Myers shows he’s a student of the game
Canucks defenceman ‘open to learning and has been a nice addition,’ coach says
WINNIPEG Tyler Myers has won the Calder Trophy and won admiration for addressing his shortcomings.
However, winning over those obsessed by analytical assessments of every shift has been as difficult for the towering Vancouver Canucks defenceman as shutting down the game’s great players.
Whether it’s boxing out down low, executing a good first pass or knowing when or when not to pinch, there’s always scrutiny. And when you’re six foot eight, you stand out because size can be a benefit or detriment to maintain body position and proper pace in today’s lightning-quick NHL game.
When Myers faces his former club today as the Canucks conclude a five-game trip, he could adopt an attitude.
He’s been in the league long enough and doesn’t need to be told what to do or how to do it.
But that’s not the case. Myers, who turns 30 on Feb. 1, continues to turn his attention to getting better.
Part of it was watching how big men like the six-foot-nine Zdeno Chara and the retired six-foot-six Chris Pronger went about their craft. But the bigger part is having an open mind to improve.
“Man, he embraces that hard,” said Canucks coach Travis Green. “We do a lot of video and he enjoys it. The game is constantly changing. The D-zone coverages are a little different and offensive-zone plays and how you play in that zone has really changed over the last few years.
“Guys who have been in the league for a while have to be smart enough to understand that. And that’s the good thing about Myers: he’s really open to learning and has been a nice addition.”
And clearly, there’s still a lot to learn.
The Canucks are at their best playing a north-south game that places a premium on pressuring the opposition. Forecheckers and pinching defencemen are supposed to create turnovers and scoring chances. Sometimes they do and sometimes blue-liners are caught up ice and if there’s not a forward in support, there’s trouble.
“It’s important for any team to be aggressive on the forecheck and part of that is the D -man pinching down on the half wall,” said Myers. “It’s partly on us (defencemen) to make sure we have coverage and a lot on F3 (high forward) to make sure he’s there.
“We want to be aggressive — it’s the strength of our team — and it’s just making sure we back each other up.”
And when they don’t and oddman rushes turn into goals, school is back in session.
If you tell me to do something, I’ll do it right away. It’s something I take pride in. I want to get better. And the communication is what I was looking for.
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“I’ve done a lot of work with Baums (assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner) to get in the right frame of mind and it’s been going really well the last 15 or 20 games. I feel real comfortable,” said Myers, who has 15 points (4-11) in 45 games, leads club defencemen in take-aways, is second in hits and third in blocked shots.
“We watch a lot of video. I find I respond to it very well — even if it’s 30 seconds and showing me one clip. I told them (Canucks) in our meeting last summer that I love communication. If you tell me to do something, I’ll do it right away. It’s something I take pride in.
“I want to get better. And the communication is what I was looking for.”
When Myers signed a five-year, US$30-million free-agent contract on July 1, the Canucks were banking on him taking gap control, engagement and an underrated shot to another level after leaving the Winnipeg Jets.
He had 31 points (9-22) and averaged 20:21 of ice time last season, but when Josh Morrissey and Dustin Byfuglien were injured, Myers logged more minutes against better players.
His Corsi for percentage for puck control took a hit (48.4) as the club surrendered more slot shots.
Myers was also third in hits among Jets defencemen last season, fourth in blocked shots and third in both take-aways and giveaways.
This season, improvements have been methodical.
Myers has whittled down his plus-minus rating to minus-1 and has grinded away at a 48.6 per cent Corsi for puck control at even strength.
He even struck for two goals and an assist on Dec. 29 at Calgary.
Myers won’t replicate his strong Calder-winning rookie campaign of 48 points (11-37) with the Buffalo Sabres in the 2009-10 season, but he can get better by being a sponge.
Watching Chara do his thing has helped.
“There are things I can use to my advantage with the reach I have with my stick and the size,” said Myers.
“I watch how (Chara) positions himself and he never seems like he gets in trouble because he knows where to put his body.”
And any scoring is a trickle-down effect of doing everything else right.
“It’s a mindset and a lot of it comes with confidence,” said Myers.
“I was adjusting to our system more than I thought I would be at the start of the season.
“You don’t realize that systems you played before are still deep inside your subconscious and you fall into that sometimes when it’s not the system you’re supposed to be playing.”
Class dismissed.