Canucks Advent Day 9 : Top 25 Players Of The 2010’s

Overtime Heroics Editorial

1393 days ago

With Christmas on the horizon and the decade coming to a close, it is the perfect time to rank the best Canucks of the 2010’s. This is the Canucks Advent Calendar.

Each day until Christmas I will rank one player until we have the top 25 of the 2010’s. These Vancouver icons will be ranked on their statistics, impact on the city and overall play during their time with Vancouver. Rankings will be based on the player’s Vancouver tenure during the 2010’s only, prior seasons with the team will make little impact to the rankings.

17. Jannik Hansen (2007-2017)

Former Canucks’ winger Jannik Hansen (36) celebrating | Photo Credit: Canucks Army

Statistics: 565 GP, 105 G, 130 A, 235 PTS

Drafted in the ninth round and born an unlikely hockey country he defied all odds. The ‘Danish Army Knife’ Jannik Hansen competed in Vancouver for the better part of this decade. The key-phrase there is ‘compete’. Hansen was never the most skilled player on the ice but he was versitle, humble and definitely knew how to compete.

After being selected in 2004, Hansen did not play in a Canucks sweater until the 2007-08 campaign where he would lace up his skates five times. It was during the 2010-11 that Hansen would play his first 82-game season with Vancouver. This was a perfect time for him as it would be the first time in almost 20 years that the Canucks would make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Although Vancouver would lose the series, this would prove to be a crucial moment for the Dane.

Throughout this postseason campaign, Hansen was one of the lucky Canucks that stayed healthy. He had an solid 9 points as a third-liner through his 25 games. This would prime Hansen to put up his career-high in points the following season. For a third-liner, 39 points was an exceptional output during the 2011-12 year.

Former Canucks’ winger Jannik Hansen (36) getting prepared before puck drop | Photo Credit: tsn.ca

For the next several seasons Vancouver’s play dwindled. Hansen was able to maintain the level of hockey he was used to during this time. He would continue to have similar offensive through multiple seasons. This would change in 2015-16. Hansen scored a career-high 22 goals while playing parts of the season with the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel. Hansen was able to do this through only 67 games. This was undeniably the ‘Danish Army Knife’s’ best offensive season.

A rebuilding Canucks roster decided to trade the aging Hansen during the following season. With this being said, Hansen’s legacy with Vancouver has already been established. He was a hardworking athlete who knew how to compete up-and-down the lineup. He defied the odds and made it to NHL and even the Stanley Cup Final. Hansen stayed in Vancouver through thick and thin and gave everything he had to the team. For these reasons, Jannik Hansen is the 17th most impactful Canuck of the 2010’s.