Final player grades – Darcy Tucker: B

The Denver Post, John Leyba 2009-10 season statistics GP: 71: G: 10. A: 14. PIM: 47. Plus-minus: -3. PPG: 3. PPA: 7. Hits: 87. Blocked shots: 24. Giveaways: 22. Takeaways: 9. Surprise. A ‘B’ for Darcy Tucker? Am I feeling OK? Actually, not really. Back is acting up again (time for a steroid shot soon) and sleep is, as always, a problem. But thanks for asking. Last year, Darcy Tucker was pretty terrible, probably deserving of a ‘D.’ But I thought he was better this year, and not just on the ice either. I thought he was a good veteran leader with this team this year, and I just thought he was a different guy in the locker room. He did a nice thing by taking a rookie player – Ryan O’Reilly – into his home for the year, and several other young players said he was a strong, positive influence on them. On the ice, Tucker’s numbers were better over the previous year. He reached double figures in goals (10), and his plus-minus improved from...