Kiefer Sherwood's Proving to the Nashville Predators Why They Should've Signed Him When They Had the Chance

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Maverick Mitchell
November 7, 2024 (1:52 PM)

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The Vancouver Canucks Acquiring former Nashville Predators forward and free-agent Kiefer Sherwood in the offseason is turning out to be one of the best value signings in recent memory for general manager Patrik Allvin.

Sherwood is now proving to the Nashville Predators that they should have chosen to extend him to a contract when they had the chance, because for the Canucks this season, he is turning out to be a wrecking ball and major bright spot in the lineup.

«He's been a bright spot with our team because he just adds that juice,» Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said after the Canucks practised here ahead of Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. «Even when our team's a little quiet, he's chirping on the bench. He's getting people that usually don't talk much on our bench, talking. So it's contagious. I talked to him in the summer three or four times, and he said he had some offensive game. And you can see that he has it.

Kiefer Sherwood is playing with a chip on his shoulder

«In Nashville, my first year I thought that I finally was ready to be an everyday player in the NHL, and then I got sent down (to the minors) and kind of lost my way a little bit,» Sherwood, the Vancouver Canucks winger, said Wednesday. «But that's when I had to figure out what identity I needed to bring. That was a really tough time, but I tried to use it as more fuel for the fire.

«I really worked on just trying to understand how to be impactful and what kind of energy to bring that's going to help the team. It's not always about producing points. For a guy like me, I'm not going to be getting power-play or top-six minutes. So it's about contributing and finding a way that is impactful to help teams win games.»

The Canucks signed Sherwood to a 2-year, $3 million deal with a AAV cap hit of $1.5 million a season. Not only is he proving that he can hit and be a force to reckon with on the ice, but his offensive game is flourishing just as much.

Through 11 games with the Canucks this season, he looks like a man on a mission as Sherwood leads the NHL in hits (72). If he continues at this pace, he will finish the season with 537 checks, which he would absolutely destroy the single season record of 383, previously set by his former predators teammate, Jeremy Lauzon.

As stated above, he is not only just playing the physical game, but also getting it done offensively, he has recorded 3 goals and 4 assists in those 11 games and has shown his 200 foot game achieving a +/- rating of +3.

He has become a full on fan favorite and the Nashville Predators must not be to pleased with themselves for letting him go so easily.