Defence still a question mark after draft weekend
The Vancouver Canucks had a fine draft and it’s one that could help reshape the franchise if Quinn Hughes becomes the player the team hopes.
But nothing happened on the weekend that improved the Canucks’ defence in the here and now.
Dallas wasn’t the place to make deals happen. Some believe Ilya Kovalchuk’s decision — he chose the L.A. Kings — held things up. And maybe that’s true to an extent. The result: the Canucks couldn’t agree to any major transactions, despite declaring a desire to be aggressive on that front.
They sure weren’t alone, notwithstanding the blockbuster trade involving the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes. Outside of that, it was Sleepyville on the trade front.
So the question the Canucks faced at the end of their season is still relevant: How are they going to change the defence?
After drafting Hughes, the Canucks could probably use some time to think through what they do next. Their defence in the next two to three years could have both Troy Stecher and Hughes in it. Can they win with it? Are they willing to try?
Only a few months ago, the Canucks felt they needed Erik Gudbranson in the lineup because of his size.
It’s hardly impossible to make it work with two undersized blueliners in the top six. If Stecher and Hughes can both play, they ’ll figure it out.
Stecher is a restricted free agent who just out-played Ben Hutton last season. From January on, Stecher averaged the second-most minutes per game, 20:25, among defenders. He wasn’t just in the top four, he was on the Canucks’ top pairing with Alex Edler.
Hutton appears to be the odd man out long term, with both Olli Juolevi and Hughes as left-side defenders. They won’t arrive this fall together in the lineup, but they aren’t three years away, either.
Some have argued the Canucks need to keep Chris Tanev. Both Hughes and Juolevi are going to need a stable, right-side partner. See Tanev.
In other words, you could make the case the Canucks need Gudbranson for his size and Tanev for his stability. And if the Canucks believe that, this defence isn’t going to look a whole lot different in September than it does now.
The player who probably makes the most sense to trade is Edler, who just turned 32 and is on an expiring deal. That, of course, will be a decision for Edler, who has a no-trade clause.
But from the Canucks’ perspective, they either sign him to an extension or move him for some kind of return.