Welcome to the Vancouver Canucks 2022-23 report card series. In this series, we at The Hockey Writers look back at each Canucks player from the past season, break down how their campaign went and assign a letter grade reflective of their overall performance. This edition will focus on left winger Phil Di Giuseppe.
Di Giuseppe’s Road to Vancouver
After making his NHL debut in 2015 with the Carolina Hurricanes, Di Giuseppe has largely been a journeyman during his career. He played three years with the Hurricanes, half of a season in Nashville, and two seasons with the Rangers before signing with the Canucks on July 28, 2021. He spent all of last season playing for the Canucks’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, before signing a two-way deal in the summer of 2022 to stay with Vancouver.
Related: Canucks 2022-23 Report Cards: Vitali Kravtsov
Not making the opening day roster, Di Giuseppe found himself in Abbotsford to start the 2022-23 campaign before being called up to the Canucks on Jan. 25, 2023. It was the perfect opportunity for him to show he was worth keeping for the Canucks and he made the most of it.
Di Giuseppe’s Play Under Rick Tocchet
The Canucks were well out of playoff contention when Rick Tocchet was hired as head coach of the Canucks on Jan. 22, 2023, just three days prior to Di Giuseppe’s promotion. Vancouver called up a plethora of Abbotsford players to see who could be a contender to make the roster for next season. After scoring 32 points in 37 AHL games, Di Giuseppe built off that success in Vancouver; tallying 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 30 games. His impact was felt both offensively and defensively as his 51.3 Corsi for Percent ranked sixth among all Canucks who had played at least 10 games.
Di Giuseppe has always been known as an offensive player but he showed promise on the defensive side of the puck as well. His 1.2 even-strength defensive goals above replacement ranked fifth amongst all Canucks forwards. He consistently won puck battles along the boards, covered his assignments, and got his body in passing/shooting lanes, something that Tocchet adores. Di Giuseppe was never able to find ice time with former head coach Bruce Boudreau at the helm; but with Tocchet it was a much different story.
Di Giuseppe’s Future With Vancouver
Di Giuseppe’s play impressed the Canucks’ front office, who in return rewarded him with a two-year, two-way contract extension on March 12, 2023. “We are excited to have agreed to terms with Phillip for another two seasons,” said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin. “He has been a reliable forward when called upon in Vancouver this year and has been an impactful player and leader with Abbotsford each of the past two seasons.”
Di Giuseppe’s cap hit will be $775,000 for the Canucks and $500,000 if playing in the AHL. His play this season warrants both the term and the money attached to the deal, giving the Canucks a solid depth forward at a good value. Despite a brief two-week AHL stint in late February (a move that was made to allow Aatu Räty get some NHL minutes), Di Giuseppe showed that he should be a Canuck for the foreseeable future. The Canucks’ third and fourth lines struggled throughout the season on both ends of the ice but improved with Di Giuseppe’s arrival. As of right now, Vancouver still has some holes to fill in their bottom two lines and Di Giuseppe should slot right into one of them.
Final Grade for Di Giuseppe: A-
Now, Di Giuseppe’s numbers were not elite by any means. He was not the near point-per-game scorer that he was in the AHL while with the Canucks, but he was exactly what Vancouver was looking for: a bottom-six forward with two-way potential. From Di Giuseppe’s perspective, you could argue he had an A+ type of season. After bouncing around the league before landing in Vancouver, he took his opportunity with the Canucks and made the most of it; rewarding him with stability over the next two seasons. He should be a mainstay with Vancouver in 2023-24, helping them contend for a playoff position.
Analytics Provided By: MoneyPuck, Evolving-Hockey, Hockey-Reference
