Canucks Army Player Profiles: Yannick Weber

Ever since the Canucks let Sami Salo go, they’ve been searching for a replacement to blast home points shots on the man advantage. They tried Alex Edler, but he couldn’t get his windmill-windup shot off in time. They tried Jason Garrison, but he couldn’t hit the net. They tried Alex Edler again. It certainly didn’t help that both of these guys are left handed shots, and thus can’t one-time pucks coming from the right side of the ice, where the Sedins ALWAYS are.

But like the girl next door you never saw as more than a friend until she helped you through a tough time, the right person might have been there the whole time, right before your eyes.

I’m talking about Yannick Weber, if that wasn’t obvious. Let’s check out the season outlook of last year’s highest scoring Canuck defenceman, Yannick “just put him on the goddamn first unit” Weber.

Weber was drafted 73rd overall by the Montreal Canadiens at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his draft and draft+1 years with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL where he put up 33 goals and 96 points in 110 games. He spent the 2008-09 season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he proved to be quite productive. He played some spot duty with the NHL club over the next couple of seasons, while continuing to put up solid numbers in the AHL, earning a spot at the AHL All-Star game in 2009.

He spent a couple more seasons in the Canadiens organization, where he was little more than average. The Canadiens decided not to qualify Weber as a restricted free agent following the 2012-13 season. Weber subsequently signed a one year deal with the Canucks. Weber’s TOI in his first season with the Canucks swung between 2:23 and 28:22, because Torts. Every so often, we’d get a taste of that point shot, but not with the regularity we desired.

At the beginning of the 2014-15 season, new head coach Willie Desjardins explained that Yannick Weber would not be dressed strictly as a power play specialist, but would rather have to prove his worth at 5-on-5 in order to get into the lineup. As such, he started the year as the seventh defenceman. By the end of the season, Weber had established himself as a part of the top four, and led the defence core in goals, largely thanks to being the triggerman on the top power play unit.

In what was actually a pretty shrewd move, the Canucks neglected to qualify Weber’s contract following the 2014-15 season, then turned and signed him in free agency for quite a bit less than he likely would have gotten in arbitration. That’s good news for Canuck fans, because even if he isn’t as good all around as Sami Salo, the Canucks haven’t come close to replacing that point shot with any other defenceman.

It’s a new season for Weber and the Canucks, and the coaching staff now knows that Weber has value at even strength, meaning he’ll start the year in the lineup and therefore quite likely on the powerplay. A full year on the first powerplay unit could not only balloon Weber’s numbers, but also allow the Sedins to maintain their man advantage dominance, despite being another year older. Weber HERO chart shows him scoring at a first pairing rate, while getting replacement level ice time. With an expanded role, let’s hope he can maintain a similar goal output – the Canucks defence core sorely needs the boost.

The Calgary series demonstrated that teams will eventually become wise to the Weber point shot and take it away, but as forwards move higher, other opportunities become available. The option of a right shot bomb on the blueline enables the Sedins to be creative and exploit other areas. This is a gift from Weber – one that left shooters like Garrison and Edler have not been able to provide.

Weber’s first career goal, in the playoffs, against the Bruins. Et la buuuuuuuuut!

Yannick Weber, channeling his inner Salo, scoring at will.