As the first month of the 2019/20 season, the Vancouver Canucks sit with a record of 8-3-1 and a goal differential of +17 – best in the NHL. With 17 points already on the year, they’re within a stone’s throw of first place in both the Pacific Division and the Western Conference – and they’re within shouting distance of the top spot in the league.

There aren’t many who would give the Canucks less than an ‘A’ rating on their overall October performance – but that doesn’t mean that every single player on the roster deserves a perfect score. CanucksArmy’s October Report Card reflects an opening month that falls just short of perfect – but has been filled with largely positive notes.

Speaking of notes, we’ve got a couple to make before we get started:

1) Players are ordered by their point total as of the end of October.

2) Players are graded relative to their individual expectations entering the season, not on their performance relative to one another.

3) The grades operate on a rough scale of “A=Greatly Exceeding Expectations” to “F=Performing Well Below Expectations.”

 

Pettersson is – as of the end of the month – tied with Alex Ovechkin for sixth place in NHL scoring, and leading the league in primary assists with 14. The scary part is, he’s still not deserving of a perfect score, because his goal-scoring is still a step behind where it was in his rookie season. If his top-shelf snipe against Los Angeles is any indication, that issue is already sorting itself out.

 

A preseason marred by extended contract negotiations may have lowered expectations for Boeser, but he’s likely cleared even the highest of hopes with his blazing hot October. He’s on pace for nearly 50 goals and is demonstrating an increased penchant for playmaking on top of that – giving him the appearance of an upper-echelon NHL scorer early in the 2019/20 season.

 

Jim Benning couldn’t have asked for a better start from his most controversial offseason acquisition. Miller is a perfect fit on the Lotto Line alongside Pettersson and Boeser, but he also had success on Bo Horvat’s wing – consistently generating offense and possession wherever he goes. This looks like a real “missing piece” move in the making.

 

Horvat’s slow start had a segment of the fanbase worried, but that was before he went on an 8-1-1 run as team captain and started scoring at a greater-than-point-per-game pace. All this is being done without a consistent set of wingers – yet again – and with Horvat’s usual array of tough defensive assignments, making his offensive production all the more impressive.

 

It’s tempting to give Sutter an ‘A’ rating – after all, many fans didn’t even expect him to be a part of the team in 2019/20. Instead, he’s scoring at a pace greater than his career average and playing a major role on a top-tier penalty killing unit. Though he’s still a negative possession player – and has made a handful of very obvious defensive errors – Sutter is making an undeniably positive impact on the team thus far.

 

As per usual, Leivo is making the most of his relatively limited ice-time and producing at a borderline top-six rate. Once again, his underlying stats are better than the eye-test – which reveals a player prone to off-target passes – would support. He continues to justify his spot in the lineup.

 

Trade winds blew for Virtanen after an icy-cold start, but they’ve quieted down of late after a three-goals-in-three-games run and a return to the #ShotgunJake swagger of 2018/19. He worked hard to earn an opportunity on Horvat’s wing and appears to be making the most of it – suggesting that the best is yet to come for the local favourite.

 

Pearson started the 2019/20 season strong, but his pace has since cooled off considerably – and he now runs the risk of losing his spot in the top-six entirely. He just isn’t meshing with Horvat in quite the same way he was last year – though that torrid run was always going to end up being an anomaly.

 

Ferland ended October a lot stronger than he began it – but he also ended it with an injury earned in an unnecessary fight. Of all the offseason acquisitions, Ferland has proven to be the most disappointing – but his bargain contract counteracts any negativity to a certain degree. He’s still a player in need of a bounceback whenever he returns to the lineup.

 

Most expected Schaller to be further complicating the veteran situation in Utica right now, but he made the team fair-and-square out of training camp, and now he’s tied for fourth on the team in goals with Elias Pettersson. He’s also been a big part of the team’s dynamite PK corps, and has performed much better in terms of possession than he did last year – but his game continues to have obvious flaws, including dumb penalties.

 

Beagle is what Beagle is – a prototypical fourth line center who can chip in a modicum of offense and eat up defensive minutes. He’s performed a little better on the penalty kill that most would have anticipated, but other than that he’s been exactly what he’s always been.

 

Gaudette had a brilliant preseason and forced his way onto the team, but he’s struggled to stay in the lineup since – and looked a bit overwhelmed when he has hit the ice. His status as an everyday NHLer will likely remain in flux throughout 2019/20 – but it’s hard to call that a disappointment for someone Gaudette’s age.

 

Motte has stood out on the Canucks’ penalty kill since returning from injury, but that’s about it. He’s in real danger of losing his spot entirely when Roussel comes back – though he still appears to have the trust of coach Travis Green.

 

It’s tough to say that Eriksson’s season has truly been a disappointment, but we’re still not giving him anything other than an ‘F.’

 

Expectations were sky-high for the Canucks’ third super-rookie in as many seasons, but Hughes has still managed to blow them out of the water. He ends October tied for the lead in rookie scoring and his presence single-handedly fixed the team’s powerplay – not bad for a guy who turned 20 partway through the month.

 

Edler remains an enigma, seeming to get better with age. He’s pulling down inhuman minutes once again, driving play, and continuing to pile up points despite being bumped off the top powerplay unit by Hughes. Most importantly, he’s stayed healthy thus far.

 

The most optimistic in the fanbase predicted that Tanev would prove the perfect partner for Hughes, and that’s exactly what’s transpired. Tanev’s steady veteran presence has allowed for a smooth transition into the league for his young teammate, and he’s also played a vital role in the Canucks’ top-flight PK.

 

The defensive gaffes that Canucks fans were warned about are definitely abound in Myers’ game – but so is an ability to drive the play in the right direction that is far greater than advertised. Thus far, Myers looks good enough to justify a contract that was laughed at in some circles – and that has to take a lot of pressure off the newly-extended Jim Benning.

 

Stecher’s deployment has been the most disappointing component of his season thus far, but some responsibility remains on his shoulders. He’s looking like a strong option on the bottom-pairing, but he’s also not doing anything to force his way further up the lineup. At the very least, the trade rumours surrounding him have all but disappeared.

 

Benn is playing fine relative to the rest of his career in the NHL, but expectations for him were probably a bit higher than they should have been due to his abnormal scoring rate in 2018/19. He’s been more than good enough on the bottom-pairing and on the penalty kill, but it probably wouldn’t hurt if he could reignite at least some of that offense.

 

Despite his high-scoring teammates, Markstrom is again widely-regarded as the team’s MVP – and Brian Burke of all people recently referred to him as the best goalie in the league. A pedestrian performance against Washington and his surprisingly mundane statline are the only things separating Markstrom from a perfect score.

 

Demko has been everything the Canucks could have asked for in a backup goalie. He ends the month of October second in the league for both save percentage and goals-against-average – trailing just Tuukka Rask in each category. When Markstrom was away on a personal matter, Demko stood tall – showing that he’s ready to carry a heavier load throughout the remainder of the season.