Yannick Weber was supposed to reaffirm what looked to be an already stated case as a full-time NHL defenceman this season.

There wasn’t much left to prove, but that always elusive element of consistency would have gone a long way in cementing what already had been. From the season’s onset though it slipped through Weber’s fingers and forced the Canucks hand as they relented ice-time and relinquished his roster spot entirely by February.

Though his even-strength production cratered to near-nothingness, it was his inability to chip in on the man advantage that likely drove the final nail in his coffin. His 13 points with the man advantage just a season prior shrivelled to 5 this season, without so much as a single goal to show for his troubles. 

Rightly or wrongly, Weber’s ability to sustain any amount of long-term success at the NHL level was always going to be tied to his power play contributions. Such is the plight of the specialist. That doesn’t necessarily mean this jack of one trade was a master of none, though. In fact, there’s ample evidence to suggest that Weber contributed above several of the players he found himself behind on the Canucks depth chart last season.

The Weber ship has likely sailed from Vancouver but as we rewind the season it will become increasingly clear that there should be room for him elsewhere. Preferably in the NHL, even.

Not a single goal. Zip and zilch. That’s less than ideal when you’ve carved your role within the roster as a right-handed cannon from the point. So are the declining shot totals, which prorated represent a bit of a step down over the course of an 82 game season.

Among regular Canucks defenders, only Chris Tanev (49%) and Dan Hamhuis (49.4%) had a higher score-adjusted Corsi for percentage – Weber registered a 47.5%. And while the Canucks were still a negative possession team with Weber on the ice, they fared much better with him than without, as his 1% CF%Rel indicates.

The underlying goal data isn’t nearly as fond of Weber. The Canucks controlled nine percent fewer of the goals scored at even strength with Weber on the ice this season, than last. That’s a massive drop. Usually, one might expect a coinciding drop in on-ice save percentage, but that just isn’t the case. Weber’s on-ice save percentage actually improved this season, from 91.3 to 91.9.

Scoring chance data is a good look for Weber. He’s the third best Canucks defender by this mark. Perhaps most surprising, though, is that Weber was doing his best work by suppressing scoring chances. His 28.2 SCA60 is the third-lowest mark among regular Canucks defenders.

Not an awful lot to see here. I mean, could Weber have left less of a mark on the Canucks ability to control unblocked shot attempts? His FF%Rel of 0 suggests the answer is probably no. I mean, by that same token, he wasn’t hurting the Canucks through the lens of this metric.

Weber might not be the top four defender that he showed himself to be in the waning months of the 2014-15 season, but he’s nowhere near as far off as this season might suggest. His lack of size and inability to box out the opposition means proving himself will always be an uphill battle. The short leash Vancouver held Weber on this season attests to as much.

If the goal of a defender is to auger favourable shot and goal differentials, then most lineups could benefit from having a player like Weber on their third pairing. Less so if we’re talking about Weber’s ability to control favourable scrum differentials. 

Best of luck to Weber wherever he lands. I’m less certain than I likely should be that it’s in the NHL, but I’ve been wrong before. Here’s hoping for another such occasion.