Bravo Benning. The D is pretty much rebuilt.

[Knight53]

WTF is this thread lmao. The only top 4 d-men we have right now who are going to be here 5+ years from now weren't even brought in by benning.

Before the draft.

XXX-XXX
Hutton-Tanev

Benning used the 5th overall pick which he thought was going to be in the 14th-16th range on Juolevi which hopefully becomes a top pairing LHD.

So if he becomes what he is projected to be.....

Juolevi-XXX
Hutton-Tanev

Still need a top pairing consensus RHD. Preferably franchise quality.

With Subban/Tryamkin/Stetcher/Brisebois/UFA to fill out bottom pairing.

And yes Gudbranson should be now where near the top 4. With the contract he will get from Benning, I wouldn't touch him at all.

 

[Ainec]

lol that guy also had 2 points in 6 playoff games compared to 14 in 18, and I'm guessing came nowhere near a WJC team nevermind being a top 3 player for the Champs.

would be nice to have Marner, Dvorak and Tkachuk to play with

or

Laine, Puljujarvi, Aho

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

would be nice to have Marner, Dvorak and Tkachuk to play with

or

Laine, Puljujarvi, Aho

OJ played with great players this season, no doubt about it. Great players playing with other great players is fun to watch...and it was fun watching a great puck mover like OJ feeding future superstars like laine and Puljujarvi in stride.

Comparing him to Matt Finn based on OHL reg. season totals is beyond ridiculous. You can go to hockeydb and find tons of second rounders that you could compare to Olli then.

 

[Ainec]

OJ played with great players this season, no doubt about it. Great players playing with other great players is fun to watch...and it was fun watching a great puck mover like OJ feeding future superstars like laine and Puljujarvi in stride.

Comparing him to Matt Finn based on OHL reg. season totals is beyond ridiculous. You can go to hockeydb and find tons of second rounders that you could compare to Olli then.

who would you compare OJ to in the last 5 years? OHL of course and 17 year old season

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

who would you compare OJ to in the last 5 years? OHL of course

Got a big vibe of people like Hampus Lindholm, Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter, OEL, Tomas Kaberle, Jyrki Lumme etc. when I watchin him at at the WJC.

EDIT: whoops...stricly out of the OHL? I dont know because thats stupid.

 

[Ainec]

Got a big vibe of people like Hampus Lindholm, Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter, OEL, Tomas Kaberle, Jyrki Lumme etc. when I watchin him at at the WJC.

OHL though. last 5 years too as said in the OP


you said you can find tons in the 2nd round, I'm giving you every round

 

[Ainec]

EDIT: whoops...stricly out of the OHL? I dont know because thats stupid.

Rather than call it stupid you can't give it a try? I totally believe in the difference in leagues (Q production meaning the least for example)

I mean OJ was drafted in the OHL, seems like a good place to start

 

[JuniorNelson]

Benning has assembled a solid, young, mobile back end. He added a top end prospect at the draft. I have no worries with defensemen and goalies under Benning's regime. He gets it. If he hadn't been gifted with a top line he might have built a new top six, too?

 

[M2Beezy]

Benning has assembled a solid, young, mobile back end. He added a top end prospect at the draft. I have no worries with defensemen and goalies under Benning's regime. He gets it. If he hadn't been gifted with a top line he might have built a new top six, too?

He is doing it kinda behind the lines if u look what hes doing. I hate his trades and him but his drafting is really solid we got some great hiders like Gaudette Tater Tot Olsen and Neill and even Briesy plus Boeser and now one of the best young defense in a couple a years. If we dont splash the FA id be happy with another bung year cause wed get rid of willie and get a star fwd next year that would really make us a good team for the future. I kinda give Benning a hard time on this boards but i kinda see what hes doing and i like it

 

[WTG]

That doesnt really matter..Edler was Paired with Ehrhoff mostly and we had Bieksa and Salo.

It all depends on the chemistry and how good the players actually are. Edler wont be buried on the 3rd pairing unless if he significantly regresses.

LHD-RHD is inherently better then LHD-LHD.

I think there is almost no way that Juolevi replaces Gudbranson as the RD in the top 4.

 

[JA]

Juolevi is a puck-moving, positional LD, and Gudbranson is a physical RD.

I can see them being paired together in the future.

 

[Butcher]

LHD-RHD is inherently better then LHD-LHD.

Only on the defensive side. Many offensive defencemen prefer playing on their offside.

 

[kanucks25]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna miss Bartkowski angrily banging his stick on the ice when he didn't receive a pass.

For a terrible player he sure loved calling for the pass.

I remember one time he was open and was tapping his stick but Biega didn't notice and then he started slamming it harder and harder out of frustration.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Tryamkin played the right side well last season, but he is a lefty and should be just as good or better on his natural side.

Not really true. Though most would feel that way, doesn't necessarily mean he would.

 

[Horse McHindu]

Juolevi is a puck-moving, positional LD, and Gudbranson is a physical RD.

I can see them being paired together in the future.

If Juolevi develops according to plan, I wouldn't be opposed to creating a 'super pairing' with him and Tanev. A Juolevi-Tanev pairing would be up there with the best defensive pairings in the league.

A future Hutton-Gudbranson pairing would be a solid 2nd pairing.

Once Juolevi is truly ready for Top 4 duty, you can move Edler.

 

[JA]

If Juolevi develops according to plan, I wouldn't be opposed to creating a 'super pairing' with him and Tanev. A Juolevi-Tanev pairing would be up there with the best defensive pairings in the league.

A future Hutton-Gudbranson pairing would be a solid 2nd pairing.

Once Juolevi is truly ready for Top 4 duty, you can move Edler.

We should move Edler now while he still has some value.

 

[JuniorNelson]

He is doing it kinda behind the lines if u look what hes doing. I hate his trades and him but his drafting is really solid we got some great hiders like Gaudette Tater Tot Olsen and Neill and even Briesy plus Boeser and now one of the best young defense in a couple a years. If we dont splash the FA id be happy with another bung year cause wed get rid of willie and get a star fwd next year that would really make us a good team for the future. I kinda give Benning a hard time on this boards but i kinda see what hes doing and i like it

I have only really been appalled with Benning twice, both on traded away players. That's pretty good. I'm mostly on board with what he's trying to do.

My concerns are that the team might need different coaching tactics if they go to a one and one-A forward line model. One of the things that worked really well for the Sedins at their peak was sensible deployment by Alain Vigneault. I feel that their declining years should be done with active coaching to modify their minutes.

Benning can contribute by adding a winger to their line. If he only does that single addition, this will be a good off-season. I'd like to add two wingers to the Sedin line, Okposo and Eriksson. I think they would both be good and depth here is a reasonable precaution. Also, they can show different looks on different nights. If that's your second line behind a speedy young line, I think the top six looks good.

Etem, Sutter, Hansen sound like a capable two way line (to me). They can function as the checking unit and do PK duty.

The fourth line will feature veteran Dorsett with raw rookie Guance and lightweight center Granlund. That doesn't sound bad, considering the minutes they'll play.

It all sounds pretty good on paper. Canucks have demonstrated a refreshing lack of concern about smaller players being stapled here. It seems cruel but this is a blood sport. It's all in good fun, then they trade you to Calgary, I guess?

 

[Horse McHindu]

We should move Edler now while he still has some value.

If you move Edler, then the Canucks depth on defense would take a severe hit.

Hutton-Tanev
Sbisa-Gudbranson
Pedan-Tryamkin

Yikes.

And given that 1-2 injuries on defense inevitably occur, you could be looking at a complete gongshow.........to the point where it actually damages the confidence and morale of our young defensemen (Hutton, Tryamkin, etc.), and could even hurt Markstrom if Markstrom got hung out to dry behind such a horrid defense.

I want picks and prospects as much as the next guy, but you have to be careful in how and when you move players for said picks. Edler will still be a good defenseman in 2-3 years, and should be able to land us something of significance.

 

[Horse McHindu]

Juolevi is a puck-moving, positional LD, and Gudbranson is a physical RD.

I can see them being paired together in the future.

I can see that.

If Juolevi truly becomes a #1 defenseman however, I'm wondering if him and Tanev could be one of the legit top pairings in the NHL (in 2-3 years)?

You could log Juolevi and Tanev some big minutes, while Hutton and Gudbranson would be a very solid 2nd pairing.

 

[JA]

If you move Edler, then the Canucks depth on defense would take a severe hit.

Hutton-Tanev
Sbisa-Gudbranson
Pedan-Tryamkin

Yikes.

And given that 1-2 injuries on defense inevitably occur, you could be looking at a complete gongshow.........to the point where it actually damages the confidence and morale of our young defensemen (Hutton, Tryamkin, etc.), and could even hurt Markstrom if Markstrom got hung out to dry behind such a horrid defense.

I want picks and prospects as much as the next guy, but you have to be careful in how and when you move players for said picks. Edler will still be a good defenseman in 2-3 years, and should be able to land us something of significance.

I don't think the loss of Edler would hurt as much as you think. He has more value on the market than he does to the Canucks. I said before the 2015-16 season that the Canucks need a year at the bottom to draft a franchise forward. That did not happen, although we addressed our need for a high-end defence prospect.

We still need a franchise forward. Perhaps 2018 is the draft to wait for, however. 2017 looks rather lean.

 

[Phenomenon13]

This core completely hinges on Juolevi panning out and hitting his potential as a #1 defenseman. Otherwise if he's just a top four defender, the dcore is rather mediocre with no top end talent which all championship teams are built on. Hutton realistically is going to a top four (second pairing guy). Tanev is top pairing obviously. Gudbranson is #4 at best. .

I'm not sold on tryamkin as a top four guy as I see him to be a bottom pairing guy. Pedan is going to be bottom pairing. Edler is going to regress to a second pairing player by the time juolevi hits his prime.

If juolevi doesn't become at least a number two, our defense isn't going to be contender level and based on what I've read up on none of the defenseman in this draft are number ones

 

[YeahHeDid]

I was initially upset that JB passed on MT to take OJ, but when you think about it, D-men take longer to develop, and we're going to be sh*tty team next year as well. So better off to take the best D-man available this year, and take the best scoring prospect next year.

 

[Horse McHindu]

I don't think the loss of Edler would hurt as much as you think.

We might have to agree to disagree on this one.

Hutton-Tanev
Sbisa-Gudbranson
Pedan-Tryamkin

Stretcher.

Maybe it's just me, but that defense looks scary bad to me. Injuries on D are inevitable, and so that horrid looking defense could look even worse for long stretches during the season.

Do you really feel comfortable in expediting Hutton's development by putting him on the top pairing? What about the erratic Sbisa playing alongside Gudbranson?

I don't feel comfortable at all in moving Edler right now. Given how weak our defense is, I'd not only want to keep Edler, but would consider bringing back Hamhuis as well.

 

[F A N]

This core completely hinges on Juolevi panning out and hitting his potential as a #1 defenseman. Otherwise if he's just a top four defender, the dcore is rather mediocre with no top end talent which all championship teams are built on. Hutton realistically is going to a top four (second pairing guy). Tanev is top pairing obviously. Gudbranson is #4 at best. .

I'm not sold on tryamkin as a top four guy as I see him to be a bottom pairing guy. Pedan is going to be bottom pairing. Edler is going to regress to a second pairing player by the time juolevi hits his prime.

If juolevi doesn't become at least a number two, our defense isn't going to be contender level and based on what I've read up on none of the defenseman in this draft are number ones

It seems hard to win a Cup without a true #1 D. But where and how are you going to get one? How many true #1 Dmen are there in this league? Certainly not 30. Pronger and Chara types are once in a generation. If you have the first overall pick you can get Ekblad. If you have the #2 overall pick you can get Hedman or Doughty if you're lucky. Doughty, Karlsson, Subban, and Keith? Perhaps you can get a Yandle or Ekman-Larsson but I'm not sure they should be classified as true #1 Dmen.

If you don't have a true #1 you try to win with depth.

 

[Horse McHindu]

This core completely hinges on Juolevi panning out and hitting his potential as a #1 defenseman. Otherwise if he's just a top four defender, the dcore is rather mediocre with no top end talent which all championship teams are built on. Hutton realistically is going to a top four (second pairing guy). Tanev is top pairing obviously. Gudbranson is #4 at best. .

I'm not sold on tryamkin as a top four guy as I see him to be a bottom pairing guy. Pedan is going to be bottom pairing. Edler is going to regress to a second pairing player by the time juolevi hits his prime.

If juolevi doesn't become at least a number two, our defense isn't going to be contender level and based on what I've read up on none of the defenseman in this draft are number ones

Very good post. For the record, I believe Juolevi, at MINIMUM, will be an Edler/Ohlund calibre guy. At best, he'll be that coveted franchise calibre defenseman that we've been craving (in the mold of a Lidstrom, Karlson, etc.). I think the actual result will be somewhere between that.

Watch some tapes of Juolevi if you can. The kid is super intelligent, and is poised as ****. Very Lidstrom-esque in that regard. I don't want to come across as a Tom Larscheid-esque homer, but I do think we have a real gem on our hands.

As far as the initial projections go, a lot of the hockey experts that commented on Juolevi, made those comments before the WJC's, Memorial Cup, and the Combine (i.e. places where Juolevi flourished and really seemed to have taken the next step).