Does anyone have any good guesses as to how they will change the look of our defense?

[FaninMex]

Some interesting things is that Dermott mentioned that he has been working at playing RHD and that this has been encouraged by management. So, who could he be paired with? I do not know enough about him. However, I feel it is interesting that Steve Dangle talks about Dermott has been talking about playing RHD for a while but hasn't.

 

 

Then, there is Boroughs. He was physical and when him and Poolman were paired, they seemed pretty solid. Lack of scoring for sure but they also kept the opposing teams from scoring. So, how could we use him?

 

Last year, I believe that OEL was asked to cover the D side of the ice more with Myers to do the heavy lifting D work which led to the GAA that THG was mentioning in the above video. We also saw when Hughes went down, OEL really stepped up and got some goals. I think this year BB has to use him more in the O zone and not rely simply on QH which would include being more balanced on the PP. Again, I think Hughes does not have a season like he did without OEL. I also think Hughes will progress and get better because of OEL. 

 

Ideas for potential pairings for thoughts and giggles (Assuming Poolman is LTIR);

 

Last Seasons pairings

OEL - Hughes -  Like this idea

Boroughs - Myers -  I like this idea

Rathbone - Dermott - think this is idea

Juulsen - Schenn / Myers

OEL - Dermott

Dermott - Myers

Boroughs - Hughes

Hughes - Dermott

 

I dunno add your own idea.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2022 by FaninMex

[kloubek]

I believe (though I'm a bit of a homer) that the Canucks will be a playoff team this coming season - even without a fully baked D. Nobody (important) has left, so at this point we're no worse off on our D than we were last year and if Rathbone can step up, potentially more dynamic.

Both Graves and Severson would be available as UFAs if the Devils don't re-sign them. Severson is the only one between the two who shoots right, so I feel he should be our target if possible. Perhaps there is a way that if the Devils are not making the playoffs that the Canucks somehow clear a bit of cap and trade for him at the deadline so a relationship can be built before he becomes UFA. The following season should see the cap go up, Ferland is off the books, and we won't be paying for either Virtanen or Holtby any longer so I think we'll be in a better position at that time to afford a coveted stud D-man on the right side. 

I personally don't think our D is as dire as some make it out to be. Hughes is Hughes, and OEL is still a strong contributor. For all his faults, Myers isn't that bad despite being overpaid. Schenn may be aging but he still serves a role, and with Rathbone in that doesn't really leave a lot of room. I think this would be adequate, and entirely attainable:

Hughes Severson
OEL Myers
Rathbone Schenn
Dermott, Burroughs as backups. 

No, it isn't as good of a D as we had during our last cup run - but at worst it's average. Given our forward depth, that might be enough.

 

What I DO like about these pairings is that each offensive guy on the left has a defense-first partner on the right. Although defensive, all three of the RD's in this scenario can still put up some points here and there so it isn't like they are going to kill the cycle game or transition like Guddy used to.

Edited September 6, 2022 by kloubek

[Nucker 67]

OEL - Hughes

De Haan - Myers

Rathbone - Schenn

Dermott - Poolman

Burroughs

[DeNiro]

7 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

OEL - Hughes

De Haan - Myers

Rathbone - Schenn

Dermott - Poolman

Burroughs

Definitely what I’m hoping for.

 

Thats 9 D men that can play and Juulsen, Wolanin, Keeper, and Brisebois as callups.

 

Nothing spectacular but enough options and depth that we shouldn’t see a situation where a guy like Hunt is playing 50 games.

[EP Phone Home]

Who knows, maybe some teams will try and hide their RSD on waivers before camp and we scoop a few up that way? It’s not out of the question we can pluck somebody on the waiver wire. I can tell you PA is working very hard looking for RSD. Heck I saw him on the right side of Hastings looking for someone to sign. No rock left unturned…

[Angry Goose]

I do think if the Canucks have a very solid year and overall a lot of players play well, it will provide more opportunity to tweak the roster next season.  

 

 

[cripplereh]

I think they should bring back full time the black,red,yellow skate jersey and keep it!

[gizmo2337]

Why don't they go sign someone out of NCAA like Jake Livingstone? And if not him, I'm sure there are others.
https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/358393/jake-livingstone

https://dobberprospects.com/2022/03/25/2022-ncaa-free-agency-fantasy-rankings/
"The big, right shot defender skates well and checks a lot of boxes on NHL scouts wish list for a defenseman. The late blooming Creston B.C. native is a 23-year-old sophomore and producing offense at a rate that will also draw the attention of NHL scouts and fantasy hockey owners as well. Livingstone has nine goals and 30 points in 41 games, but he is also very reliable defensively with a plus -24 as well.

Strengths of his game are his skating and ability to transition and move the puck up the ice. While his offensive skills and shot are average to below average at the NHL level his overall ability to impact games has him as a potential NHL player. There will be NHL interest, but Livingstone may elect to return for his junior season at Mankato."

[Fred65]

30 minutes ago, gizmo2337 said:

Why don't they go sign someone out of NCAA like Jake Livingstone? And if not him, I'm sure there are others.
https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/358393/jake-livingstone

https://dobberprospects.com/2022/03/25/2022-ncaa-free-agency-fantasy-rankings/
"The big, right shot defender skates well and checks a lot of boxes on NHL scouts wish list for a defenseman. The late blooming Creston B.C. native is a 23-year-old sophomore and producing offense at a rate that will also draw the attention of NHL scouts and fantasy hockey owners as well. Livingstone has nine goals and 30 points in 41 games, but he is also very reliable defensively with a plus -24 as well.

Strengths of his game are his skating and ability to transition and move the puck up the ice. While his offensive skills and shot are average to below average at the NHL level his overall ability to impact games has him as a potential NHL player. There will be NHL interest, but Livingstone may elect to return for his junior season at Mankato."

You should include this bit of infor

 

"

Projection: Bottom pairing defenseman."

Edited September 9, 2022 by Fred65

[DSVII]

JR is probably looking at either acquiring a cheap D prospect the same way he got Brian Dumoulin (a 2nd round prospect) by trading Jordan Staal. He managed to win his cups with this stud playing top 4 minutes at 800k a year.

 

Other method which seems to be hinted at, is that they aren't married to the idea of playing RHD on the right side and that we have LHD that can play on the right side too like OEL/Hughes. I'm fine with that as well. When the market for RHD is at a premium, you should look for inefficiencies where you can acquire skilled LHD at a cheaper price. We've seen successful Top 4 LHD play on the right side (Schmidt, Theodore) so it's a possibility too

[Putgolzin]

On 9/6/2022 at 5:11 PM, NUCKER67 said:

OEL - Hughes

De Haan - Myers

Rathbone - Schenn

Dermott - Poolman

Burroughs

With De Haan gone and Dekeyser looking to be the heir apparent to that hope/dream, it seems this idea is in a tough spot (as much as I like it).

A different take I saw on this same idea was that finding a #4 LHD is far easier than finding a #1-#2 RHD.

If Hughes-OEL (or OEL-Hughes) can work, then we should have plenty of forward depth to make a trade to fix the D.

We could legitimately have zero holes in our entire current lineup with those 2 moves (move one top LHD to RHD and move one forward for a #4 LHD).

That still wouldn’t solve depth issues and/or prospect thin-ness, but it would make things look good for this season.