Bravo Benning. The D is pretty much rebuilt.

[Reverend Mayhem]

If we swapped with the Flames, the Flames likely would have taken Juolevi. Tkachuk slid due to his skating and not having a complete game.

Just saying, if I had a nickel for every draft I've watched since 2006 where someone's skating is questionable, I could probably buy a new laptop.

 

[CCF23]

Whether Juolevi can be a #1 defenseman obviously remains to be seen, but without a doubt the long term future of our D core looks much better than it did a year or two ago. Juolevi and Hutton as the long term options as left shooting, puck moving D, while Tanev and Gudbranson slot in as right shooting, shutdown D partners. Throw in some nice looking young D wild cards like Tryamkin, Subban, and Brisebois and you have to think that there's the foundation for stability and balance on the back end for the forseebale future.

 

[Chairman Maouth]

I agree on goaltending, solid... defense is mediocre, IMO. Very little offense will be generated from the back-end but it is fairly mobile with some toughness. The Canucks will likely be a top 10 defense team for goals against but they will also be a bottom 5 goals for team. And they aren't close on offense and if not for Boeser in the wings there's little to no hope there.

I think you might be viewing the defense as static when it comes to the future LTE. There are players on defense who most certainly will be improving. Short term there's Hutton, Trammy, and later on the new guy.

 

[KeninsFan]

Is the D not weaker than any Gillis built team?

Edler - Tanev
Hutton - Gudbranson
Sbisa - Biega
Stetcher - Tryamkin

Historically the team needs at least 5 top 4 Dmen due to travel/injuries and the obvious lack of upper echelon #1D.

Prospects don't mean much at the NHL level. It seems just like yesterday on HF the Canucks had the G set for years to come with Vincent, Schneider, Morgan Clark. Edmonton Oilers were building around their future 1st liners in Jani Rita/Marc-Antoine Pouliot/Hemsky. The point being that prospects are just that - and for a GM that's drafted top 6 twice in his tenure he should be able to fill out a prospect pool

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

The biggest problem for me is there is no definitive rover. I'd like to have a 4th forward kinda guy like Ehrhoff was whenever possible. We can still get one, but we are still missing that guy. The closest we have is Hutton.

 

[Jarko2004]

"D is pretty much rebuilt"

The goal is to rebuild a D capable of 27th place (if healthy)?

I guess Edmonton is done then.

Bravo Benning!

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

I can't possibly be the only one, right?

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

1. Horvat doesn't have top line potential

2. Virtanen is still a project. For a team lacking offense there was much better options

3. No the Canucks need a true #1 dman and Juolevi will never be that. Sergachev and even Chychrun have a better shot IMO.

1. Horvat has been compared to Bergeron in terms of ceiling. I'd say that is top line potential.

2. Powerforwards take longer to develop, and explosive wingers are much easier to acquire. But I agree, he's still a project at this point.

3. You ought to pass that memo to half the GMs in the league who all passed on Chychrun.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

We were a pretty dominant team for a couple of years without a true #1 dman. The young group assembled/inherited by Benning can be as good as the 2011 team.

Tanev = Hamhuis
Oli = Edler
Guds = Bieksa
Hutton = Ehrhoff
Tryamkin = Rome (ok, pipe dream I know)

There's also a few recent draft picks / udfas that are coming off promising seasons. Get one unexpected break out and we are in great shape on the back end.

Someone ever becoming Aaron Rome is a pipe dream?!??

 

[No Face No Case]

1. Horvat has been compared to Bergeron in terms of ceiling. I'd say that is top line potential.

2. Powerforwards take longer to develop, and explosive wingers are much easier to acquire. But I agree, he's still a project at this point.

3. You ought to pass that memo to half the GMs in the league who all passed on Chychrun.

good rebuttal of that cancer post

 

[Hit the post]

1. Horvat has been compared to Bergeron in terms of ceiling. I'd say that is top line potential.

I believe Granlund has that ceiling.



Signed Linden.

3. No the Canucks need a true #1 dman and Juolevi will never be that. Sergachev and even Chychrun have a better shot IMO.

We lost in 2011 not because of that. We lost because we ran out of healthy defensemen period.

I think you might be viewing the defense as static when it comes to the future LTE. There are players on defense who most certainly will be improving. Short term there's Hutton, Trammy, and later on the new guy.

Some could also decline as most prospects will have their ups & downs.

Course by default the blueline WILL be better in that Weber won't be in the top 4.

 

[RandV]

Is the D not weaker than any Gillis built team?

Edler - Tanev
Hutton - Gudbranson
Sbisa - Biega
Stetcher - Tryamkin

Historically the team needs at least 5 top 4 Dmen due to travel/injuries and the obvious lack of upper echelon #1D.

Prospects don't mean much at the NHL level. It seems just like yesterday on HF the Canucks had the G set for years to come with Vincent, Schneider, Morgan Clark. Edmonton Oilers were building around their future 1st liners in Jani Rita/Marc-Antoine Pouliot/Hemsky. The point being that prospects are just that - and for a GM that's drafted top 6 twice in his tenure he should be able to fill out a prospect pool

Yep, our peak defense with Gillis in 2010-11 was:
Edler-Ehrhoff
Hamhuis-Bieksa
Ballard-Salo
Alberts-Rome

Also back during the height of the WCE era we had:
Ohlund-Salo
Jovo-Sopel
Allen-Malik

Without a franchise Norris caliber dman in place that's about the level you need to be a consistent playoff team. There's some potential for the current group but they're not there yet.

 

[Fat Tony]

3. You ought to pass that memo to half the GMs in the league who all passed on Chychrun.

Which ones of those GMs would you say saw #1D potential or who saw him as BPA?

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

Calgary
Anaheim
San Jose
Arizona
Los Angeles
Vancouver
Edmonton
Las Vegas

isn't it great that we have the 6th best D?! IN OUR DIVISION

feels fantastic!

Calgary d is so overated soft and bad defensively lol

 

[iceburg]

I think "pretty much rebuilt" is a big stretch but I like the direction.

I'm in the Gudbranson is young, will continue to make improvements to his game, and will ultimately prove to be a very solid 2nd pairing D-man that compliments an offense first guy like Hutton.
Even if Hutton's trajectory slows significantly (hard to believe it won't), he still projects as a good offensive D-man who can at least be a second pairing PP QB and eat minutes. Tanev is Tanev and is still young. Edler will be 33 at the end of his current contract and very likely will have tailed off by then.

top 4 in 3 years

Joulevi Tanev
Hutton Gudbranson

It's very reasonable to anticipate that at least two of Tryamkin, Subban, Stetcher, Pedan, Brisebois, Neill, Olson will develop into solid NHLers.

Larsen, Edler, and Sbisa are the transition guys while we wait for these other guys to develop.

Overall, the D is a little soft (thinking Pedan will turn out to be a 7/8 guy) but it is big, mobile, young with a very good balance of O and D.

A lot would have to go right for the core to be a good as when Bieksa and Hamhuis were in their prime, but it's hard to complain about the direction.

 

[Oliewud]

Yall can quote me but I think Juolevi will make the third-pairing next year and settle down Sbisas game, much like hutton did. We will also use him on the PP unit.

This kid thinks the game at an NHL level.

Edler-Tanev
Hutton-Gudbranson
Juolevi-Sbisa

Depth:Larson, Tryamkin, Stetcher

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

I think you might be viewing the defense as static when it comes to the future LTE. There are players on defense who most certainly will be improving. Short term there's Hutton, Trammy, and later on the new guy.

Hutton is the only real offensive player though. Tryamkin projects to be akin to Marek Malik and Juolevi similar to Hamhuis.

Don't get me wrong lots of decent 3/4/5 d-men.... but not even in the realm of a Seth Jones let alone an Ekblad, Weber or even an Edler IMO.

Certainly looks brighter than Weber and Bartowski but Hamhuis leaving for nothing is another wasted asset on a team that is getting to the point of not being able to waste anymore and soon to be like the Leafs/Flames of the last 7 years.

Here's the current offense:

Sedin-Sedin-Hansen
Baerstchi- Horvat- Virtanen
Burrows- Sutter- Higgins
Gaunce-Granlund- Dorsett
Etem/Rodin

If the Sedins are on a down-trend that is by far the worst offense in the NHL and I don't see how you could possibly argue it can be fixed via free-agency.

 

[Oliewud]

Hutton is the only real offensive player though. Tryamkin projects to be akin to Marek Malik and Juolevi similar to Hamhuis.

Don't get me wrong lots of decent 3/4/5 d-men.... but not even in the realm of a Seth Jones let alone an Ekblad, Weber or even an Edler IMO.

Certainly looks brighter than Weber and Bartowski but Hamhuis leaving for nothing is another wasted asset on a team that is getting to the point of not being able to waste anymore and soon to be like the Leafs/Flames of the last 7 years.

Here's the current offense:

Sedin-Sedin-Hansen
Baerstchi- Horvat- Virtanen
Burrows- Sutter- Higgins
Gaunce-Granlund- Dorsett
Etem/Rodin

If the Sedins are on a down-trend that is by far the worst offense in the NHL and I don't see how you could possibly argue it can be fixed via free-agency.

My expectations would put as around 14th in the league in GF with 225. Keep in mind 240 would put us top 5. (based on 2015-2016 season)

Sedin Sedin Eriksson (65 goals)
Baertschi Horvat Brouwer (55 Goals)
Rodin Sutter Hansen (40 Goals)
Etem Granlund Dorsett (30 Goals)

Edler-Tanev (15 Goals)
Hutton-Gudbranson(10 Goals)
Juolevi-Sbisa (10 Goals)

 

[VanJack]

The biggest problem for me is there is no definitive rover. I'd like to have a 4th forward kinda guy like Ehrhoff was whenever possible. We can still get one, but we are still missing that guy. The closest we have is Hutton.

Hopefully one of Stecher, Larsen or Subban might grow into that role...but I'm just not convinced that a true 'rover' in the Erik Karlssen mould could ever survive and thrive on a team coached by Willie Desjardins.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

My expectations would put as around 14th in the league in GF with 225. Keep in mind 240 would put us top 5. (based on 2015-2016 season)

Sedin Sedin Eriksson (65 goals)
Baertschi Horvat Brouwer (55 Goals)
Rodin Sutter Hansen (40 Goals)
Etem Granlund Dorsett (30 Goals)

Edler-Tanev (15 Goals)
Hutton-Gudbranson(10 Goals)
Juolevi-Sbisa (10 Goals)

No chance.

You think a similar group will go from 186 goals to 225 goals in 1 year?

Going by your squad here would be my guess and I think it's actually not conservative:

Sedin (25)- Sedin (10)- Eriksson (27) = 62
Baertschi (16)- Horvat (14)- Brouwer (22) = 52
Rodin (8)- Sutter (11)- Hansen (14) = 33
Etem (8)- Grandlund (5)- Dorsett (4) = 17

Edler-Tanev 13
Hutton-Gudbranson 6
Juolevi-Sbisa 4

Others combined: 12

= 199 goals... and I think this is optimistic. The only teams on paper I see as worse are the Devils and Hurricanes and maybe the Leafs.

 

[iFan]

My expectations would put as around 14th in the league in GF with 225. Keep in mind 240 would put us top 5. (based on 2015-2016 season)

Sedin Sedin Eriksson (65 goals)
Baertschi Horvat Brouwer (55 Goals)
Rodin Sutter Hansen (40 Goals)
Etem Granlund Dorsett (30 Goals)

Edler-Tanev (15 Goals)
Hutton-Gudbranson(10 Goals)
Juolevi-Sbisa (10 Goals)

You see Rodin on the Canucks roster over Virtanen?

 

[me2]

I really like whats happening with this back end renovation.
Its not over but progressing well.

Jim has added much needed muscle and beef and now just grabbed the most coveted junior Defenceman on the planet in Juolevi (Bob McKenzie) and College NCAA All-Tournament Team Troy Stecher from North Dakota.

The same people that were screaming murder for signing Gudbranson a few weeks ago and not a puck moving D are the same people that are now screaming murder for signing the best young pmd on the planet arguably.
Anything Benning and Linden do they will hate.
Ignore them.



Juolevi-Tanev
Hutton-Gudbranson
Edler-Tryamkin
Pedan-Subban-Stecher-Brisebois etc...

Marky/Demko



Benning hasn't been perfect and i haven't cosigned all of his moves but he has done a stellar job at rebuilding this D in less than 2 years with limited assets.

All it needs now is the easy bit, a franchise #1.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Hopefully one of Stecher, Larsen or Subban might grow into that role...but I'm just not convinced that a true 'rover' in the Erik Karlssen mould could ever survive and thrive on a team coached by Willie Desjardins.

TBH, I don't see Willie back in 2017-18. He'd have to suddenly do so many things differently and the team would have to be a surprise playoff team that goes at least 7 games in a series.

And I think we are a ways away from being that.

 

[RobertKron]

Man, they're set at centre with Dubois, set on D with Juolevi, Hamhuis is coming back no brainer on a discount deal - what an offseason!

 

[RandV]

Yall can quote me but I think Juolevi will make the third-pairing next year and settle down Sbisas game, much like hutton did. We will also use him on the PP unit.

This kid thinks the game at an NHL level.

Edler-Tanev
Hutton-Gudbranson
Juolevi-Sbisa

Depth:Larson, Tryamkin, Stetcher

If in the 2017-18 season Tryamkin is a depth player behind Sbisa then he's pretty much a bust, or at least not worth mentioning in a discussion about the Canucks future D core.