This kid has played so little hockey over the past couple of years, it is really hard to know what the Canucks have in Juolevi. Are the injuries a sign of a player who is fragile, or are they just freak accidents.
Labeling a 21-year-old a bust, after a mere 18 games in Utica is pretty quick to judgment. Obviously the problem is that his 2016 draft class has made it impossible to ignore who JB didn't pick, and I am afraid it will forever shadow Olli. The thing we need to keep in mind, while Juolevi is a JB pick, he shouldn't be the whipping boy for all of the discontentment with our current GM.
In terms of what we have in Juolevi, 2019-20 is going to be a critical season for him. He needs to play a lot of hockey this year, he needs to play in all situations, he needs to be developed. I hope Utica plays this kid a lot, and then we can figure out if he is really an NHL player, or a disaster pick. He has missed way too much hockey the past few years, and those minutes are critical for any young defensemen.
I am not suggesting for a second that he is going to become an impact NHL Dman, or that it wasn't a mistake to pass on Tkachuk, Keller, Sergachev, or Chychrun. And to be clear, I am not defending Jim Benning... but let's see what happens this year, can he stay healthy (first and foremost), can he improve his play without the puck and in his own zone. The clock is ticking, and I suspect we will have a lot better idea by Xmas, if he can stay healthy and gets the minutes.