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His teammates call him “Eagle,” supposedly because he reminded Trevor Linden of a baby bird when he was a rookie. Sometimes it instead seems like Alex Edler should be named for the stoic Sam the Eagle from the Muppet Show, albeit with less of a tendency to get rattled by things that aren’t wholesome, dignified, and cultural.
Edler is notorious for his quiet, reserved nature. The first time I had a chance to interview Canucks players in person, I asked to talk to Edler. The other members of the media literally laughed out loud, knowing how unlikely it was that Edler would give a good quote. They were right; Edler seemed almost sorry as he answered my questions, shrugging apologetically as if he knew his brief answers weren’t much help with the article I had hoped to write.
Perhaps that’s why so few people are talking about just how good Edler has been lately for the Canucks. The man of few words has had few words written about him this year.
Since the start of 2018, Edler has been dialled in. He has 11 points in 16 games, including a five-game point streak. In those 16 games, Edler has 56 shots on goal. Only Brent Burns has had more among defencemen.
That run of scoring has brought Edler closer to the franchise record for defenceman scoring. Edler is just one point behind Dennis Kearns and Jyrki Lumme for second all-time in scoring by a Canucks defenceman, and just five points behind Mattias Ohlund for first.
With 28 games remaining, Edler should be number one on that list before the end of the season.
It’s not just points; Edler has been outstanding in every facet of the game in 2018 and has been getting increased ice time as a result. It helps that he’s been reunited with his defence partner from last season, Troy Stecher. That duo has been the Canucks most consistently good pairing — not perfect every game, but always at least good, even while facing tough minutes. The lone exception? Their most recent game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Edler has also been on his game on special teams, limiting chances on the penalty kill and facilitating from the point on the power play. Having Brock Boeser at the left faceoff circle obviously helps with the man advantage, but Edler has been smart with his puck distribution, with the power play continuing to produce even as defences key in on Boeser and his shot.
I spoke to Daniel Sedin earlier in the season about Edler and the lack of respect he sometimes gets from the Canucks fanbase. “He can put up points, he can defend, he blocks shots, plays PK, plays power play,” he said. “He can do it all out there and that’s rare to see in a defenceman. The guys in here really respect him and have for a long time.”
It’s about time he gets the same respect from the fans.
Stick-taps and Glove-drops
A tap of the stick to Canucks prospect Adam Gaudette, who was named the NCAA’s player of the month for January. Gaudette currently leads the NCAA in scoring and had seven goals and 14 points in eight January games.
Dropping the gloves with Canucks management preemptively, just in case they’re thinking of repeating the 2016 trade deadline when they didn’t move Radim Vrbata and Dan Hamhuis by hanging onto Thomas Vanek and Erik Gudbranson. Don’t make the same mistakes.
Big Numbers
+8 - Bo Horvat has drawn ten minor penalties this season and taken just two himself, giving the Canucks 8 more power plays than he’s given the opposition. His plus-8 leads the Canucks and is one of the best penalty differentials in the NHL.
.836 - The Canucks’ goaltending has struggled all season, but it’s been at its worst on the penalty kill. Anders Nilsson and Jacob Markstrom have combined to post an .836 save percentage while shorthanded, with only the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers posting worse numbers.
