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Canucks Army Year In Review: Derek Dorsett
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Tyler Horsfall
Apr 26, 2016, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Invalid DateTime
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In the first year of a four-year, $10.6 million contract, Derek Dorsett continued along his career path of being a unique combination of punching faces while being an average fourth liner.
Originally brought in to “rub shoulders” with their younger players, Dorsett had plenty of opportunities to do that this year. The Canucks saw nine players make their NHL debut this year, and having Dorsett there to mentor and protect the young guns has its merits. Dorsett had 11 fights this season, and per www.HockeyFights.com voting, he won two of them. While there are many concerns over Dorsett’s contract, there is no doubting that he proved his value to management with his grit and character while chipping in with the bottom six.
The most impressive feat for Dorsett this season is his league leading 177 penalty minutes. While many will remember some of his undisciplined moments at the end of the season, Dorsett ended the season drawing one more penalty than he took. With as high of a penalty total as Dorsett’s, it is impressive that he did not put the Canucks shorthanded more than on the power play.

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Dorsett posted what would be considered an average season for him. His 16 points in 71 games this season puts him slightly below his his career average of 0.237 points per game. His scoring came pretty balanced over the course of the season until he notched four points in his final four games. 
Corsi:
One of the biggest concerns heading into this season with Dorsett was the decrease seen in his underlying Corsi metrics in the 2014-15 season. This season, he managed to improve on last year’s results with a raw Corsi For of 46% and an improved CF%Rel at -1.3%. It still does not paint a pretty picture as this is the fifth straight season Dorsett has found himself on the negative end of this metric. 
Goal based:
 
While his Corsi metrics were improved upon, Dorsett’s goal metrics were amongst the worst on the team. Some of this is luck driven, as Dorsett’s on-ice save percentage was lower than normal. Overall, the Canucks fared significantly worse when Dorsett was on the ice compared to when he was on it. 
Scoring Chances:
When Dorsett was on the ice, the Canucks once again bled chances against. While his SCF%Rel is only -2.1%, the shear amount of chances against is not a good sign at all. Dorsett had the worst scoring chance +/- amongst the Canucks’ forwards, and had worse SCF/60 and SCA/60 rates compared to last year. 

Conclusion 

Dorsett improving on his underlying even strength shot metrics, despite them still being in the red, is good news for the Canucks. He is still a fourth liner and would benefit from a reduced role again as younger players start to fit in the lineup. 
If the Canucks are planning to make the playoffs next season, one could argue that they are better off without Dorsett in their lineup. The fact the Canucks were better off in every measure above without Dorsett on the ice coupled with the alarming amount of scoring chances against heavily support this. With a healthy roster, it is likely there will be 12 forwards better than him next season. 
While he may have been an average fourth liner this year, physical players typically decline early and quicker than non-physical forwards. There are three years left on Dorsett’s contract that sees him carry a cap hit of $2.65 million per season. For a player who looks to be replaceable already, that is a scary proposition. If he declines more it is going to be a burden on the Canucks’ cap should they want to win now. 
Moving forward, if the Canucks plan on keeping Dorsett he is probably best utilized in limited minutes as a depth forward filling in for injured players or when the Canucks need a little extra sandpaper in the lineup. There is no question he brings value as a hard-working, character player who took his bumps and bruises to get to the NHL. Having him around in the locker room is a good thing to help the Canucks younger players transition. 
At the very least, he provides the Canucks with a capable warm body who will be a good guy in the locker room and someone who is willing to step up to answer the bell of other teams’ enforcers.

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