Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Sheldon Dries is low upkeep, low value, high-drive survivor

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We’re trying again on the 2022-23 Vancouver Canucks with a spotlight in the present day on Sheldon Dries. Within the coming weeks, we are going to break down the season and try how participant conditions undertaking going into 2023-24.

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Sheldon Dries

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Age: 29
Place: Centre
Profession stats: GP: 122; G: 16; A: 10; Pts: 26
Contract standing: A 12 months remaining on two-year, two-way, $1.525-million US Canucks contract signed June 27, 2022. Carries $762,500 wage cap hit at NHL degree.
Expiry Standing: Unrestricted free agent.

Rick Tocchet is making an attempt to resolve a riddle within the center.

The precedence on a want listing for the Vancouver Canucks’ head coach is a third-line centre with dimension, velocity, power, compete degree, and an occasional scoring contact. That may be exhausting to search out.

You may overpay in free company or lose beneficial property by way of an offseason commerce. For the cash-strapped Canucks, neither choice is viable until they create salary-cap house by lowering a glut of wingers. Even that strategy comes with the peril of retaining wage or parting with draft picks.

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So, what’s real looking and what’s the fact?

“A grittier man who can settle issues down for positive,” stated Tocchet. “Whether or not it’s a few guys we’ve got, however can they fill that position? Or do we’ve got to exit and get it? I’d like a man who can take face-offs, apart from (J.T.) Miller and Petey (Elias Pettersson), and provides these guys some juice.”

Rookie centre Nils Aman, 23, had an admirable season in making a seamless transition from the Swedish Hockey League. He performed at tempo, learn the sport nicely, supported the forecheck, and was efficient in a penalty-kill pairing with Dakota Joshua.

Nonetheless, Aman is tall however slight, doesn’t possess a bodily chunk, managed 16 factors (4-12) in 68 video games, and had a poor 38.2 per cent face-off effectivity. It provides as much as perhaps getting look, however being extra of a fourth-line match with Joshua.

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Which brings us to the 29-year-old Sheldon Dries.

He’s not massive. He’s not bodily imposing. However he performs exhausting, can get to the online, and by no means complains.

The hockey survivor is a coach’s dream and salary-cap answer. He’s a low-maintenance, low-cost and high-energy 5-foot-9, 180-pound bowling ball.

Dries managed 4 of his 11 targets this season on the second power-play unit and had a 49.9 face-off share in a bottom-six position. He went on a heater with the Abbotsford Canucks within the 2021-22 AHL season with 62 factors (35-27) in 54 video games, however has at all times maintained a humble manner. No bragging.

“I wasn’t positive I used to be enjoying hockey after my senior 12 months,” stated Dries, who has a level in felony justice from Western Michigan and can finally coach on the U.S. faculty degree.

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“I used to be going to enlist within the police academy. I used to be a number of weeks out from that and Texas got here alongside and provided me an AHL deal. I took it for a 12 months and simply ran with it.”

After which he ran to the Colorado Avalanche and the Canucks.

“Lots of people believed I couldn’t be right here and I need to show them mistaken,” he stated.

How 2022-23 went: Endurance, perseverance, reward

Dries lived the re-assigned and re-called existence the primary month of this season earlier than settling into an everyday position with the Canucks as a flexible centre.

His persistence paid off by hitting NHL career-highs for targets (11), assists (6) and factors (17), which included a top-point evening (1-1) in opposition to the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche on Nov. 23 at Denver. He would common 11:32 of ice time, and performed as many as 15:04 and as little as 7:33. Alongside the best way, he was praised for his professionalism.

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“I actually admire these type of guys as a result of I’ve been by means of it myself as a participant,” stated former Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau. “Each time we despatched him down, he stated: ‘Don’t fear. I’ll have an excellent angle and I’ll work my butt off to be again’. And he has.

“Whenever you put him in any scenario, all he’s doing is giving it his finest. There’s no pouting.”

Tocchet had greater roster worries than Dries and that stated one thing. He wasn’t positive what he had in loads of his bottom-six gamers, however knew what Dries would convey within the room and on the ice. Name it a vote of confidence for now.

How the long run seems: Cap problem helps trigger

Can Dries proceed to be a short-term roster place-holder till Aatu Raty, 20, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound prime prospect in Abbotsford, matures into an NHL centre. Or will the Canucks go in a distinct course of their third-line centre quest and cut back Dries to extra-forward standing?

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Assuming Miller strikes again to the center, the Canucks have a very good one-two punch. Going exterior the group to kick the free-agent tires on winger Ivan Barbashev, 27, who may play centre ($2.5 million), or J.T. Compher, 28, ($3.5 million) will doubtless lead to low season sticker shock.

Biggest strengths: Provides you every thing he’s acquired. Some nights it’s adequate, some nights it’s not.

Biggest weak point: Puck management. Corsi-For of 45.3 per cent was eleventh amongst common membership forwards.

Is he commerce bait?: Subsequent query. A 12 months left on his contract at league-minus wage.

The large query: Will Canucks pay massive to search out third-line centre or maintain quest in home?

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Extra from Canucks beneath the Microscope sequence:

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• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Sheldon Dries
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Vitali Kravtsov
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Andrei Kuzmenko
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Vasily Podkolzin
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Kyle Burroughs
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: J.T. Miller
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Brock Boeser
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Jack Studnicka
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Quinn Hughes
• Canucks Beneath The Microscope: Nils Aman
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Anthony Beauvillier
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Dakota Joshua
• Canucks Beneath the Microscope: Conor Garland

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