Kiefer Sherwood is already proving to be one of the Vancouver Canucks’ best value signings in recent memory.
Sherwood has quickly found a home on the Canucks’ third line playing alongside Teddy Blueger and Danton Heinen. The line was dynamite on Tuesday night during the club’s 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, where Sherwood scored his third goal of the season.
With three goals and four assists through his first 11 games, Sherwood already has more goals than some of the league’s biggest names… and contracts. Here are 12 NHLers that Kiefer Sherwood ($1.5 million cap hit for this season and next) has more goals than to begin the 2024-25 season.
Mat Barzal — $9.15 million cap hit
It’s been a rocky start to the 2024-25 season for both Mat Barzal and the New York Islanders. Through 10 games, Barzal has just two goals, three assists, and a -3 plus-minus rating. The Isles are 5-6-2 so far this season and currently sit 6th in the Metropolitan Division.
If only they had signed Kiefer Sherwood…
Mitch Marner — $10.903 million cap hit
The playoffs have appeared to come early for Mitch Marner, as he currently sits at just two goals on the season. Now, he also has 14 assists through his first 14 games this season, meaning he’s at 16 points, a fine regular season output.
His goal total currently has him on pace for 12 for the season though, which is obviously very low and would be a career-worst. He’ll turn it around soon, in all likelihood.
Alex Killorn — $6.25 million cap hit
We wouldn’t fault you if it’s news to you that Alex Killorn played in Tuesday night’s game between the Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks. Signed as a free agent during the 2023 offseason, Killorn’s first year in Anaheim was a career-wost from a point producing perspective, and his second year with the Ducks doesn’t look like it’s going to be much better.
With just two goals and one assist through 12 games, Killorn doesn’t look like he’ll be a part of the solution to a miserable situation in Anaheim, where the Ducks look poised to miss the playoffs for the seventh year in a row.
The question needs to be asked: is letting Kiefer Sherwood go after the 2019-20 season the reason for the Ducks’ downfall?
Patrick Kane — $4 million cap hit
We get it. Patrick Kane is old and isn’t what he used to be.
But he still inked a contract with the Detroit Red Wings this past offseason to put goals in the opposition’s net, and so far, he hasn’t done much of that. After putting up 20 goals and 27 assists through 50 games with Detroit last year, Kane is on pace for 15 goals and 45 assists over 82 games, which would be a career low in both goals per game and points per game for the 35-year-old.
The Wings are also a mess, and you guessed it: are likely kicking themselves over not signing Kiefer Sherwood.
Mikael Backlund — $4.5 million cap hit
The Calgary Flames’ captain isn’t really known for his goal scoring ability, but with two goals and four assists through 13 games this season, he’s producing less total points than Sherwood on both a per game and a total points basis.
We could just say “the Flames wish they’d signed Sherwood”, but as we work through this exercise, it’s becoming increasingly clear that there’s not really a team in the league where Sherwood wouldn’t be a good fit.
Steven Stamkos — $8 million cap hit
Ha. Ha. Ha. That’s me doing a slow Captain Holt-like laugh.
The Nashville Predators elected to let Sherwood walk in free agency and signed Steven Stamkos to a four-year contract instead. Okay, maybe not “instead”, as both signings likely could have happened, but at the end of the day, Stamkos is in Nashville and Sherwood isn’t. Stamkos has just two goals and three assists through 12 games, and with talk of a firesale already starting up for the 4-7-1 Predators, you have to wonder if losing Kiefer Sherwood absolutely destroyed that team.
Zach Hyman — $5.5 million cap hit
With just two goals and two assists through 13 games, Zach Hyman’s follow-up to his 54-goal 2023-24 campaign has fallen flatter than anyone could have expected. It’s also worth mentioning that the Oilers are currently paying Darnell Nurse $9.25 million until the 2029-30 season.
Not because it helps this story at all, it’s just fun to mention it whenever possible.
Vladimir Tarasenko — $4.75 million cap hit
Similar to Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko is an older player who has not scored many goals that the Detroit Red Wings are paying to score goals. Two goals and one assist through ten games is bleak output from the 32-year-old, and perhaps more than anyone, the Detroit Red Wings are wondering how they let Kiefer Sherwood slip through the cracks during free agency.
Trevor Zegras — $5.75 million cap hit
As with Killorn, we wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t know that you watched a game featuring Trevor Zegras last night. In fact, the most memorable thing Zegras did last night was get mixed up with Kiefer Sherwood before skating away and chirping Sherwood from a safe distance.
Zegras also threw a sneaky elbow into Conor Garland’s jaw, and it gives me great joy to report that he’s got one goal and two assists through 12 games.
Also, get a haircut.
Elias Lindholm — $7.75 million cap hit
Elias Lindholm’s NHL track record and playoff performance with the Vancouver Canucks was enough for the Boston Bruins to feel comfortable handing him a seven-year deal worth $54.25 million in free agency.
After a decent start with the Bruins, Lindholm’s production has cooled, as he went seven games without a point after starting his season with five points in his first three games as a Bruin. He hasn’t scored a goal since October 12th, and his other goal on the season came on October 10th.
That new contract isn’t off to the best start.
Carter Verhaege — $4.16 million, soon to be $7 million cap hit
Signed to a shiny new eight-year contract extension at $7 million annually not long ago, Carter Verhaege is off to a bit of a slow start with the Florida Panthers. Verhaege’s last two years with the Panthers saw him pot 34 and 42 goals respectively, and his extension is one that many believe could be at least a comparable for the deal Brock Boeser needs to sign with the Vancouver Canucks after this season.
So far though, Verhaege’s got just two goals and six assists through 13 games, putting him on a pace that would equate to his worst season as a Panther. Hopefully he turns it around before the extension kicks in and expectations become even higher.
Speaking of which…
Elias Pettersson — $11.6 million cap hit
You’ve seen, heard, and read enough about Elias Pettersson’s struggles, so we will just leave this one here.
At least Kiefer Sherwood is outscoring all the names mentioned above, right?
Right?!
Of course, one thing Sherwood has more of than anyone in the league is hits. It’s flat-out rare to get the mix of physicality and offence that Sherwood is bringing to the Canucks right now, and so far, this signing has worked out even better than anyone could have ever imagined.
