Since taking over, general manager Patrick Allvin has attempted to rebuild the Vancouver Canucks’ blue line. The club had one of the league’s best d-cores over 10 years ago, led by Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler, Dan Hamhuis and Christian Ehrhoff. Over the past few seasons, the blue line has become the organization’s weakness.
The poor defence became evident in the 2019-20 season. The club made the playoffs and found success in the postseason by winning in the play-in round over the Minnesota Wild in four games and picking up a first-round win over the St. Louis Blues in six games before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games. However, due to their d-core, the team relied heavily on goaltenders Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko throughout the regular season and 2020 Playoffs.
Despite their elite goaltending from Demko the following two seasons, the organization struggled to make it to the postseason, largely due to their defence. The 2022-23 season was the organization’s third without a playoff appearance. For most of the season, Quinn Hughes, Tyler Myers, Luke Schenn, Ethan Bear, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Kyle Burroughs and Riley Stillman manned the club’s blue line. However, Allvin and the Canucks front office have made a few changes, and only Hughes and Myers are on the roster. The new additions should make or break the 2023-24 season.
Trading for Hronek
The Canucks traded the New York Islanders 2023 first-round pick and their own 2023 second-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings for Filip Hronek and a 2023 fourth-round pick. Hronek will slot in as a top-four right-shot defenceman this season. The team’s right side of their blue line has struggled for a few years, and the addition of the 25-year-old should be an upgrade.
Outside of Hughes, the Canucks have lacked scoring from their defence. Since the 2019-20 season, only one other defenceman has posted more than 30 points (Edler in 2019-20 with 33 points in 59 games). Meanwhile, Hronek’s career low is 23 points in 46 games during his rookie season and was on pace to post a career-high 50 points in 82 games last season. A 40-50 point season for the blueliner would be a massive boost to the team, as it provides them with two defencemen who can produce.
Buying Out Ekman-Larsson, Signing Soucy & Cole
The next big move the Canucks made was buying out the final four years of Ekman-Larsson’s contract. Although the buyout was expensive, the organization needed to offload an overpaid contract. Ekman-Larsson isn’t nearly the player he was when he initially signed his eight-year, $66 million deal with the Arizona Coyotes and the Canucks needed to create cap space to improve their blue line.
Related: Canucks Season Predictions for New Additions
With $7.113 million available, Allvin signed two defencemen he hopes to improve the backend. On July 1, the Canucks signed Ian Cole and Carson Soucy. Cole signed a one-year, $3 million, while Carson Soucy signed a three-year, $9.75 million deal.
Cole brings versatility as he can play on the right and left side, giving head coach Rick Tocchet options for different d-pairings. He also has Stanley Cup-winning experience, winning with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He played with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, averaging close to 20 minutes of ice time. Meanwhile, Soucy brings size to the blue line, standing at 6-foot-5, 208 pounds. Additionally, the 28-year-old blocks shots, kills penalties, and his reach will help in the defensive end of the ice.
Allvin managed to offload a veteran player on the decline and on an overpaid contract for two defencemen who will improve their play on the defensive end of the ice. The change should be positive as it allows players like Myers to slide down into a limited role, which could make him more effective.
Players Who Could Step Up
Hughes, Hronek, Cole, Soucy and Myers are the five defencemen who are most likely locks to start the season on the main roster, barring a trade. Therefore, the sixth slot is open for grabs in training camp. Along with veteran defenceman Matt Irwin, a few players will likely fight for the spot to jump from the minors to the NHL. Guillaume Brisebois, Jack Rathbone, Akito Hirose, Jett Woo and Christian Wolanin are all names to watch for before the regular season.
Brisebois and Hirose have a good chance of taking the sixth slot. Both are left-shot defenceman and played well last season in their brief appearances on the main roster. The 28-year-old Brisebois played 17 games last season, scoring one goal and posting three points, averaging 16:32 time on ice (TOI). Meanwhile, Hirose, at 22 years old, played seven games, posting three points, and averaged 17:28 in TOI.
Meanwhile, Rathbone is likely on his last run with the club if he can’t make the main roster this year, while Woo is looking to crack the Canucks roster after takings a step in his third American Hockey League (AHL) season. He scored seven goals and posted 21 points in 68 games in Abbotsford. Wolanin also impressed in Abbotsford, leading the team in points with 55 points in 49 games. Similar to Hirose and Brisebois, he will likely have a good shot at making the opening-day roster.
Change to Canucks Blue Line is Important
After years of icing a poor blue line, the Canucks are hoping their new additions can turn things around this season. The addition of Hronek, Cole and Soucy should lead to an all-around better performance from the defence. Also, Myers might be in a better spot while playing on the third d-pairing and averaging under 20 minutes of ice time. There is also an opportunity for a player who spent the past few seasons in the AHL to make a jump to the main roster and play on the third pairing. The return of Ethan Bear is also a possibility at some point in the regular season. Nonetheless, the defence’s performance will make or break the club’s 2023-24 season.