[Poll] which defensemen will earn a full time roster spot this season?

[Ghostsof1915]

Training camp and pre season will be interesting.

[aGENT]

I think the 3-4 LD slots are between Irwin and Wolanin. That said, I wouldn't be shocked at all, to see Hirose look too damn good to send down (though I think that's the plan and probably where he's best served for play time/development). Honorable mention to Brisebois as 4LD as well. I also wouldn't hate a PTO to Benoit to see how he does also.

 

4RD is probably between Juulsen/Filjo... Unless we run a 22 man roster, which is entirely possible as well. Woo I think needs just a bit more time, and again, better served playing big minutes in Abby.

[erkayloomeh]

Well, at least we have some competition for spots.  We are definitely upgrading our d. 

[Dr. Crossbar]

I'll say Wolanin or Hirose. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Rathbone. 

[Ted Lasso]

6 hours ago, cripplereh said:

QH Hronek

Soucy Myers

Hirose. Johansson

 

Irwin, Wolanin,Woo 

 

I picked Hirose and Johansson 

 

To me that looks best for pairings unless Johansson can be with QH 

What about Cole?

[VegasCanuck]

So, a lot depends on injuries, which of course, always happen in camp and often early in the season.

 

I think Johansson is NHL ready and will be around, I think there's a good chance that Woo becomes our #7 guy to provide more of an edge to the group that we lost when we traded Schenn.

 

Left side, I think the guy who has quietly worked his way up the charts and didn't look out of place last year was Brisebois. 

 

There will be more moves before the puck drops. I think there's a reasonable chance that a trade is in place in principle to move Myers, but only after his bonus is paid.

[IBatch]

2 hours ago, aGENT said:

I think the 3-4 LD slots are between Irwin and Wolanin. That said, I wouldn't be shocked at all, to see Hirose look too damn good to send down (though I think that's the plan and probably where he's best served for play time/development). Honorable mention to Brisebois as 4LD as well. I also wouldn't hate a PTO to Benoit to see how he does also.

 

4RD is probably between Juulsen/Filjo... Unless we run a 22 man roster, which is entirely possible as well. Woo I think needs just a bit more time, and again, better served playing big minutes in Abby.

Pretty sure it's Irwin's spot to lose on paper right now, but did pick Wolanin, felt he was great last training camp, and for sure is pushing himself into the possibility of becoming a regular.   Breezy also looked solid.   Who knows with the coaching staff.   It's nice to have a lot of options on the 3rd pairing.    Left side for sure remains the strong side. 

[aGENT]

16 minutes ago, IBatch said:

Pretty sure it's Irwin's spot to lose on paper right now, but did pick Wolanin, felt he was great last training camp, and for sure is pushing himself into the possibility of becoming a regular.   Breezy also looked solid.   Who knows with the coaching staff.   It's nice to have a lot of options on the 3rd pairing.    Left side for sure remains the strong side. 

Yeah between Irwin, Wolanin, Hirose and Brisebois (and I suppose Rathbone, though his "unneeded" skill set is really what's holding him back from an NHL job here), we're pretty covered at #6-8 D on the left side. 

 

Even still, I'd be interested to see if unsigned Benoit (again I'd offer a PTO) could maybe push one of the veterans out as well (while keeping our kids developing in Abby). Kid's only 24 IIRC, solid size, good defensive D. Got buried playing WAY over his head in the top 4 in ANA last year but in a more appropriate #6-#8 role....

[Ted Lasso]

41 minutes ago, VegasCanuck said:

There will be more moves before the puck drops. I think there's a reasonable chance that a trade is in place in principle to move Myers, but only after his bonus is paid.

I just read a quote from Bear that Allvin told him (directly) that they need to clear some cap (in order to sign him). 

 

That makes it sound far more certain that we intend to sign him...

 

[aGENT]

9 minutes ago, Ted Lasso said:

I just read a quote from Bear that Allvin told him (directly) that they need to clear some cap (in order to sign him). 

 

That makes it sound far more certain that we intend to sign him...

 

Seems inevitable at some point this season that we sign Bear...either through injuries/LTIR, or trades (Myers, Garland, Beau). Even if we let Myers walk to free agency, adding a healthy Bear ~half way in to the season...

 

Hughes, Bear (yes over his head but plays well with Hughes and let's us spread Cole/Soucy)

Cole, Hronek

Soucy, Myers

 

Irwin, Wolanin

 

That D could hang in the playoffs. None of those pairs need sheltering.

Edited August 11, 2023 by aGENT

[Ted Lasso]

31 minutes ago, aGENT said:

Seems inevitable at some point this season that we sign Bear...either through injuries/LTIR, or trades (Myers, Garland, Beau) that we sign Bear. Even if we let Myers walk to free agency, adding a healthy Bear ~half way in to the season...

 

Hughes, Bear (yes over his head but plays well with Hughes and let's us spread Cole/Soucy)

Cole, Hronek

Soucy, Myers

 

Irwin, Wolanin

 

That D could hang in the playoffs.

At the suggested term and cost (one year, $1-2M), I’m good with it.
 

I like Bear as a “higher-end value partner” for Hughes to spread out our depth as you mentioned. That would enable a Cole and Hronek shutdown pair, letting Soucy anchor the 3rd pair, and fill in on the top 4 for injuries. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by Ted Lasso

[Bure_Pavel]

49 minutes ago, aGENT said:

Seems inevitable at some point this season that we sign Bear...either through injuries/LTIR, or trades (Myers, Garland, Beau). Even if we let Myers walk to free agency, adding a healthy Bear ~half way in to the season...

 

Hughes, Bear (yes over his head but plays well with Hughes and let's us spread Cole/Soucy)

Cole, Hronek

Soucy, Myers

 

Irwin, Wolanin

 

That D could hang in the playoffs. None of those pairs need sheltering.

6 legit NHL dmen would be nice. I'm not excited at the fact we may lose Woo, showed some real good progress last year and was probably the most physical Dman in Abby last year (just shy of 100 PM's).

[JamesB]

Sorry for being "that guy", but I am going to say that Hirose is officially "over-hyped".

 

Yes, he looked "cool" on the ice and he made a couple of very nice plays with the Canucks that made highlight reels.

 

But, according to underlying stats, his overall performance was not particularly good.

 

Using Evolving Hockey's GAR (goals above replacement) stat, he was behind Wolanin, McWard, Rathbone, Brisebois, and Juulsen (and Matt Irwin, although Irwin was on a different team), The sample size was small enough that xGAR is probably a better stat to use than GAR, but it is the same story. And his number was negative -- below the level of an expected "replacement-level" player.

 

He is a smart player who handles the puck well (passing and stickhandling) and has good mobility. Those things make him a good puck-carrier. But he light (170 lbs) and lacks the physical strength you would like on a 3rd pairing D. And he is not a particularly fast skater (unlike Hughes, who has good speed to go along with great mobility).

 

Adding things up, Wolanin, Brisebois, and Irwin are more reliable defensively and more able to hold their own in puck battles and in battles for position.

 

I am still happy that the Canucks signed Hirose. He said he needed work on adding strength this summer and that could make a difference. But I think he will need to show strong performance in a long sample in Abby before he is ready for the NHL

 

But is great that the Canucks have a lot of guys who are legitimate contenders to be good NHL defenders now or in the near future. Nice to have competent management after the disaster of the Benning years.

[Ted Lasso]

1 hour ago, Bure_Pavel said:

6 legit NHL dmen would be nice. I'm not excited at the fact we may lose Woo, showed some real good progress last year and was probably the most physical Dman in Abby last year (just shy of 100 PM's).

Great point.

 

For all the commiserating around trading 2nd round picks, it would be insane to lose a late blooming RHD prospect with NHL size to waivers.

 

There’s no way a team like Anaheim couldn’t put him directly onto their roster, with the added benefit of screwing over a division rival. 

[Ted Lasso]

46 minutes ago, JamesB said:

Sorry for being "that guy", but I am going to say that Hirose is officially "over-hyped".

 

Yes, he looked "cool" on the ice and he made a couple of very nice plays with the Canucks that made highlight reels.

 

But, according to underlying stats, his overall performance was not particularly good.

 

Using Evolving Hockey's GAR (goals above replacement) stat, he was behind Wolanin, McWard, Rathbone, Brisebois, and Juulsen (and Matt Irwin, although Irwin was on a different team), The sample size was small enough that xGAR is probably a better stat to use than GAR, but it is the same story. And his number was negative -- below the level of an expected "replacement-level" player.

 

He is a smart player who handles the puck well (passing and stickhandling) and has good mobility. Those things make him a good puck-carrier. But he light (170 lbs) and lacks the physical strength you would like on a 3rd pairing D. And he is not a particularly fast skater (unlike Hughes, who has good speed to go along with great mobility).

 

Adding things up, Wolanin, Brisebois, and Irwin are more reliable defensively and more able to hold their own in puck battles and in battles for position.

 

I am still happy that the Canucks signed Hirose. He said he needed work on adding strength this summer and that could make a difference. But I think he will need to show strong performance in a long sample in Abby before he is ready for the NHL

 

But is great that the Canucks have a lot of guys who are legitimate contenders to be good NHL defenders now or in the near future. Nice to have competent management after the disaster of the Benning years.

That’s a fair take, and supported by structure of his two way deal. Probably best for him to have one full year of pro hockey in Abbotsford, with a few short stints in Vancouver to test and calibrate his development 

[VegasCanuck]

2 hours ago, Ted Lasso said:

I just read a quote from Bear that Allvin told him (directly) that they need to clear some cap (in order to sign him). 

 

That makes it sound far more certain that we intend to sign him...

 

I could definitely see him coming back in December on a 1.25 million cap hit for the year.

[DownUndaCanuck]

I think the poll is spot on. Johansson maybe has a shot but is still in need of a solid year or two in the AHL before being NHL-ready if at all. On the left I think Hirose and Wolanin will duke it out, and rightly so. I just don't see Rathbone being better than either of those two especially defensively and Tocchet won't throw out a free-wheeling puck mover who can't defend well on the bottom pairing.

[aGENT]

6 hours ago, Bure_Pavel said:

6 legit NHL dmen would be nice. I'm not excited at the fact we may lose Woo, showed some real good progress last year and was probably the most physical Dman in Abby last year (just shy of 100 PM's).

Teams waive "Woos" every year. The vast majority clear without issue as they already have their own " Woos" to worry about.

 

That said, I hope we're able to retain him as he definitely has promise IMO. But this is what happens when you haven't established yourself at the NHL at his age.

[hammertime]

I really really like Hirose and Wooly for that matter too. I think they will Certainly see spot duty when injuries occur. I really like how well they filled in last year. 

 

As far as guys who could find a permanent spot. I picked Breezy G he just plays calm low event hockey that lowers a coaches blood pressure. He makes sense to me to be the guy with Myers on that bottom pair to unleash the giraffe.  

[cripplereh]

16 hours ago, Ted Lasso said:

What about Cole?

Myers trade ?