#5 HOMECOMING: Where the Heart Leads
Speaking of Troy Brouwer, comments made by fellow B.C.-native Andrew Ladd may have been overlooked by a few here in Vancouver. Continuing with the signing of college free agents Michael Garteig and Troy Stecher, “homecoming” has become a common theme in this year’s free agency.
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RW Troy Brouwer (30) 52 pts / 102 GP*
LW Andrew Ladd (30) 46 pts / 78 GP
D Dan Hamhuis (33) 13 pts / 58 GP
C Mike Santorelli (30) 18 pts /70 GP
While bringing back all these players would be the most improbable, landing one of Ladd or Brouwer will be the most opportune. Both are physical leaders who can score at a top-six rate. It will be interesting to see which veteran GM Jim Benning is willing to stick with, but I feel that Ladd is the more probable one, simply for he plays the left side.
Sven Baertschi needs some help, as we all know. He can’t possibly carry the entire secondary scoring from the left side.
Hamhuis is still on the radar as a potential fit as Nikita Tryamkin’s partner on the third pairing. Mike Santorelli will be an Adam Cracknell-like player who brings stability to the bottom six while giving the Canucks a reliable defensive option in the faceoff dot with a ton of versatility.
Bringing home these players will be a huge boost for the organization, a good selling point after drafting a player outside the top three. The management needs to build a good image after the things that have happened recently in Vancouver, from the latest season to the somewhat unpopular McCann trade.
Next: REALITY CHECK: A Benning's Call