Possible options for 3rd pair LD (long read)

[CanucksFanMike]

Hey guys,

So if you look at our current depth chart on defence, we could use a 3^rd pair left shot defenseman. While I was glad that we re-signed Alberts, I don’t think he is best suited for an everyday defensive role. He is more of a 7^th d-man who can step in when his physical play is needed (for example when we play a team like Boston) or when Injuries to the left side occur. Below is a list of defensemen who we should consider signing if we can get them at $1 M per or less to fill the 6^th d-man role. They are ordered from best fit to worst fit for us, which was determined based on factors including ability, age, frame, and how their style would fit into our system (now lead by Torts).

Ron Hainsey

Age: 32, Ht: 6’ 3’’, Wt: 210 lbs, Fit: Good

Plus: Hainsey is a solid all around d-man who is capable of moving up in the lineup due to injuries. He can play both left and right defence.

Minus: Despite Hainsey’s big frame, he is not a very physical player. Consistency is his biggest issue, but that wouldn’t be as big of a problem being a #6 defenseman here.

Ryan Whitney

Age: 30, Ht: 6’ 4’’, Wt: 209 lbs, Fit: Good

Plus: Whitney has good vision and passing ability. He is also reliable in his own end most of the time.

Minus: Whitney is not an overly physical player despite his big frame. He is also known to be injury-prone.

Filip Kuba

Age: 36, Ht: 6’ 4’’, Wt: 225 lbs, Fit: Decent

Plus: Kuba is a solid defenseman at both ends of the rink. His big frame enables him to play physically, however he isn’t known for his physical play.

Minus: His biggest knock is his lack of consistency. He is also aging and that could take its toll on his play.

Greg Zanon

Age; 33, Ht: 5’ 11’’, Wt: 201 lbs, Fit: Decent

Plus: Zanon is a hard-working stay-at-home d-man who will block shots and do whatever it takes to win. He is usually in good position in his own end.

Minus: Zanon’s small frame makes it challenging for him to play physically. He will also turn the puck over from time to time.

Hal Gill

Age: 38, Ht: 6’ 7’’, Wt: 243 lbs, Fit: Decent

Plus: Gill’s biggest asset is his towering size. He has tremendous reach and is a good shot blocker. He will always put the team first and is a good veteran leader.

Minus: Due to his mammoth frame, he is a below average skater. He does not have very good speed and will at times struggle to keep up with faster forwards.

Carlo Colaiacovo

Age: 30, Ht: 6’ 1’’, Wt: 200 lbs, Fit: Decent

Plus: Colaiacovo is a solid all-around d-man who is generally good in his own end. He can fill in on the PP if needed.

Minus: Nothing really jumps out at you as the strength of Colaiacovo’s game. He is also known to be injury prone in the past.

Wade Redden

Age: 36, Ht: 6’ 2’’, Wt: 205 lbs, Fit: Poor

Plus: Redden is a solid puck-moving defenseman whose best attribute is his passing. He is very durable despite getting into the later years of his career.

Minus: Redden lacks a physical game and is not great at containing big forwards. He needs to contribute offensively to be effective which isn’t always possible being a defenseman on the 3^rd pair.

Roman Hamrlik

Age: 39, Ht: 6’ 2’’, Wt: 206 lbs, Fit: Poor

Plus: Hamrlik is a stay-at-home defenceman who can log big minutes if needed. He is also a good penalty killer.

Minus: Hamerlik’s best days are behind him and he does not play close to the level he used to. His lack of skill with the puck can lead to turnovers.

Thomas Kaberle

Age: 35, Ht: 6’ 1’’, Wt: 212 lbs, Fit: Poor

Plus: Kaberle has good ice vision and is a good powerplay quarterback. His best attributes are his passing and his skating.

Minus: Kaberle’s best days are clearly behind him. He can be a liability in his own end from time to time.

I think that Hainsey would be the best fit here and according to a rumour could be had for $1 M. If we signed one of the above d-men, our opening day defensive lineup would look like this:

Pair #1: Hamhuis – Bieksa

Re-unite the shutdown pair from a few years back when we went to the cup final. Juice always plays better with Hammer.

Pair #2: Edler – Garrison

Garry showed that he can play well on the right side, so if he can just be responsible defensively and chip in with a few bombs from the point now and then he would be extremely valuable to this team. We know Eddie will bring offence from the back end, but he needs to focus on improving his consistency in his own end.

Pair #3: UFA – Tanev

We know what Tanman is all about: he is cool, calm and collected with the puck and can cover up any mistakes his defence partner makes. If we signed one of the UFAs above, this would make for an amazing d-core, perhaps one of the best in the NHL.

Scratches: Alberts, Weber

These two give us good depth on the back end. Alby would be our #7 d-man who could step in due to injuries or if his great physical play is needed. Recently signed Yannik Weber could come in and bring a hard slap shot to the table as a right shot. As for Frank Corrado, I think he could step into the Canucks lineup on the third pair if we needed him to this year, but the best thing for his development at this point would be to play big minutes in all situations in the AHL with Utica to transition from junior to the pro game.

Thoughts? Which player do you think would be the best fit? How much and for what term would you sign them to?

This super long post is done!

[Master Mind]

Hainsey would be my first choice. Especially if he can be had for cheap.

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Ron Hainsey then Filip Kuba.

[pwnstar]

whitney or carlo would be my first choice.

[Langdon Algur]

Frank Corrado. Although Gill would be create for keeping opposing players out of Luongo's area.

[CanucksFanMike]

Frank Corrado. Although Gill would be create for keeping opposing players out of Luongo's area.

[aGENT]

If Hammer/Edler get injured we simply slide Garrison over to his natural left and Tanev bumps up a line temporarily. Corrado gets called up to take the 3rd pair RHD.

[Danthecanucksfan]

Hainsey or Kaberle

[CanucksFanMike]

If Hammer/Edler get injured we simply slide Garrison over to his natural left and Tanev bumps up a line temporarily.Corrado gets called up to take the 3rd pair RHD.

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

Ron Hainsey then Filip Kuba.

[Angry Goose]

I wonder if Whitney would be willing take a paycut to be a PP specialist for the Canucks? His puckmoving/passing skill is pretty good.

[oldnews]

I don't personally see Hainsey as a realistic possibility, but you never know.

My preference would probably be to hold onto the cap space for the time being.

I like the following pairings

Hamhius/Bieksa Edler/Tanev and Garrison/Corrado

with Alberts/Weber as our depth scratches.

Before folks go on about Garrison not being a third pairing defenseman, I agree. I see him as a top pairing guy, but I'd like to see the pairings balanced - I think Bieksa needs Hammer, I want to see how Edler and Tanev work together, because ideally a natural right side guy steps up and provides that solid partner for Edler, and I'd love to see Garrison with Corrado five on five for the time being. That pair would get more than "3rd pairing" minutes, and Garrison, Hamhius and Edler in particular would see heavy special teams minutes.

If Torts were to use Garrison with Hamhius or Edler, then I may opt for another bargain depth guy like Hal Gill to play with a more mobile young partner like Tanev (while we also have fairly fleet depth centers if concerned about mobility).

However, from what we saw out of Corrado, he looked as ready as Tanev was, and I think he deserves a shot if he maintains that play or takes another step forward.

[Plum]

Whitney

Hainsey

Colaiacovo

In this order.

[aGENT]

That is a good point, I was thinking the same thing as well. But still, if we have learned anything the past few years it is that you can never have enough depth on defence. We have enough cap space to sign a quality player for about $1 M or less. I think we are pretty well set on offence so we might as well sign an upgrade on D on the 3rd pair.

[Canuck Surfer]

Hey guys,

So if you look at our current depth chart on defence, we could use a 3^rd pair left shot defenseman. While I was glad that we re-signed Alberts, I don’t think he is best suited for an everyday defensive role. He is more of a 7^th d-man who can step in when his physical play is needed (for example when we play a team like Boston) or when Injuries to the left side occur. Below is a list of defensemen who we should consider signing if we can get them at $1 M per or less to fill the 6^th d-man role. They are ordered from best fit to worst fit for us, which was determined based on factors including ability, age, frame, and how their style would fit into our system (now lead by Torts).

Ron Hainsey

Age: 32, Ht: 6’ 3’’, Wt: 210 lbs, Fit: Good

Plus: Hainsey is a solid all around d-man who is capable of moving up in the lineup due to injuries. He can play both left and right defence.

Minus: Despite Hainsey’s big frame, he is not a very physical player. Consistency is his biggest issue, but that wouldn’t be as big of a problem being a #6 defenseman here.

Ryan Whitney

Age: 30, Ht: 6’ 4’’, Wt: 209 lbs, Fit: Good

Plus: Whitney has good vision and passing ability. He is also reliable in his own end most of the time.

Minus: Whitney is not an overly physical player despite his big frame. He is also known to be injury-prone.

Filip Kuba

Age: 36, Ht: 6’ 4’’, Wt: 225 lbs, Fit: Decent

Plus: Kuba is a solid defenseman at both ends of the rink. His big frame enables him to play physically, however he isn’t known for his physical play.

Minus: His biggest knock is his lack of consistency. He is also aging and that could take its toll on his play.

Greg Zanon

Age; 33, Ht: 5’ 11’’, Wt: 201 lbs, Fit: Decent

Plus: Zanon is a hard-working stay-at-home d-man who will block shots and do whatever it takes to win. He is usually in good position in his own end.

Minus: Zanon’s small frame makes it challenging for him to play physically. He will also turn the puck over from time to time.

Hal Gill

Age: 38, Ht: 6’ 7’’, Wt: 243 lbs, Fit: Decent

Plus: Gill’s biggest asset is his towering size. He has tremendous reach and is a good shot blocker. He will always put the team first and is a good veteran leader.

Minus: Due to his mammoth frame, he is a below average skater. He does not have very good speed and will at times struggle to keep up with faster forwards.

Carlo Colaiacovo

Age: 30, Ht: 6’ 1’’, Wt: 200 lbs, Fit: Decent

Plus: Colaiacovo is a solid all-around d-man who is generally good in his own end. He can fill in on the PP if needed.

Minus: Nothing really jumps out at you as the strength of Colaiacovo’s game. He is also known to be injury prone in the past.

Wade Redden

Age: 36, Ht: 6’ 2’’, Wt: 205 lbs, Fit: Poor

Plus: Redden is a solid puck-moving defenseman whose best attribute is his passing. He is very durable despite getting into the later years of his career.

Minus: Redden lacks a physical game and is not great at containing big forwards. He needs to contribute offensively to be effective which isn’t always possible being a defenseman on the 3^rd pair.

Roman Hamrlik

Age: 39, Ht: 6’ 2’’, Wt: 206 lbs, Fit: Poor

Plus: Hamrlik is a stay-at-home defenceman who can log big minutes if needed. He is also a good penalty killer.

Minus: Hamerlik’s best days are behind him and he does not play close to the level he used to. His lack of skill with the puck can lead to turnovers.

Thomas Kaberle

Age: 35, Ht: 6’ 1’’, Wt: 212 lbs, Fit: Poor

Plus: Kaberle has good ice vision and is a good powerplay quarterback. His best attributes are his passing and his skating.

Minus: Kaberle’s best days are clearly behind him. He can be a liability in his own end from time to time.

I think that Hainsey would be the best fit here and according to a rumour could be had for $1 M. If we signed one of the above d-men, our opening day defensive lineup would look like this:

Pair #1: Hamhuis – Bieksa

Re-unite the shutdown pair from a few years back when we went to the cup final. Juice always plays better with Hammer.

Pair #2: Edler – Garrison

Garry showed that he can play well on the right side, so if he can just be responsible defensively and chip in with a few bombs from the point now and then he would be extremely valuable to this team. We know Eddie will bring offence from the back end, but he needs to focus on improving his consistency in his own end.

Pair #3: UFA – Tanev

We know what Tanman is all about: he is cool, calm and collected with the puck and can cover up any mistakes his defence partner makes. If we signed one of the UFAs above, this would make for an amazing d-core, perhaps one of the best in the NHL.

Scratches: Alberts, Weber

These two give us good depth on the back end. Alby would be our #7 d-man who could step in due to injuries or if his great physical play is needed. Recently signed Yannik Weber could come in and bring a hard slap shot to the table as a right shot. As for Frank Corrado, I think he could step into the Canucks lineup on the third pair if we needed him to this year, but the best thing for his development at this point would be to play big minutes in all situations in the AHL with Utica to transition from junior to the pro game.

Thoughts? Which player do you think would be the best fit? How much and for what term would you sign them to?

This super long post is done!

[Ilya Mikheyev]

If Canucks get one of Hainsey or Whitney on a 1-year 'tryout' type deal, I'd be stoked.

Even though Tanev is now signed, it wouldn't surprise me if he was moved..

If the Canucks move Tanev, I'd like to see a bottom pairing of Tom Gilbert & Ryan Whitney with Alberts stepping in during overly physical match-ups, and Corrado stepping in next year.

[GrogZilla]

I think Alberts played well enough last year that I don't really have a problem with penciling him in every night.

Edler Garrison

Hamhuis Bieksa

Alberts Tanev

Weber

[Zoolander]

Kaberle. Hainsey would be a mistake IMO. No offence, doesn't hit and doesn't fight. I think he'd become a scapegoat

[Canuck Surfer]

I'm in the camp that says you try and trade Edler for a more blue chip scoring D prospect (Smith from Detroit, Beaulieufrom Montreal) and a 2knd/3rd line forward. Maybe Petrovic on a different train of thought and ???

Then add a Hainsey or Kuba...

For my money, we have 4 expensive two way D. Edler more offensively based with Hamhuis defensively minded but still all mid sized two way D. We lack any serious puck rushing threat, nor any bone crunching / crease clearing threats. I'd rather three of the two way guys, and start looking for components we don't have in our tool box. The trade does not have to be Edler.

We could get a lot more mileage out of a two way guy like Hainsey or Kuba plus a boat load of cap space (not to mention the trade return).

[4thLineGrinder]

we have 3 stud left hand d men

we don't need nobody else yo

hammer is top pair

mr garrison or eddie will play 3rd or 2nd pair based on who's going stronger at the time

if a lefty gets hurt in comes alberts

juice, tanev, webber, and corrodo can fill out the right side