Vancouver Canucks: Stop Comparing Olli Juolevi to Matthew Tkachuk

Many fans believe the Vancouver Canucks should have selected Tkachuk over Juolevi at the 2016 NHL Draft. But the comparing the two right now is unfair.

On June 24, 2016, the Vancouver Canucks selected defenseman Olli Juolevi fifth overall in the NHL entry draft.

After Jesse Puljujarvi fell into the Edmonton Oilers’ lap at fourth overall, Jim Benning faced a choice. Should he select Juolevi, or his teammate with the OHL’s London Knights, Matthew Tkachuk? The Canucks general manager decided to take Juolevi.

At the time, the choice was certainly debatable. Was Juolevi truly a better player than Tkachuk,  or did Benning merely want a defenseman? The debate has raged on ever since.

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To compound matters, Tkachuk is currently in the NHL — on the rival Calgary Flames, no less — and has scored 46 points in 67 games.

The 2016-17 Vancouver Canucks are starved for goals. For a long time now, their prospect pool has lacked a lot of high-end scoring talent. Had Tkachuk become a Canuck, it would have helped solve both of those problems. (And it also rhymes!).

It doesn’t help that they’ve watched Jake Virtanen, another high draft pick who was supposed to be a dynamic scoring talent, flounder. Virtanen struggled in the NHL to start the year, before being sent down to the AHL and continuing to struggle with the Utica Comets.

Related Story: Virtanen Struggling but Developing in Utica

Flubbing two top-ten draft picks in three years would be an absolute disaster for the Canucks. So it’s understandable that fans continue to question taking Juolevi over Tkachuk.

Let’s Not Get Carried Away

But, let’s face it: at a certain point questioning Benning’s pick goes just a little too far:

Whoa, there! It’s possible that Juolevi was not the fifth-best player in the 2016 Draft. But it’s another thing entirely to suggest that he might not have been the 30th-best player.

TSN 1040’s Matt Sekeres directed that question to Craig Button, who injected some perspective into the conversation:

Last season with the London Knights, Juolevi earned 42 points in 57 games. This year? Virtually identical: 41 points in 56 games.  Those who wanted to see the young Finn chew up the scoreboard this year have gone unsatisfied.

Is that cause for concern? Button does not think so, and neither does Canucks Army‘s Ryan Biech:

"There has been some concern about Juolevi because he hasn’t taken that next step, but it’s unwarranted. Juolevi hasn’t busted down the doors in his D+1 season, but he has followed the proper development curve."

By all accounts, Juolevi is still a promising prospect. It’s far too early for fans to be giving up hope that he will become a solid top-four or top-two defenseman.

Tkachuk-Juolevi Comparison is Premature

By the same token, it’s unfair to look at Matthew Tkachuk’s early success in the NHL and hold Juolevi to that standard.

Juolevi is a defenseman. Defensemen have far more responsibilities than a winger, and they typically take extra time to develop. The fact that Tkachuk is in the NHL does not mean that Juolevi is a failed prospect.

Very few draft picks play in NHL in their first season after being drafted. Of the top 30 picks in the 2016 draft, only six have played any NHL games. Four of them are forwards. Of the two defensemen, Mikhail Sergachev stuck with the Montreal Canadiens for just three games.

The other, Jakob Chychrun, is playing for the Arizona Coyotes, a rebuilding team that, unlike Vancouver, had no playoff aspirations entering this season.

Next: European UFA Targets

With one year before he is AHL-eligible, the Vancouver Canucks will probably give Olli Juolevi at least a 10-game look in the NHL next season. Once he plays season or two in the NHL, fans will be in a position to judge whether he was worth the 2016 fifth-overall pick.

Until then, let’s give the young man a break. Defensemen often develop more slowly than wingers. Comparing Juolevi to Tkachuk right now is unrealistic.