Most Likely to Succeed: Vancouver Canucks

Most likely to Succeed is our newest series which points out one player from every team and explains why that player is poised to increase their point totals. While some teams may have more than one player likely to breakout and some none, we will focus on the ones who actually should improve with a full healthy season. File this article under a sleeper-type but sleepers would not be called that if people saw them coming.

There was a saying last year in Vancouver: Everything Samuelsson touches turns to goal.

Keep that phrase in mind when considering a 30 goal scorer, who will likely to play on a line with the Sedin’s, is still available in the 15th round of standard Yahoo! leagues.  His 30 goal campaign was much higher than his career totals but he formerly was an excellent supplementary player for a number of years in Detroit.  The increase in goals may seem to be an aberration but winging next to the Sedins vaulted Alex Burrows into an elite player and he is expected to miss the beginning of the season.

For at least the beginning of the season, Mikael Samuelsson would be a strong play.  His interest by other general managers may be waning as they lump him into the same class as Jussi Jokinen and Matt Moulson.