PhillipBlunt Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Much was made about the failure of the forwards to score or the goalies failure to prevent goals but the real reason the team lost the series was because the defense was not one that was playoff worthy. The whole lot of them were victimized by Calgary's forecheck which truly wasn't that awe inspiring if you looked at it subjectively. The defense failed to consistently do anything right. They were subpar in clearing the crease, making a first pass out of the zone, and were truly average in the neutral zone. They lacked the speed to initiate rushes, the skill to quarterback powerplays, and most importantly, the size and ferocity to deter a very basic and undisciplined forecheck. Not one defenseman elevated their game to address Calgary. Not Edler, Tanev, or Hamhuis. They were pedestrian and stood meekly in the face of the pressure Calgary exerted. Bieksa, Weber, and Sbisa had no place being in the post season with the complete lack of urgency they demonstrated. They were embarrassing. This team needs a true no.1 alpha type defenseman that will anchor the blueline. My question is where will that player come from. Will they be drafted? Will they come via trade? Without this necessary presence, first round exits will continue to be the norm, if that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanucklehead10 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I really think we would've/could've have that "alpha defenceman", had Luc Bourdon still been alive (RIP). The guy was energetic, a hard-hitter, and had a wicked shot...he had so much potential out of any of our prospects at the time and was showing great signs of being a great player for us.... I agree 100% with everything you said. You're right, our defence lacks that "stand-out" stud... It's pathetic. When you have players like Weber on the penalty kill and Sbisa racking up the minutes, both making high-light reel passes to the opposing players, You know your defence sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaBamba Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Edler - won't wave. Tanev - new contract and plays well with Edler. Hammer- won't wave. Juice - won't wave. Sbisa - new contract. Weber - the only NHL ready Dman we have that can shoot on the PP. Corrado - ready for bottom pairing role but redundant skill set. Clendening - RFA, who is not ready to replace weber Stanton - took a step back this year. We have this D core until contracts start expiring so enjoy the ride folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred Compton Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Agreed, but unfortunately great defensemen don't grow on trees in this league. Plus half our D have no trade clauses, so we're stuck with the problem - can we afford a top NHL D? It looks like most of JBs more notable moves have involved D-men, so I would say he probably agrees, but he is probably approaching it more from a scouting/development perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TU90 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I agree. We won't do anything until we have a solid d-core that can play the game fast and responsible. I think/hope that Benning or Linden have realized this and have started the process to get us where we need to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I wouldn't say achilles heel, more like a big red self destruct button for everyone to see and exploit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qwags Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 This entire team is like Achilles. A hero of legend, until mortally wounded by a seemingly insigificant thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred Compton Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I wouldn't say achilles heel, more like a big red self destruct button for everyone to see and exploit. Yeah, JB must have been been thinking that when he first interviewed for this job. But look at what he and Chiarelli did with the Bruins defense.... I think he could do wonders for our team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesB Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Edler - won't wave. Tanev - new contract and plays well with Edler. Hammer- won't wave. Juice - won't wave. Sbisa - new contract. Weber - the only NHL ready Dman we have that can shoot on the PP. Corrado - ready for bottom pairing role but redundant skill set. Clendening - RFA, who is not ready to replace weber Stanton - took a step back this year. We have this D core until contracts start expiring so enjoy the ride folks. Edler, Hammer and Juice are probably happy to wave. But they are unlikely to WAIVE their no trade clauses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesB Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I think this thread is a bit too negative about the defence. Edler and Tanev showed themselves to be a good top pairing throughout the regular season and in the playoffs. (i know that various people have made unsupported statements about one or the other being a "turnover machine" in the playoffs. That is completely unsupported by the data. They both played well as shown by various stats and by the "eye test", although I agree Tanev was probably better before he got his new contract.) As for Hammer, don't forget that for the previous two seasons he was the consensus best D on the team. And this year he played well considering that he was obviously playing injured for most of the year. When Edler and Tanev were injured he held the D together. And he never really had a solid top 4 partner all year. If he heals well over the summer he should be a good top 4 D again next year. He is getting older but is not old enough to expect significant age-related decline yet. Sbisa can be okay on the bottom pairing if he plays with a stable partner. I see Bieksa and Weber (if he is qualified and not traded) become depth defencemen. That mean the Canucks need another legitimate top 4 D, preferable who shoots right, and a third pairing to guy to play with Sbisa, preferable also a RH shot. The obvious candidates are Corrado and Clendening. They both played very well in Utica in the latter part of the season and are young enough to still be improving. They are both smallish for Ds at 6' tall and about 195, but there is a decent chance both could make enough progress to make the Canuck D very good. Pedan is a also a (longshot) possibility. He has size, toughness, and a good all-around game and is young enough so that we can expect significant improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabatoge95 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 As much as I hate to say it, it's time for Bieksa to go. Somebody has to go to in order to make room for a puck moving D-Man because right now the the transition game from the D Zone to the offensive end is brutal. Edler - Tanev Hamhuis - Puck Moving D-Man Sbisa - Corrado/Stanton That is what the D should look like next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skymaster Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Yep , we stiil have 4 D from the 2010-2011 season, but no one has been able to replace Ehrhoff or Salo. Not that Salo was that great at times. But he played big when he was healthy. Garrison had potential to replace Ehrhoff for shot on the power play. Also no one like Ballard that could punish on coming forwards. I think Bieksa as to go, as much as I like the guy. He is getting older, slower, and can't cut it against the big hitting teams like LA, Cgy, Bruins, especially in the playoffs when hitting escalates from the regular season. Also too many give aways for a lot of the D in there own end, and neutral zone. That might not be all their fault at times. The wingers have to come back and help more like they did in Game 5, and 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duodenum Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Don't worry, Sbisa got a nice highly overpaid 3 year contract. Our defensive woes will be here for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BI3KSA- Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Edler, Tanev and Hammer arent even bad and dont need to be gone. Bieksa is the main one (as much as I love him) that needs to be gone. Sbisa is terrible and needs to go prob too. Weber costs less than a mil per year so is fine as a depth D. It wouldnt be hard to have D prospects come in and fill in the bottom pairing and with the money from Sbisa and Bieksa we could get a legit one from FA. Miller being gone could be money spent on forward depth, perhaps we could actually have a real second line next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaBamba Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Edler, Hammer and Juice are probably happy to wave. But they are unlikely to WAIVE their no trade clauses. As soon as you are old enough to have an iPhone you will understand how proper gammer takes a backseat to efficiency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinatcc Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 It's kind of funny how many here think the D is the problem if you go to other non-Canucks centric podcasts a lot of people say one of Vancouver strengths is their defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24K PureCool Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 It's kind of funny how many here think the D is the problem if you go to other non-Canucks centric podcasts a lot of people say one of Vancouver strengths is their defense. Our defense looks great on paper but when they play under pressure, they are like a cat instead of a tiger. Non-Canuck centric guys barely watch our game and just look at the stat sheets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klw604 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I really think we would've/could've have that "alpha defenceman", had Luc Bourdon still been alive (RIP). The guy was energetic, a hard-hitter, and had a wicked shot...he had so much potential out of any of our prospects at the time and was showing great signs of being a great player for us.... I agree 100% with everything you said. You're right, our defence lacks that "stand-out" stud... It's pathetic. When you have players like Weber on the penalty kill and Sbisa racking up the minutes, both making high-light reel passes to the opposing players, You know your defence sucks. Luc, pp quarter back, top pairing dmen, we miss him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuongo Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I'm hoping Clendenning can be that guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crackers Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 As soon as you are old enough to have an iPhone you will understand how proper gammer takes a backseat to efficiency. U r rite eficinsy is al tat mtters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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