Confirmed with Link: Canucks sign RD Vincent Desharnais 2-Year, $2M AAV Contract

[Shareefruck]

I prefer both the Forbort and Desharnais signings to Zadorov at 6x5M. IMO the only thing Zadorov does better than these guys is rush the puck.

We do have too many of this archetype on D though and something will have to give in-season, whether that be a trade or Willander blowing the doors off and signing in the spring.

and...... hitting? Offense, too.

 

[JT Milker]

and...... hitting? Offense, too.

Zadorov is really limited offensively, his playoff numbers were not reflective.

Full disclosure I don’t like the player that much.

 

[bbud]

Yikes, I read this as $1M AAV too. Hard to imagine this contract being good value. His AFPAnalytics projection was $1.1M.

Analytics mean sh.t when your getting punches to the face )

 

[Shareefruck]

Zadorov is really limited offensively, his playoff numbers were not reflective.

Full disclosure I don’t like the player that much.

There are still different levels of limited, though. Zadorov's good for 20+ points in a season, while these guys are lucky to break 10. He has SOME modest skill, as opposed to none.

I'm not even intending to defend him, btw, but to say that rushing the puck is the "only" thing he does better is an inaccurate statement.

 

[wonton15]

I was out all day. Can someone explain why we got both Forbort and Desharnais? The back end is going to really struggle with breaking out the puck, like even more than last year…

Forbort and Desharnais were two defensemen I absolutely didn’t mind on the ice for the other team because they were so exploitable..

 

[NailsHoglander]

Imagine thinking you know better than Tocchet and this mgmt team. Fools!

 

[vancityluongo]

contract has some question marks but love that they targeted desharnais

have been calling for the canucks to sign him since the zadorov contract demands started leaking

i watched him play probably a dozen times live this season. a huge part of the oilers turn around was splitting up nurse-ceci and getting desharnais more minutes. unsurprisingly, every time nurse-ceci went back together, the oilers d crumbled. broberg taking his minutes is a comment on the composition of the oilers defense, not on desharnais as a player.

will not be surprised if he is the planned partner for soucy (a less physically gifted but less stupid typecast of nurse), and pushes myers down with forbort as the bottom pairing

at the very least, he is a capable 4/5 defenseman, and compared to what guys like edmundson and middleton went for, i think the contract is generally fine

 

[Kryten]

Imagine thinking you know better than Tocchet and this mgmt team. Fools!

I bet Alvin had the calls last year. This year after watching us get knocked around especially in the playoffs the only solution was to listen to Tocchet and get more cowbell

 

[mossey3535]

Thing is, I don't think we would get the value out of Zadorov in the regular season. Yeah, maybe in the playoffs but you still have to get maximum value out of the contract.

With Soucy on the LHS and basically the #3 defenceman, it pushes Zadorov down to the third pair. And we already did this whole "overpay a big defenceman" with Myers. And Myers is a righty which is a huge consideration.

At least Desharnais is cheap and I thought he was physical, just that he was sometimes outmatched especially pivoting. Hopefully Foote can help him.

 

[TruGr1t]

This one intrigues me after reading some. We overpaid for him, but we did it because the coaching staff thought they could get more out of him. I think he's pencilled in on the second pair on the right side, as someone mentioned above. Tocchet and Foote have a pretty good track record on picking these guys.

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

I would be nervous to have Zs personality around for 6 years. He seems to have that attitude or demeanor thst can rub people the wrong way over time. He also basically quit on Calgary and became an issue for them last season.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

I was indifferent to this signing at first, but after digging into the data a little, Desharnais really pops.

He was a full time ECHLer at 23. In his final full AHL season, at 25, he averaged half a point per game. This season, at 27, was his first full NHL season, and his PK numbers are *elite* - there's an argument he was the best penalty killing defenseman in the NHL.

A really unique, and potentially incomplete, development curve. I'm very intrigued to see him next season.

 

[HockeyWooot]

I have full faith in our management and coaching, as well as pro scouting.

Zadorov is tough to replace all in one player, but the idea is to find replacements who can do some of the things he does well or have the potential to get better with the right coaching.

 

[bossram]

I don't have any issue with acquiring Forbort and Desharnais. They'll be deployed as bottom-pairing guys and are paid accordingly. They're good defenders in-zone (and Allvin and Tocc have been pretty good at identifying defensemen that will fit in their structure) and are excellent PKers, which is a big need. Desharnais is a bit of a late bloomer too, so I am intrigued if there is more to him. He was scratched in the back half of the playoffs, but it really should have been Ceci or Nurse the Oilers took out.

I don't think the blueline is finished. They need more mobility and puck-moving there, and I think they will find some. Whether it's a "name" brand acquisition, or snagging a guy like Brannstrom for league minimum, we'll find out.

Boqvist was my ideal piece. Shelter him with third pairing minutes, have the potential to be a top 4 and could run the second PP unit.

Boqvist is awful. Truly terrible. He's too defensively deficient for any of his offensive tools to overcome. There's a minimum bar of defensive awareness and physical defending a player needs, and he doesn't have it.

 

[bossram]

Yep, hard to forget all the moaning and groaning last off season about Bluegers, Suter, Soucy, and Cole.

This is revisionist history. The tone of the last offseason's signings (including from me, and I am typically more critical than most), was largely positive and optimistic.

 

[F A N]

I like this signing. Seems to have figured things out and coming into his own. Some potential for an increased role here.

 

[MS]

Desharnais is a guy I liked in the AHL with Bakersfield and I've liked with Edmonton the last two years as a depth guy. Solid 3rd pairing defender, thought he played very well against us in the playoffs although he ended up being a healthy scratch most of the last two rounds. Physical, mobile for a guy that big. Very good on the PK.

Like everyone, I'm confused by why we now have like 5 of the same player on defense, but the signing itself is I think pretty decent value. I don't he's a top-4 guy ... but at the same time, he's been on a crazy development curve over the past couple years and maybe he isn't fully tapped out.

 

[bbud]

I like this signing. Seems to have figured things out and coming into his own. Some potential for an increased role here.

Just play big smart and hard )

Desharnais is a guy I liked in the AHL with Bakersfield and I've liked with Edmonton the last two years as a depth guy. Solid 3rd pairing defender, thought he played very well against us in the playoffs although he ended up being a healthy scratch most of the last two rounds. Physical, mobile for a guy that big. Very good on the PK.

Like everyone, I'm confused by why we now have like 5 of the same player on defense, but the signing itself is I think pretty decent value. I don't he's a top-4 guy ... but at the same time, he's been on a crazy development curve over the past couple years and maybe he isn't fully tapped out.

It's having size that makes you pay in playoffs that is huge .
Tocchet loves it and Foote with Gonchar seem to elevate all the d lets see what they do next

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

so i spent ten minutes watching all of desharnais and forbort’s fights on youtube. surprisingly poor fighters for guys of that size. they might be trees but they aren’t going to scare the bejeezus out of anyone for looking funny at hughes.

 

[Agent007]

I wonder if maybe they hedged their bets with the forbort signing and in reality the target was desharnias. Wouldn’t surprise me to see them eventually sign one of the remaining younger offensively capable D (POJ or Brannstrom). With that said we are getting closer to the 50 contract limit and not sure they want this many one way contracts for dmen so perhaps they try and move a guy out first?

 

[bbud]

so i spent ten minutes watching all of desharnais and forbort’s fights on youtube. surprisingly poor fighters for guys of that size. they might be trees but they aren’t going to scare the bejeezus out of anyone for looking funny at hughes.

In today's NHL they can't do sh.t anyways thanks buttmans dops dipsh.ts.
Hit hard 10 times a game that's where you learn to use that size Footer will help get them where they need to be )

 

[F A N]

so i spent ten minutes watching all of desharnais and forbort’s fights on youtube. surprisingly poor fighters for guys of that size. they might be trees but they aren’t going to scare the bejeezus out of anyone for looking funny at hughes.

Forbort isn't a good fighter. To be fair, Desharnais fought some good fighters.

 

[VanJack]

Allvin saying that what intrigued them about Desharnais, is that he's only been in the league for a couple of seasons.

They figure that the opportunity to work with Gonchar and Foote will be a boon to his game in Vancouver. Might be another 'late bloomer'. And at 6'7" and 230, he can dish out some serious punishment while he's learning.

I like the fact that the Canucks have targeted guys like Sherwood and Desharnais, who played well against them in the playoffs. It's only in the Cup playoff where you get the true measure of a player.

 

[Shanahanigans]

Oilers fans loved this player because he was a longshot to make it, but worked his butt off at every level, including the NHL. Scouting report:

- Long, huge, and physical 6/7 D. Has had excellent defensive metrics playing in that role. Him and Kulak were among the best in xGA among third pairs last year.

- Has gotten better at passing the puck since he first joined the team, but don't expect much breaking out or offense. Purely a 3rd pair, shutdown PK guy.

- Excellent on the PK, shot blocking, and shutting down the cycle. His reach helps break out a lot of plays.

- He'll make the smart defensive play more often than not. Best paired with a mobile skater/puck moving type, as if he's with another glass and out guy, he can get into a bit of defensive trouble.

- He's more defensively reliable than you think, and his skating is less of an issue than you think. Most Dmen of his caliber get themselves into trouble quite a bit, he rarely did last year in Edmonton.

-Overall, you won't have any issues with this player. Perfect in his role, but will struggle if you expect him to do more such as put him into the top 4, or pair him with a top 6 line and expect him to contribute offensively. Pure 3rd pair defensive Dman who became a bit of a fan favourite in Edmonton. Wishing him nothing but the best.

 

[Cancuks]

I'd have rather sent a 4th round pick to Montreal for Kovacevic @ 0.775 cap hit who is better defensively than Desharnais. Would have saved $1.25 million and you add $1.5 to Forbort and $2.25 for Heinen and voila, you have $5 million for Zadorov.

Hughes - Hronek
Soucy - Myers
Zadorov - Kovacevic
Juulsen
Friedman

Still able to sign DeBrusk and Sherwood at the same amounts.