Biega.

19. Michael Del Zotto (18) ↡

Things have been getting progressively worse for DZ. In spite of that, Green continues to give him a lot of ice time. He was second on the team behind Edler in the Winnipeg game and he looked awful for much of that. A majority of the fans are starting to call for his head at the deadline. That’s probably wishful thinking, as any other NHL team looking for a veteran blueliner could do much better.

18. Loui Eriksson (16) ↔

He’s not hurting the team with positive underlying numbers and decent defensive play but that’s not what you pay $6 million for. Fair or not, it’s becoming clear that Eriksson’s tenure as a Canuck will always be marred by his contract.

17. Nic Dowd (15) ↔

Does Dowd have a place on this team with Brandon Sutter around? Green seems to have his doubts, only Gaunce had less ice time in Winnipeg.

16. Alex Biega (NR) ↟

A strong game against Winnipeg for ‘Bulldog.’ He may have played his way into the lineup, which is an indictment against the current defencemen on the roster, yes, but it’s also an indication of his strong play. He was tied for the lead on the team in shots and was number one in hits while registering the fourth-lowest minutes.

15. Ben Hutton (12) ↡

As much as we can understand the benching of Virtanen, sitting Hutton against Winnipeg made zero sense. There’s a strong argument to be made (backed up by stats) that Hutton is at the very least the team’s fifth best defencemen (he’s likely in the top four). He should not be sitting out games.

14. Anders Nilsson (20) ↟

Nilsson was absolutely terrific in what should have been a lopsided contest against Winnipeg. The massive Swede made several impressive stops throughout the game, most of them after defensive breakdowns. He needed a big game in his first start in several games, and he delivered.

And yeah, on this team, one great game moves you up multiple spots.

13. Sam Gagner (8) ↡

After two points last week, one hoped that Gagner might be finding a rhythm to his game. That remains to be seen. Green is sheltering him and not giving him very many minutes, which is a good call and probably how he’s most effectively used.

12. Markus Granlund (13) ↔

Another week of steady play by Granlund. He’s one of the more consistent players on the team and has Travis Green’s trust.

11. Thomas Vanek (5) ↡

Didn’t have his best games this week, as the veteran was a possession black hole against Edmonton and was outdueled numerous times by Winnipeg’s young forwards. Losing Boeser as a linemate is bound to hurt his rest-of-season outlook.

10. Brandon Sutter (11) ↟

We debated putting Sutter higher, as he turned in two very solid games. He drew a crucial power play against Winnipeg (that the Canucks weren’t able to capitalize on, unfortunately) by out hustling Jets rookie Kyle Connor. He also scored against Edmonton.

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9. Daniel Sedin (7) ↔

8. Henrik Sedin (6) ↔

The Sedins were solid once again, with some of the best underlying numbers against Edmonton. Daniel got on the board with a goal. One wonders if Green will stick Vanek on their wing again though, as the three looked a bit slow against Winnipeg.

7. Sven Baertschi (9) ↟

Back on the team’s first line against Winnipeg, Baertschi looked good with Boeser and Horvat at his side. He also had an assist in Edmonton. Is he one of those players who can only play well with stars on his line? Maybe. But the Canucks will definitely take that right now.

6. Troy Stecher (10) ↟

Stecher has slowly risen up the rankings (as has his defensive partner Alex Edler). He was top three on the team in ice time in both games and it was fully deserved.

5. Chris Tanev (2) ↡

Still unquestionably one of the team’s most solid players, Tanev looked a tiny bit off this week. It’s very possible he’s having a tough time getting used to the cage he’s currently wearing. Also, he’s playing with Michael Del Zotto.

4. Jacob Markstrom (3) ↔

The only thing that kept the Oilers game from being an outright disaster.

3. Alex Edler (4) ↟

Edler takes the number one defenceman spot for the first time all year. He earned it, the veteran played the most minutes on the team in both contests, had a sparkling Relative Corsi and chipped in an assist. He and Stecher are easily the best pairing on the team right now.

2. Brock Boeser (1) ↔

Boeser can’t seem to get himself out of his current slump, but he’s still shooting the puck and looking dangerous, which is more than most Canucks can say.

1. Bo Horvat (NR) ↟

No, inserting Horvat into the lineup against Winnipeg didn’t change the result, but it did make the Canucks noticeably harder to play against and gave them a true first line once again. Horvat took a little bit to get his legs back but getting him back was a huge boost.

Didn’t Play This Week: Michael Chaput, Nikolay Goldobin, Erik Gudbranson

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