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

[lawrence]

I believe the team, believes the coaching staff in place can fix any dman or improve any dman they get their hands on, if that dman is given at least a training camp in the summer. As we saw Myers, game improved, the most frustrating dman on the Canucks the last 5 years, Noah Juulsen. He want from AHL player to able to fill in regularly on our bottom 6, and lets not even talk about Hughes, he scored 90+ points.

Personally, it goes from asking Tocchet do you like this player? Adam Foote, do you like this player? they will be asked, do you think we can work with this player and turn him into something more than we sign him for?

he seems to be happy about coming here.

 

[shottasasa]

I don’t doubt the puck moving for the defence as a whole in the regular season will be… passable… But I’m not sure that this defence is quite good enough to reach a cup final or win it. And frankly, for me has to be the goal for the season.

There is always the possibility of moves before the trade deadline or a player really surprises I suppose. My longshot/darkhorse/hot-take candidate to surprise is probably McWard.

As far as VD is concerned, there may be a little more to get out of the transition and puck handling side of his game, but I feel they are more likely to be incremental improvements that make him a passable #5 rather than the big improvement required by this defence to become a top contender.

 

[DFAC]

I don’t doubt the puck moving for the defence as a whole in the regular season will be… passable… But I’m not sure that this defence is quite good enough to reach a cup final or win it. And frankly, for me has to be the goal for the season.

There is always the possibility of moves before the trade deadline or a player really surprises I suppose. My longshot/darkhorse/hot-take candidate to surprise is probably McWard.

As far as VD is concerned, there may be a little more to get out of the transition and puck handling side of his game, but I feel they are more likely to be incremental improvements that make him a passable #5 rather than the big improvement required by this defence to become a top contender.

To be honest - the backend is one top 4 dman away from looking pretty solid. Let's say hypothetically Vegas is out of it by the deadline and becomes sellers and Theodore is available for a rental:

Hughes - Hronek
Theodore - Myers
Soucy - Desharnais
Forbort - Juulsen

That's a pretty good backend.

 

[LordBacon]

To be honest - the backend is one top 4 dman away from looking pretty solid. Let's say hypothetically Vegas is out of it by the deadline and becomes sellers and Theodore is available for a rental:

Hughes - Hronek
Theodore - Myers
Soucy - Desharnais
Forbort - Juulsen

That's a pretty good backend.

Thats what she said

also yeah getting Theodore would be huge.

 

[strattonius]

VD could have more upside given his trajectory. I also thought he looked good against the Canucks in the POs.

Knoblauch paired him up with Nurse and he completely stabilized the pairing - at that point we weren't feasting on the Nurse-Ceci combo and I think it changed the series for the worse. Seems like Desharnais was a bit of a catalyst for that stabilization....that's the scouting hope anyways.

 

[TruGr1t]

Knoblauch paired him up with Nurse and he completely stabilized the pairing - at that point we weren't feasting on the Nurse-Ceci combo and I think it changed the series for the worse. Seems like Desharnais was a bit of a catalyst for that stabilization....that's the scouting hope anyways.

The play is his trend line. He assumed increased minutes and responsibility last season, and then legit played second-pair (17-20 mins) during the Canucks and early Stars series (word is he then got injured in the playoffs). He has been improving over the past year, and management must be convinced they can see the guy from the playoffs pre-injury consistently, plus there is obviously further room for improvement given where he's been trending.

 

[strattonius]

The play is his trend line. He assumed increased minutes and responsibility last season, and then legit played second-pair (17-20 mins) during the Canucks and early Stars series (word is he then got injured in the playoffs). He has been improving over the past year, and management must be convinced they can see the guy from the playoffs pre-injury consistently, plus there is obviously further room for improvement given where he's been trending.

Yeah his development has been on an insane upswing. At worst he stagnates and we have a bottom pairing guy but there's potential he keeps improving - especially with our coaching staff who seem to have a whisper for big d-men.

 

[kcunac]

Hopefully EP2 takes over for forbort next year and Willander for Vd the following year.

 

[lawrence]

Hopefully EP2 takes over for forbort next year and Willander for Vd the following year.

thats a reasonable timeline to phase in some of our younger guys. Yup. I'm personally a huge fan of Willander spending a couple more years out of the NHL

 

[ChilliBilly]

I'm not disputing that "journeyman" has a different meaning in other professions. In hockey, it has come to mean a player who has played for multiple teams. I don't believe the term journeyman is used in hockey to describe a career 4th line player or 6th Dman who has had a long NHL career playing for one team. As such, I disagree with bossram's definition because that would mean players like Dakota Joshua is a journeyman at the time we signed him as well.

The other definition for journeyman is an athlete who is technically competent but unable to excel. I prefer this definition myself, but to each their own.

edit - this is the way I have been using the term journeyman for over 50 years. your comment about why this is even a discussion is kind of condescending, and many would agree that your take is, if not wrong, not the preferred meaning.

 

[VanJack]

In the salary cap world, every team has holes they'd like to fill if they had the room. Clearly the Canucks could have used a d-man capable of jumping into their top-four. But those guys are almost impossible to trade for because they're too valuable to the teams that already have them. About all you can do is draft one, and develop them.

So the Canucks will have to do it by committee. After Hughes and Hronek, the ice-time will doled out based on who's playing the best at any given time. It was really the same issue they had last year.....but still managed to wrack up 109 points and win the Pacific.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

In the salary cap world, every team has holes they'd like to fill if they had the room. Clearly the Canucks could have used a d-man capable of jumping into their top-four. But those guys are almost impossible to trade for because they're too valuable to the teams that already have them. About all you can do is draft one, and develop them.

So the Canucks will have to do it by committee. After Hughes and Hronek, the ice-time will doled out based on who's playing the best at any given time. It was really the same issue they had last year.....but still managed to wrack up 109 points and win the Pacific.

I think we're a good enough team we will probably be in the rental market next year again, except I'm very happy with our forwards and the D looks like Hughes and Hronek will be lifting a lot in the regular season again.

 

[LandfiII]

I think we're a good enough team we will probably be in the rental market next year again, except I'm very happy with our forwards and the D looks like Hughes and Hronek will be lifting a lot in the regular season again.

I'm very much in favour of leaning on the aggressive side to dump Poolman and build up the capspace to have a monster deadline. I truly believe this group at their today ages are our best shot for a good long while. Are they worth chasing? I think they are. But like how the hell can ya quantify that?


I have posts with terms like "burned loser core" in my post history. Last year changed my mind profoundly. Thank goodness. This is way more fun.

 

[F A N]

The other definition for journeyman is an athlete who is technically competent but unable to excel. I prefer this definition myself, but to each their own.

edit - this is the way I have been using the term journeyman for over 50 years. your comment about why this is even a discussion is kind of condescending, and many would agree that your take is, if not wrong, not the preferred meaning.

My comment isn't meant to be condescending as I have not heard the term used that way. Maybe it was used 50+ years ago and not the past 20 years? If I am wrong I stand corrected.

Language does change with some words adopting specific usage. I would say that "gay" has come to mean something other than someone who is excited, festive, and merry. For NA sports like hockey, basketball, and baseball, it has come to mean someone who has moved around. I admit that I do not know how it was commonly used 50+ years ago. We're also not likely to find examples of a12th/13th forward or 6th/7th defenseman who spent 8-10+ years playing for one NHL team where most agree is "technically competent but unable to excel." Fans of that that team would probably think of that player as a real solid 4th line player or bottom pair defenseman over the course of his career with that team.

I asked this before but nobody seems to have answered me. Do you consider Dakota Joshua a journeyman forward when we signed him? Similar circumstances to Descharnais.

 

[jd22]

In before 4.5m x 4y extension this time next year.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

I'm very much in favour of leaning on the aggressive side to dump Poolman and build up the capspace to have a monster deadline. I truly believe this group at their today ages are our best shot for a good long while. Are they worth chasing? I think they are. But like how the hell can ya quantify that?


I have posts with terms like "burned loser core" in my post history. Last year changed my mind profoundly. Thank goodness. This is way more fun.

I was also proved so, so wrong last year, and that was one of...in fact maybe the 2nd most enjoyable season I've watched. I think you have to push the chips in this year, you'd be foolish not to. I'd rather dangle the 2026 1st than this one however.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

In before 4.5m x 4y extension this time next year.

If he plays well enough to merit such an extension, I think we’d all be pretty happy. Albeit, I’d be surprised if he plays to quite that level. I do think he has some upside, so we shall see.

 

[PavelBure10]

I don't know, listening to Desharnais interview and how excited he is to work with Adam Foote. The positivity while being very modest. Saying he's has a lot to work on but thinks there is so much more to his game. I am very intrigued with this signing, i think there is some upside here.

 

[VanJack]

My comment isn't meant to be condescending as I have not heard the term used that way. Maybe it was used 50+ years ago and not the past 20 years? If I am wrong I stand corrected.

Language does change with some words adopting specific usage. I would say that "gay" has come to mean something other than someone who is excited, festive, and merry. For NA sports like hockey, basketball, and baseball, it has come to mean someone who has moved around. I admit that I do not know how it was commonly used 50+ years ago. We're also not likely to find examples of a12th/13th forward or 6th/7th defenseman who spent 8-10+ years playing for one NHL team where most agree is "technically competent but unable to excel." Fans of that that team would probably think of that player as a real solid 4th line player or bottom pair defenseman over the course of his career with that team.

I asked this before but nobody seems to have answered me. Do you consider Dakota Joshua a journeyman forward when we signed him? Similar circumstances to Descharnais.

A fair point. A journeyman NHL player is a guy who's probably playing for his third or fourth NHL organization and has spent a spent a season or two bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL.

Desharnais has only played in the Oilers organization. He's already 28, having played four years at Providence College and then the better part of three seasons split between Bakersfield in the AHL and Edmonton. In fact last year was his full year in the NHL, when he played 76 games.

So it would be more accurate to describe him as a 'late bloomer' like Dakota Joshua. At least that's what the Canucks are hoping for.

 

[BluesyShoes]

In the salary cap world, every team has holes they'd like to fill if they had the room. Clearly the Canucks could have used a d-man capable of jumping into their top-four. But those guys are almost impossible to trade for because they're too valuable to the teams that already have them. About all you can do is draft one, and develop them.

So the Canucks will have to do it by committee. After Hughes and Hronek, the ice-time will doled out based on who's playing the best at any given time. It was really the same issue they had last year.....but still managed to wrack up 109 points and win the Pacific.

You can certainly rent a top 4ish guy, and my sense is that is their plan, to evaluate what they have early on and then fill any holes with rentals. Same playbook as last year with Zadorov and Lindholm, although I'll be hoping they can keep some picks for the draft.

 

[VanJack]

You can certainly rent a top 4ish guy, and my sense is that is their plan, to evaluate what they have early on and then fill any holes with rentals. Same playbook as last year with Zadorov and Lindholm, although I'll be hoping they can keep some picks for the draft.

Definitely. If the Canucks can successfully clear some cap room by the TDL next March, I could easily see them making splash like they did this past season when they added Zadorov and Lindholm.

In fact it would qualify as a 'surprise' if Allvin doesn't add some blueline depth at some point in the season. The only issue is whether he can find a guy who can potentially move into the top-four. But bound to be some big-name impending UFA out there, who isn't likely to re-sign with his current team.

 

[EpochLink]

13 pages on Desharnais:

 

[tantalum]

The other definition for journeyman is an athlete who is technically competent but unable to excel. I prefer this definition myself, but to each their own.

edit - this is the way I have been using the term journeyman for over 50 years. your comment about why this is even a discussion is kind of condescending, and many would agree that your take is, if not wrong, not the preferred meaning.

I would agree with that definition. Though in FAN's defense his definition is the direct result of yours over such a players career.

 

[iceburg]

I'm becoming more and more intrigued by this signing. At first, I was really suspect since he's entering his later 20s and only has around 100 NHL games under his belt. But some of the pundits (albeit with the local sports hopeful bias) have suggested he could slot into a pairing with Hughes. This would probably only work in a highly disciplined defensive system since he shouldn't be viewed as a top pairing defenseman. But some of his defensive numbers as a shutdown defenseman are impressive. And he's huge! The following article from January opened my eyes a little.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5224896/2024/01/26/oilers-vincent-desharnais-contract/

If the local pundits are right, that there is potential to slot in beside Hughes, the following actually doesn't look too bad.

Hughes - Desharnais
Soucy - Hronek
Forbort - Myers
Juulsen

 

[Shareefruck]

I believe the team, believes the coaching staff in place can fix any dman or improve any dman they get their hands on, if that dman is given at least a training camp in the summer. As we saw Myers, game improved, the most frustrating dman on the Canucks the last 5 years, Noah Juulsen. He want from AHL player to able to fill in regularly on our bottom 6, and lets not even talk about Hughes, he scored 90+ points.

Personally, it goes from asking Tocchet do you like this player? Adam Foote, do you like this player? they will be asked, do you think we can work with this player and turn him into something more than we sign him for?

he seems to be happy about coming here.

I hesitate to give the coaching staff too much credit for the Hughes improvement, though, personally. He seemed to make similarly huge strides in previous years before this coaching regime as well. One year he went from questionable defensively to very solid defensively.