Team Teal shipped prospect Nikolay Goldobin -- plus a 2017 fourth-round draft choice -- to Vancouver for Hansen, an industrious two-way winger who's averaged .417 points per game for his career, ahead of last season's trade deadline. Sharks GM Doug Wilson had hoped that luring the Danish vet to the Bay Area would lead to the franchise's first Stanley Cup, but Hansen sustained an undisclosed ailment ahead of the playoffs and contributed a lone assist over six games opposite the Oilers, who defeated the Sharks in Round 1. Still, Hansen's not your ordinary rental player considering he has another year left on a four-year, $10 million deal originally procured by the Canucks. With the Sharks' All-Time points leader in Patrick Marleau now settling in with the Maple Leafs, it very well could be Hansen who unites with established point-packers Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski on the top line. As a result, Hansen's fantasy ceiling is perhaps the highest it's ever been as he heads into his 11th year.
Hansen surprised many last season, exploding for a career-high 22 goals in 67 games. The speedy winger is known for being inconsistent, but he thrived at times throughout the year when he was used on the top line with the Sedin twins. While the offseason acquisition of Loui Eriksson puts Hansen’s top-line role in jeopardy, the Danish forward can still make an impact wherever he slots in. Hansen’s fantasy value takes a huge hit whenever he doesn’t play with the twins, so monitoring Vancouver’s current line combos is always important when dealing with him. While Vancouver does have some youth in the pipeline looking to take on bigger roles, Hansen could still be a productive fantasy player if he can stick in the top-six.
Although he set a new career high in shots on goal (145), Hansen largely delivered more of the same for the Canucks last year, tallying 33 points in a bottom-six role. Honestly, for the modest amount of playing time he sees, that's quite impressive offensive production, and it represents a noteworthy improvement over the prior campaign despite the fact that his ice time actually fell significantly. The speedy Dane isn't highly physical and isn't likely to suddenly break out at age 29, but as far as warm bodies in deep fantasy formats, he's a good one.
Not known as a huge point producer, Hansen recorded a disappointing 11 goals and 20 points in 70 games in his 2013-2014 campaign. He saw his ice time dip to 15:40, posting a career-low minus-9 rating. Despite averaging almost of minute of power play time a game, Hansen once again struggled with the man advantage, recording just one assist and failing to score what would have been just his second career power-play goal. The speedy winger has never hit 20 goals in a season and with the departure of former linemate Ryan Kesler to Anaheim, it’s hard to see him doing that this season. Hansen will likely play on Vancouver’s third line and should contribute with 10-15 goals and 20-30 points.
Hansen continued to show improvements in his game last season, finishing with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) and a plus-12 rating in 47 games. His 0.57 point-per-game pace and increased workload (17:33 minutes per game) easily set career highs, and he even managed to work his way into a solid role on the man advantage. Entering his age 27 season, the speedy winger appears set for a similar role on the Canucks second line and second or third power play unit, which should lead to an opportunity to maintain and even build on the improvements he made the past couple seasons. A sprained shoulder suffered during last season’s playoff finale isn’t expected to affect Hansen’s availability for the start of camp.
Hansen set career-high marks for the second consecutive season while bouncing between lines. He finished with 16 goals, 23 assists and a plus-18 rating in nearly 15 minutes per-game. The Canucks rolled out Hansen in nearly every role imaginable for a winger last season, even giving him some time with the Sedin Twins on the top line early in the season. He’ll likely settle into a second or third-line role with the team in 2012-13, giving him an opportunity to repeat his steady performance from last season.
Hansen finished the 2010-11 season with a career-high 29 points (9 G, 20 A), skating primarily with the third and fourth lines. His success was rewarded with a three-year, $4-million contract from the Canucks this summer. He doesn’t rack up many penalty minutes from his spot on the lower lines, but the 25-year-old has enough offensive upside to remain on radars in deep leagues that value grinders.
Hansen spent another season near the bottom of the Canucks’ depth chart, bouncing between the third and fourth lines while spending his fair share of time in the press box. With Pavol Demitra no longer in town, Hansen will have a chance to earn a regular spot on the Canucks’ third line. The 24-year-old winger showed off 20-goal potential at the AHL level in the past, so he’ll be worth a look in deeper leagues hoping to snatch a sleeper.
After a couple of seasons toiling in the AHL, Hansen finally stuck with the Canucks for an extended look last season. Unfortunately, he struggled with his consistency and managed only six goals and 15 assists on the season. The struggles led to Vancouver only offering a two-way contract for the 2009-10 campaign, so his spot on the roster isn't guaranteed going forward. Still, with his world-class speed, Hansen, 23, has some upside. Monitor his progress throughout training camp and don't be afraid to throw a late-round dart at him in deep leagues if he lands a top-six spot.
Hansen might be the prospect that benefits the most from the Canucks' failure to bring in a premiere scoring talent this offseason. If Sundin shuns Vancouver, look for Hansen to be in the running for a roster spot for Opening Night.
Hansen surprised most pundits with his solid play in the playoffs and could have a role on the ever-shifting lines in coach Alain Vigneault's team. If he manages to find minutes on a scoring line, he could make some noise, otherwise he won't be worth a spot. Keep him on the radar through preseason and early in the year to see what his role will be with the club.
Hansen had a phenomenal season in the WHL and will look to make an impression at camp this season. He has a penchant for putting points on the board and could find himself in a scorer's role with the Canucks.
