For years, many Canucks fans counted down the day to June 30, 2024 when Tyler Myers hefty contract would come off the books and the towering defenceman would no longer ply his trade in Vancouver. Then days before Myers was set to become an unrestricted free agent, the Canucks re-signed the 34-year-old to a three-year extension worth $3M a season – half of what he’d been making on his last deal. The Myers redemption arc in Vancouver has been remarkable. Where once many wanted to run him out of town, now Myers looks poised to play a top-4 role on a team with designs on pushing for the Stanley Cup.
The veteran blueliner is coming off his best statistical season in a Canucks uniform having scored five times and adding 24 assists. And in his first full season under the tutelage of Rick Tocchet and Adam Foote, Myers went from -16 in the 2022-23 season to +16 in 77 games last season.
Tocchet’s structured system and Foote’s attention to detail and devotion to working with individuals seemed to have brought out something close to the best in Myers. The challenge will be keeping his game at a relatively high level and continuing to have him play smart, safe hockey while limiting costly errors that plagued him regularly in earlier seasons with the Canucks.
The ageing curve can be cruel and Father Time comes for everyone at some point in their NHL careers. The Canucks granted Myers term on his new contract to keep the annual average value down. They don’t have to concern themselves with the final two years of the deal right now. It’s all about getting the most of Myers in the first season of the new pact.
Tyler Myers: Exceeding expectations in 2024-25
Less proved to be more for Myers last season. He logged the lowest average ice time of his lengthy career (18:57) and it seemed to serve him well. But that was on a blueline that included Nikita Zadorov. Big Z is no longer in the mix and more may be asked of Myers and his likely defensive partner Carson Soucy next season. Those two often shouldered the shutdown role in the playoffs and managed to keep Connor McDavid in check – for the most part – in seven games against Edmonton.
They used their size and length to keep opponents to the perimeter and were disruptive whenever possible at the blueline to deny zone entries. It wasn’t always pretty and it led to some long shifts as the duo denied puck movement to the middle of the ice, but found themselves pinned in their own end for lengthy stretches. For Myers to excel next season, he’ll need to be able to spend less time defending, whether that’s preventing the puck from entering his zone or finding a way to move it out when he has the chance. With Zadorov and Ian Cole both moving on, Myers will likely be asked to handle a significant share of their penalty-killing minutes.
He was second on the team in total short-handed ice time and short-handed minutes per game last season. Penalty killing is an area the Canucks feel they need to improve, and Myers’ role in that will likely be significant. At this stage of his career, Myers will not be judged on counting statistics. If he pitches in with anything close to last season, that will be gravy. He needs to be a physical force every night, a loud voice in the leadership circle and he has to lean into his vast experience and utilize his size effectively to help the Canucks make life as easy as possible on their netminders.
The Canucks outscored opponents by eight at 5-on-5 last season despite controlling 49% of all shot attempts with Myers on the ice. Can he boost his individual Corsi to the right side of 50% and keep that goal share in the positive? If Myers can check both those boxes and help the Canucks progress further in the playoffs next spring, he will have exceeded expectations.
Tyler Myers: Meeting expectations in 2024-25
With Tyler Myers at this stage of his career, you have a pretty good idea of what you’re getting. And part of that package is penalties. He had a career-high 77 penalty minutes last season and that followed the 76 accumulated the season before. That’s a troubling trend, but perhaps one that shouldn’t be a surprise for a veteran trying to defend against some of the top players in the game.
Myers was third among all NHL defensemen in minor penalties taken which is a double-whammy for the Canucks. First of all, it puts the team down a man too often. And second, he’s expected to be a part of their penalty kill which is hard to do when you’re the guy in the box. Myers showed in the playoffs, however, that he could stay on the right side of the rules taking just three minor penalties in a dozen games. The Canucks need more of that Myers next season. If he can limit the trips to the box and find a way to keep up with the pace of the game in Rick Tocchet’s system, Myers can likely provide the Canucks quality minutes on many nights next season.
There are bound to be some miscues. That comes with the territory and with a player at this stage of his career. Myers has to find a way to control the costly gaffes and hope that when mistakes happen a teammate is in position to clean up the mess. The Canucks don’t need Tyler Myers to be a star, but if he assumes a top four role on a nightly basis he will have to hold his own defensively if this team is going to thrive. The team felt his play last season warranted a three-year extension, the expectation is that there will be no drop off and really no discernible difference in the way Myers performed last season to earn the new contract.
Tyler Myers: Below expectations in 2024-25
Tyler Myers turns 35 next February. There were only 11 defencemen aged 35 or older in the the NHL last season and for many, the end is near. Mark Giordano was the oldest player in the league at 40 then you’re looking at the likes of Ryan Suter (39), Alex Goligoski (38) and others like Marc Staal (37) and Marc-Edouard Vlassic (36). Brent Burns seems to be the outlier recording 43 points at the age of 38.
But the bottom line is that defending in the NHL is tough regardless of a player’s age but especially so as the years stack up. That’s going to be the challenge for Tyler Myers in the years ahead. He skates well for a big man and he’ll need that mobility to contend with speedy forwards. But what if he loses a step – or if his skating legs leave him altogether? That’s when he’s forced to hook and hold and take those penalties that have become an increasing part of his game in recent years. That could spell trouble for the hockey club.
If Myers was sheltered in a third pair role, he wouldn’t have to match-up with the quality of opponents he will as a top 4 defenceman. And on the road, teams may choose to attack the ageing blueliner if his game is exhibiting signs of decline. The Canucks look like they’ll start the season with the defencemen they have on the roster, although an upgrade on the backend has to be high on their priority list.
If they can find a 3/4 through trade, perhaps Myers will find himself dropped a little lower in the line-up. If the big man struggles early in the season, the club may have no choice but to explore trade options. In the meantime, the Canucks look like they’ve got a Myers clone waiting in the wings in Vincent Desharnais who will surely be pushing for increased ice time. Perhaps that internal competition will bring out the best in Myers. The Canucks have to be hoping so.
Goals for Tyler Myers in 2024-25
It’s difficult to establish quantifiable goals for a veteran defenceman like Myers. Ideally, he will contribute offence at a rate similar to last season, but at this stage of his career, he shouldn’t be expected to be a big point producer. As such, the season goals for Myers are a little more general in nature than those of many of his teammates:
*effectively fill a top four role for an entire 82-game schedule
*limit the number of penalties taken
*maintain a positive goal share at 5-on-5
*help Canucks improve penalty kill to above league average
*participate in his 1000th NHL game early in the season
*do his part to aid the Canucks in advancing further in the Stanley Cup Playoffs than they did last season
Tyler Myers is getting set to start his 16th NHL season in October and his sixth in Vancouver. The Canucks will need him to perform at or near the level he did last season if this team is going to take strides in the right direction.
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