Analyzing and ranking how the Canucks’ defence currently stacks up against the rest of the Pacific Division

[Drive-By Body Pierce]

 

The Canucks have the franchise goaltender that they need to be true Stanley Cup contenders. They have a forward group that features high-end talent as well as depth throughout. They have a defence group that could lead a team to the Calder Cup.

 

While that’s being dramatic, the Canucks do have a very weak defence corps that is holding the team back. While Quinn Hughes is the most electric defenceman the franchise has ever seen, behind him, the team features a mix of unproven youngsters and overpaid veterans.

 

If the Canucks want to contend for one of the three Pacific Division playoff spots that are up for grabs, they’re going to need to hope that the defence plays well enough to keep them in games. Do they have the talent to best their Pacific Division opponents?

 

Each team will be graded on two categories (best defenceman and best defence depth) with points being handed out for the team’s ranking within the division. All the points will be tabulated at the bottom of the article and it will be scored like golf.

 

Anaheim Ducks

Best Defenceman: John Klingberg – 6th

After being linked to the Vancouver Canucks as a possible match, John Klingberg eventually signed a deal with the division rival Anaheim Ducks. He’s a smooth skater, a player that can create offence from the blue line, and a veteran presence in the room. While those characteristics may not have made him a great fit for Vancouver, he’s instantly the best defenceman on the Ducks.

 

Best Depth: 7th

The Ducks have a few solid defencemen but the position group gets thin near the bottom. Jamie Drysdale is a great young prospect and Cam Fowler had a solid season, but the bottom three players are nothing to write home about. Kevin Shattenkirk is not the player he once was.

 

Calgary Flames

Best Defenceman: Noah Hanifin – 4th

The Calgary Flames boast a deep defence corps filled with young players that are just about to hit their prime. Hanifin is the best of the bunch. He chews up minutes at even strength and features on the power play and penalty kill as well. He managed to get 48 points last season while also being helpful in every situation. Hanifin is firmly in the middle of all the top Pacific Division defencemen at the moment, but in a few years, he should be closer to the top.

 

Best Defence Depth: 1st

Even when the Flames were staring down the possibility of losing Matthew Tkachuk for a minimal return, they still could rely on the fact that they have a great defence corps. Adding Mackenzie Weegar to that group is an added bonus that makes the team even stronger. The Flames have a very balanced defence group that most NHL teams are jealous of.

 

Edmonton Oilers

Best Defenceman: Darnell Nurse – 3rd

One of the more controversial players in the NHL, Darnell Nurse was handed a massive $9.25 million contract by the Edmonton Oilers. While it’s going to be tough for him to live up to that deal, Nurse is still a good player. He’s pretty dynamic offensively and at 6’4″ has the size to push out opponents. However, he’s been critiqued for his defensive play, specifically against the rush, and while he did get better last season, he’s still not as strong as the top two in this division.

 

Best Depth: 5th

The Oilers slide in at number five on this list but they do have a couple of regression candidates to keep an eye on. One of those is Cody Ceci who had a solid season last year but has yet to prove across his career that he can be relied upon in a top-four role. Evan Bouchard and Phillip Broberg are both young players that could take a step forward this season.

 

Los Angeles Kings

Best Defenceman: Drew Doughty – 5th

Once one of the best defencemen on planet earth, Doughty is now in the later stages of his career. Even though he is getting older and isn’t the player he once was, Doughty can still have a positive impact on the ice. He had a bounce back year this past season that was unfortunately cut short due to a variety of injuries. If he can stay healthy, Doughty figures to once again be the leader on the Kings blueline.

 

Best Depth: 4th 

Take a look at the Kings defence depth chart and a familiar face is sitting there. Alex Edler is a veteran presence for the Kings and while he’s fallen off a step, he’s still a solid third pairing guy. The Kings are rich in right-handed defencemen, including some prospects that have yet to break the NHL, one of the most valuable position groups across the league.

 

San Jose Sharks

Best Defenceman: Erik Karlsson – 8th

Similar to Doughty, Karlsson was once one of the most dynamic blueliners in the NHL, and likely one of the most dynamic in modern NHL history. After signing a massive deal in San Jose, Karlsson’s play has fallen off a cliff. A slight resurgence last year, thought not not to the same level as Doughty, means that Karlsson is still the best Sharks defenceman. However, there isn’t a ton of competition.

 

Depth: 8th

The San Jose Sharks defence group is a graveyard of former impact players. Karlsson’s decline has been documented but Marc-Edouard Vlasic is another former contributor who is now an overpaid burden. The Sharks are firmly in rebuilding mode and their defence looks a lot more bleak than the solid but not great forwards.

 

Seattle Kraken 

Best Defenceman: Vince Dunn – 7th

The Seattle Kraken have a variety of good but not great defencemen that could have taken this position. Dunn was the team’s best last season so he holds the title for now. With 35 points in 71 games last season, Dunn was able to chip in offensively. The Kraken had a tough year and were caved in by most teams, making life difficult for their defencemen.

 

Depth: 3rd

In classic expansion team fashion, the Kraken lack star power but have solid depth throughout. Adam Larsson is not a superstar but he is someone that can put up points and be effective while eating up minutes. The Kraken also signed Justin Schultz this offseason, a right-handed defenceman that has aged really well in the NHL, especially in regards to his play in his own zone.

 

Vancouver Canucks

Best Defenceman: Quinn Hughes – 1st 

Quinn Hughes is the most dynamic defenceman to ever wear the Canucks jersey and will rewrite every franchise record by the time that he is done playing. While his sophomore season saw many of his defensive metrics drop, this past year Hughes was more responsible in his own zone and had a stronger two-way profile. He’s one of the best defencemen across the entire league and there’s still another gear for him to hit.

 

Depth: 6th

The Canucks have a huge lack of defence depth. It’s probably the most glaring hole across the entire roster. The right side is especially bad with journeyman Luke Schenn likely playing first line minutes to start the season and Tyler Myers playing the role of complete minute-cruncher. It will be interesting to see if Jack Rathbone or Travis Dermott can emerge this season as reliable options.

 

Vegas Golden Knights

Best Defenceman: Alex Pietrangelo – 2nd 

Last season was a funky one for the Golden Knights who struggled through injury issues on their way to a surprising playoff miss. This season the team will be gearing up for a deep playoff run and Pietrangelo figures to play a major role. Even in what was considered a down year, Pietrangelo managed to record 44 points. More stability around him this year should be a positive for Pietrangelo.

Depth: 2nd

The Golden Knights have great depth throughout their defence group. Shea Theodore is a creative offensive defenceman that shows up on the scoresheet. The franchise has handled the development of Nicolas Hague extremely well and he will likely only improve over the next few years. Alec Martinez is a veteran warrior that will put his body on the line in any situation. Overall, a very solid group.

 

Final Rankings

Tier 1

1st: Vegas Golden Knights (2 + 2) = 4

2nd: Calgary Flames (4 + 1) = 5

 

Tier 2

3rd: Vancouver Canucks (1 + 6) = 7

4th: Edmonton Oilers (3 + 5) = 8

5th: Los Angeles Kings (5 + 4) = 9

6th: Seattle Kraken (7 + 3) = 10

Tier 3

7th: Anaheim Ducks (6 + 7) = 13

8th: San Jose Sharks (8 + 8) = 16

 

 

https://canucksarmy.com/2022/08/13/analyzing-ranking-how-canucks-defence-currently-stack-against-rest-pacific-division/

[Drive-By Body Pierce]

Apologies on formatting, never seems to go smoothly on my phone.

[King Heffy]

Edmonton definitely needs to be at the very bottom.  Nurse is literally the only actual NHLer they have in their blueline, and he still isn't very good defensively and refuses to play like a man.  A right side that includes pylons like Bouchard and Barrie puts them in the running for the worst D group in the history of the league.

[AngryElf]

If Hughes - OEL gets tried and ends up being a viable pair, I wonder if that changes our depth ranking? How does the depth chart compare? I think a side-by-side comparison between the teams works too. 

 

Left: Hughes, OEL, Dermott (switch), Rathbone, Burroughs (switch) 

Right: Myers, Schenn, Juulsen 

 

Or: 

 

Left: Hughes, Dermott, Rathbone, Burroughs

Right: OEL (switch), Myers, Schenn

 

That left side looks thin after Hughes if OEL switches but there is potential if Rathbone or Dermott can pick things up. That right side, while old for my tastes, doesn't look too bad ability wise compared to our divisional counterparts. 

 

Divisional Depth Charts by side: 

Spoiler

Vegas LHD: Hague, McNabb, Martinez, Hutton

Vegas RHD: Pietro, Theodore, Whitecloud

Calgary LHD: Hanifin, Weegar, Kylington, Valimaki

Calgary RHD: Andersson, Tanev, Zadorov

Edmonton LHD: Nurse, Kulak, Broberg, Koekkoek

Edmonton RHD: Ceci, Bouchard, Barrie

LA LHD: Anderson, Bjornfot, Edler

LA RHD: Doughty, Roy, Durzi/Walker (when healthy)

Seattle LHD: Dunn, Oleksiak, Soucy 

Seattle RHD: Larsson, Schultz, Borgen, Fleury

Anaheim LHD: Fowler, Vaakanainen, Benoit, White, Mahura

Anaheim RHD: Drysdale, Klingberg, Shattenkirk 

San Jose LHD: Ferraro, Simek, Nutivaara, Megna

San Jose RHD: Karlsson, Vlasic, Benning, Merkley 

 

Ranking LHD combining star-power and depth after OEL switches: 

Spoiler

1. Calgary

2. Vegas

3. LA 

4. Vancouver (switch with LA if OEL on left side)

- - - - - - - - - - -

5. Anaheim

6. San Jose

7. Seattle

8. Edmonton

 

Ranking RHD combining star-power and depth after OEL switches:

Spoiler

1. Vegas

2. Calgary

3. LA

4. Vancouver

5. Anaheim 

- - - - - - - - - - 

6. Edmonton (Vancouver drops to six if OEL on left side) 

7. Seattle

8. San Jose

 

I think it's fair to say this: We have a playoff-contender level forward group, a contender-championship level goalie, and a wildcard-level defense, although I do think we stack up better if OEL can play on the right side. 

[JM_]

Seems pretty accurate. If Rathbone's ready thats a big help. 

 

[-AJ-]

Cool article idea.

[Quantum]

I'd make the argument that MacKenzie Weegar is the Calgary Flames best defenseman not Noah Hanifin. Weegar is an established #2 NHL defenseman who has the chance to be the #1 guy in Calgary.

[Drive-By Body Pierce]

39 minutes ago, -AJ- said:

Cool article idea.

Yeah I thought so too.

[Blue Jay 22]

Cool article idea, can’t say I agree with the final results or “data” though…a lot of this seems subjective to the author tbh. When healthy, Doughty and EK65 are obviously better than where they are placed, and I don’t even like either.

[Elias Pettersson]

Our right side is weak but our left side can match up with anyone in the Conference not named Colorado.  

[Blue Jay 22]

1 minute ago, Elias Pettersson said:

Our right side is weak but our left side can match up with anyone in the Conference not named Colorado.  

With who? After Quinn, it’s a pretty big drop off. OEL is declining rapidly and everyone else is average or sketchy. It’s not even top 2 in our own division. 

[Elias Pettersson]

Just now, Blue Jay 22 said:

With who? After Quinn, it’s a pretty big drop off. OEL is declining rapidly and everyone else is average or sketchy. It’s not even top 2 in our own division. 

Ummm, OEL is a #1 Dman on alot of teams, and probably most teams in the Western Conference.  Can you tell me which of the #2 left sided Dman on all of the other teams in the Western Conference not named Colorado are better than OEL?

[fanfor42]

2 hours ago, Elias Pettersson said:

Ummm, OEL is a #1 Dman on alot of teams, and probably most teams in the Western Conference.  Can you tell me which of the #2 left sided Dman on all of the other teams in the Western Conference not named Colorado are better than OEL?

^ this.

 

OEL is a very good LD.  He is a solid #2 LD on virtually every NHL team.

 

He should get more props from fans here. He makes 1M more than he would be if he were a steal. 

 

 

[King Heffy]

55 minutes ago, fanfor42 said:

^ this.

 

OEL is a very good LD.  He is a solid #2 LD on virtually every NHL team.

 

He should get more props from fans here. He makes 1M more than he would be if he were a steal. 

 

 

He'd easily be the best LD on the following:
Edmonton

Washington

Florida

Philly

Boston

Toronto

Pittsburgh

San Jose

New Jersey

Montreal

St Louis

Seattle

LA

Ottawa

Chicago

Detroit

Dallas

Anaheim

Buffalo

 

OEL is criminally underrated here.

[Bob.Loblaw]

3 hours ago, Elias Pettersson said:

Our right side is weak but our left side can match up with anyone in the Conference not named Colorado.  

Teams know it and will exploit plays up the left wing or criss-cross into the middle and create space.  

[King Heffy]

3 minutes ago, Bob.Loblaw said:

Teams know it and will exploit plays up the left wing or criss-cross into the middle and create space.  

Edmonton still somehow made the conference finals without a single NHLer on their right side.  It was atrocious and they definitely paid the price once they played a men's team, but our right side is nowhere near as bad as their AHL trash.  It'll be fine once they have a full season without Baumgartner sabotaging the group with his gross incompetence.

[Elias Pettersson]

40 minutes ago, Bob.Loblaw said:

Teams know it and will exploit plays up the left wing or criss-cross into the middle and create space.  

True. That’s why we still need to get a defencman who can play the right side before the season starts. I would be okay with Calvin De Haan. He’s an upgrade on most of our guys. Damon Severson would be a great add. I’m hoping we make a move for him. 

[You Mad Bro?]

Ahh screw it. Just try Miller at RD. This is now a Miller thread. 

[Gurn]

8 minutes ago, You Mad Bro? said:

Ahh screw it. Just try Miller at RD. This is now a Miller thread. 

At this point, I'm wiling to see them try it.

 

[Junkyard Dog]

25 minutes ago, Elias Pettersson said:

True. That’s why we still need to get a defencman who can play the right side before the season starts. I would be okay with Calvin De Haan. He’s an upgrade on most of our guys. Damon Severson would be a great add. I’m hoping we make a move for him. 

That settles it, Miller for Severson+.