Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

The Vancouver Canucks will need to add a defenceman by tomorrow’s 12pm PDT National Hockey League trade deadline regardless if they can get the right-handed shot defenceman they have been looking all season.

Cam Barker was signed as a free agent by the Canucks following the conclusion of the lockout to be the team’s eighth defenceman. He sat out the first 20 games of the season as a healthy scratch before making his debut March 3 against the Calgary Flames.

Barker has done well statistically picking up two assists in seven games, but his skating ability hasn’t been all that impressive in those games. Fleeter skating opponents have been able to get by him with the standard inside-outside move at ease.

It doesn’t appear Canucks associate coach Rick Bowness and head coach Alain Vigneault have much confidence in his defenceman either.

He has averaged 13:29 this season and in the last three games, Barker has played 11:16, 12:45, and 10:29. Defenceman Keith Ballard playing as a forward has played more than Barker on defence. This is probably telling of how much confidence the coaching staff has in Barker.

The Canucks will need a player that will be able to contribute more than that in third-pairing role. In comparison, Andrew Alberts and Aaron Rome averaged 14:17 and 15:13 last season. Ideally you would like your third pairing to play around 15-17 minutes a night.

Kevin Bieksa‘s groin also appears it will be an ongoing issue moving forward and he will play the rest of the season injured. He has been missing practices and game day skates recently to receive treatment on the groin.

There has been instances where his groin has been an issue during a game. Bieksa has looked sluggish on the ice and unable to keep up with the play at times. Take the Logan Couture chance Monday in the second period where Couture just picked up speed and skated by Bieksa for a chance in close.

The Canucks will need to add depth and depth that can play more minutes. Ryan O’Byrne and Tyson Strachan are players they might be interested in.

O’Bryne and Strachan have been averaging 18:58 and 18:53 respectively with the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers. Both players are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. O’Byrne carries a $1.8 million cap hit and Strachan’s is $600,000.

Update:

Barker is on waivers.

#canucks put Barker on waivers, to send to Wolves, as per @tsnbobmckenzie

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) April 2, 2013

Andrew Alberts (Credit: Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports)

Vancouver Canucks defencemen Andrew Alberts and Cam Barker have yet to appear in a game this season even though the season is entering its third week this weekend.

Neither player has been able to draw into the lineup due to the strong play of Keith Ballard and Chris Tanev on the third pairing. Canucks associate coach Rick Bowness, who runs the team’s defence, says the two have been his best defence pairing and is comfortable playing them against any line in the league.

While Barker played 23 games with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, Alberts has not seen game action in nearly ten months. He last played a game on April 3, 2012 when the Canucks defeated the Anaheim Ducks in the third-to-last game of the 2011-12 season.

The Canucks will need to find a way to get both players in the lineup for some game action soon. One option is to send Alberts down to the Chicago Wolves on a conditioning assignment. The other is for the team to dress 11 forwards and seven defencemen for a game or two.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Guy Boucher has regularly dressed seven defencemen throughout his coaching career.

“I’m welcoming it, for sure,” Boucher said in 2011. “That’s what I like. I’ve done that in midget, in junior, in the American League, and last year that’s what I did most of the year when I could in the NHL.”

Even though this is unorthodox, Boucher reasons it is beneficial and gives him flexibility in a game.

“When you have an injury during a game, you’re down to five defensemen. If you have a guy in the penalty box, you’re down to five defensemen again. So, if you have an extra defenseman it levels the playing field because you have six and aren’t stuck with playing five for two periods or whatever it is.”

As for using only 11 forwards, when there usually is 12: “It really depends on who is in my lineup. But you have a spot to fill there, a blank with whoever you want. So if somebody is playing great that night, you can have that guy get more ice time. You can spot your better players in that hole. It just creates an open spot, and you can create with some freedom.” (Lightning Strikes)

It makes it difficult for team’s to match as well.

With 11 forwards, one in the top six can get spot duty on a third or fourth line. That way, Boucher said, “you’re tough to match.” (Tampa Bay Times)

Forwards Jordan Schroeder and Maxim Lapierre are both dealing with strained groins, while Dale Weise has a sore neck. If one of the three are unable to play, Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault should consider dressing seven defencemen as a way to get Alberts and Barker into the lineup.

Alain Vigneault (Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

The Vancouver Canucks decision to send centre Jordan Schroeder down to the minors on Friday and to include nine defencemen on the 23-player roster was a surprise.

The Canucks currently have no extra forwards and three extra defencemen: Andrew Alberts, Cam Barker, and Jim Vandermeer. According to Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault, the team will be making a move to rectify the situation.

AV: “I would not predict that we would keep 9 defensemen for very long” #canucks

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) January 19, 2013

Alberts, Barker, and Vandermeer will all need to clear waivers prior to being re-assigned to the minors, but are not subject to recall waivers since re-entry waivers has been removed in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, players who are earning more than $900,000 will continue to have his cap hit count against the team’s salary cap even if he is sent to the minors. Since Alberts carries a cap hit of $1.225 million, the Canucks will receive no cap relief if they send him down to the minors, so it is safe to assume his job is safe.

Barker is on a one-way contract, but his cap hit is $700,000 (less than the $900,000 threshold), so if he is sent to the minors, his cap hit will come off the books and a roster spot will be opened. Same goes for Vandermeer, but he will be earning less in the minors since he is on a two-way contract.

If I were to take a guess, the Canucks will try to trade Alberts since he and Vandermeer play a similar game. The only difference is Vandermeer brings more to the table in terms of fisticuffs and has experience playing left wing.

By moving one of their defencemen, it will clear up the roster space for Schroeder to join the team. This might be the Canucks plan all along.

Mike Gillis on radio: “If Jordan Schroeder doesn’t start with us, we fully anticipate him playing meaningful games for us very shortly.”

— Elliott Pap (@ElliottPap) January 18, 2013