Welcome Matt: Canucks management provided excuses, not solutions, to defence problem
The days before training camp are when NHL optimism reigns, and the Vancouver Canucks are singing that tune these days.
Our friend Patrick Johnston from The Province has story coming out where president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford cites his 2006 Carolina Hurricanes as an example of a team no one expected to win.
GM Patrik Allvin, in response to a question from Sportenetās Iain MacIntyre, gave a soft endorsement of the Canucks being in their winning window, citing the age of the current core and improvement from within.
And this was after Allvin explained what didnāt happen with the defence this summer, even while voicing a rosy spin. In an interview with The Athletic, Allvin cited the lack of cap space and expiring contracts, plus the good health of Tucker Poolman, on why they added forwards not defensemen. His answer sounded Benning-esque, as though the Canucksā hands were tied.
They were not.
This management group has chosen to push the franchiseās most pressing problem to a later date, and even warned it could take years to fix the defence.
Perhaps the sleight of hand of trying standout Quinn Hughes on the right (non-shooting) side will stick and give the Canucks a top-flight defenceman there, but it will come at the expense of the left-side missing its stalwart.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson would be the best left-side defenceman in that lineup, but it forces Jack Rathbone or Travis Dermott up the lineup, and takes Hughesā security blanket ā Luke Schenn ā to another pair.
The Canucks are talking improvement from within, including more structure, quicker retrievals, and zone exits. And with good reason. That part is fair.
Itās what head coach Bruce Boudreau has been tasked with over the offseason, to be more tactical and to help this under-talented defence get more out of their individual parts.
The irony is that last year they were pretty good, with Tyler Myers and Schenn in particular shining defensively.
Kudos to Canucks management for realizing that itās not likely a repeatable formula given that Ekman-Larsson, Myers, and Schenn are all north of 30 and more likely to regress than improve. Holding their level would be a win.
But the notion that they couldnāt improve defence this summer is folly.
Hereās the list of NHL right-side defensemen who were traded this summer: John Marino, Brent Burns, Tony DeAngelo, Jeff Petry, MacKenzie Weegar, and yesterday, Nils Lundkvist. That does not include prospect Brock Faber, the centrepiece in the Kevin Fiala trade, nor free agents like John Klingberg and Justin Schultz.
Then there are the young left-side defencemen who moved this summer ā Ty Smith and Alexander Romanov ā who would have made sense if the Canucks wanted to commit to Hughes on the right side.
If the Canucks actually contend this year with this defence, then all hail Rutherford, Allvin, Boudreau, and the players. But the fact remains, at some point, this management group is going to have to make a brave trade for a frontline defenceman.
We thought that would come via J.T. Miller. Maybe now it comes via Bo Horvat.