Overvalued: Ryan Miller, G
Miller has fallen far from the player who won the Vezina Trophy in 2009-10 and was most valuable player of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The 36-year-old won at least 30 games in seven straight seasons from 2005-12 but has been a shell of his former self ever since. Miller was 29-15-1 in 2014-15, his first season with the Canucks, but had a 2.53 GAA and .911 save percentage. He is an injury risk, having missed seven weeks with a knee injury two seasons ago. That, combined with the fact the Canucks ranked 23rd in the League in goals against (2.91 per game) and were second-to-last in scoring (2.27), makes it difficult to justify drafting Miller.
Sleeper: Philip Larsen, D
Larsen last played in the NHL in 2013-14 with the Edmonton Oilers and had three goals and nine assists in 30 games. He has eight goals and 23 assists in 125 games over five NHL seasons. The 26-year-old spent the past two seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League but will be a top-six defenseman with the Canucks and is like to quarterback their first power-play unit. General manager Jim Benning told the Canucks website that Larsen is "a skilled, right-shot defenseman who can anchor a power play," and they have high hopes for him. Larsen has 10 NHL power-play points but should eclipse that total and help the Canucks improve on a man-advantage that ranked 27th in the League (15.8 percent).
Bounce-back: Brandon Sutter, C
After increasing his point total for three straight seasons (19 in 2012-13, 26 in 2013-14, 33 in 2014-15), Sutter had nine points in 20 games last season. He missed time because of sports hernia surgery and a broken jaw, but he shouldn't be forgotten. The center had 21 goals with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014-15 and plays in all situations. Despite limited game action, he had a power-play goal, a shorthanded goal and two game-winning goals. Sutter has 194 NHL points, with 31 on the power play and 12 shorthanded. Even though Sutter is expected to center the third line with forwards Emerson Etem and Jannik Hansen, he could prove valuable if he can remain healthy.
Impact prospect: Nikita Tryamkin, D
Tryamkin had a goal and an assist with 10 penalty minutes in 13 games with the Canucks last season after he was signed in March. The 21-year-old is unusually large for a defenseman (6-foot-7, 228 pounds) and has good speed for his size. With defensemen Dan Hamhuis (Dallas Stars) and Yannik Weber (Nashville Predators) leaving, Tryamkin will have a good shot at making the opening night roster if he plays well enough in training camp and during preseason. He's not worth drafting but is definitely worth keeping an eye on in the early weeks.
