The Stecher Effect #5: The Local Support
As a local boy who played his junior hockey with the Penticton Vees, Troy Stecher will definitely bring some much-needed fan support to Rogers Arena.
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After all, the Canucks are not going to be Stanley Cup contenders next year, who knows if they will be a playoff contender? If the Canucks want to have a valid reason for fans to come and watch, a local boy is something that would definitely help.
Although unlikely that Stecher gets a full season with the Canucks this coming season, the injection of the NCAA’s top defenceman available in free agency will certainly amount to goodness in the preseason games and the possible call-ups he will get.
Hey, it gives the fans a reason to support a trade of a blueline depth player, too! Jim Benning can actually get fan support for a trade that he makes if it means that Stecher gets to make the Canucks roster! Oh, what wonders the prospects of a local boy returning does to the city.
Make Rogers Arena great again?
The Wrap Up
So was this an important signing for the Canucks or what.
Getting a leader who can lead the juniors and the young pros on the blueline, catalyzing the transition to a younger defence core, buying local fan support, opening the gates for high-end college free agents, and freeing the Canucks from the notion that they have to draft a defenceman in the first round of a forward’s draft — you bet that it was a good signing for the Canucks.
But how much more does Jim Benning have up his sleeve? How much of a balance and cap management can he pull off?
The one room for concern is how the 2018 offseason is shaping up. Stecher has signed a contract that will end on the same term as Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann, Jannik Hansen, Luca Sbisa, Jordan Subban, Carl Neill, Guillaume Brisebois…
And of course, the Sedins.
Next: Offseason Survival Guide: April Edition
But these are not pressing issues. The Canucks are looking to make the quick transition to be a young contender and dealing with RFAs on their second contracts are always an issue that all NHL teams have faced.
Right now, the future just got a whole lot better. It is on Benning to follow up with a great offseason to make this city happy.