Vancouver Canucks Analysis: What Drafting Olli Juolevi Does

With Olli Juolevi in the mix, how are the Vancouver Canucks shaping their future?

The Vancouver Canucks didn’t get the expected Pierre-Luc Dubois pick, nor were they the recipient of an unexpected Jesse Puljujarvi fallout. But they have addressed arguably the biggest organizational need, the need for a elite-level puck-moving defenseman.

Drafting Juolevi also means that the Canucks passed on the hard-nosed winger Matthew Tkachuk. Though not so liked in Vancouver, I believed that Tkachuk could be Daniel Sedin‘s successor.

So what does Juolevi bring?

Olli Juolevi: A Puck-Moving Top-2 Blueliner

Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 183 pounds
Shoots: Left
2015-16: OHL 57 GP — 9 Goals — 33 Assists

A competitive spark-plug, Olli Juolevi is a complete, all-around defenceman who can hem the opposition in their own end or make things difficult for the opposition at home; either way, he puts the pressure on and lays it on thick. A strong and balanced skater, he can rush the puck through the neutral zone with ease or backcheck with haste.Uses his size to his advantage, but knows his physical limits and plays within them. Instead of playing overly physical, he makes his presence felt by exhibiting his high-end playmaking ability and puck possession play. All-in-all, a well-rounded blueliner who thrives under pressure and can be trusted in all situations. (Curtis Joe, Elite Prospects)

Juolevi is regarded as the best defenseman in the draft, but not the most NHL-ready blueliner. He is not AHL eligible next year, so a return to the OHL is a big possibility, especially with many veterans clogging up the blueline, which already looks like this:

A. Edler – C. Tanev
B. Hutton – E. Gudbranson
N. Tryamkin – L. Sbisa
A. Pedan – F. Larsen – A. Biega

Mikhail Sergachev, Jake Bean, and perhaps Jacob Chychrun have been noted as the defensemen who are more prepared for the NHL than Juolevi is. Juolevi obviously would need to add more muscle to compete in the NHL, and this is what he said about his timeline in his post-draft interview with TSN1040.

This brings me to believe that Luca Sbisa should be on his way out of Vancouver if Juolevi proves himself in camp. A puck-moving defenseman who needs physical coverage will be best suited to play top-six minutes with a big man like Nikita Tryamkin.

Contract?

The Vancouver Canucks may have worked themselves into a tough contractual situation with a selection of a big-name blueliner like Olli Juolevi. Provided that he signs with the Canucks in the coming weeks as most first-rounders are, the Canucks have the following contracts expiring in the coming years.

Erik Gudbranson — 2017
Nikita Tryamkin — 2017
Ben Hutton — 2017
Luca Sbisa — 2018
Olli Juolevi — 2019
Alex Edler — 2019
Chris Tanev — 2020

A commitment to Juolevi will make extending Gudbranson, Tryamkin, Hutton, and Sbisa a big task. GM Jim Benning will not be able to do much in 2019 when his two potentially best offensive blueliners need to be extended. It also adds to loads of blueline re-signing the Canucks will need to do in the coming years.

This also means that the Canucks probably do not look to add a defenseman in free agency.

The Future of the Blueline

With Juolevi, the future of the Canucks blueline looks set for the next handful years. It certainly builds a solid top six that can play even after Alex Edler leaves the club. Aside from Edler, Chris Tanev is the next oldest member of the blueline at 26, and that means that the group will be able to compete for  some seven years with Tanev and Juolevi as its top pairing.

Although the draft did not go as planned for the Canucks, this pick is nowhere near a failure for Jim Benning. The blueline is set and overloaded for the years to come, and the way defensemen are so highly touted these days, this may be the solution for the offense, too.

The bottom line? If Pierre-Luc Dubois was the succession plan for Henrik Sedin, Olli Juolevi is the succession plan for Alex Edler.

Next: Free Agency: Cannot Afford a Big-Term UFA

And I think we are in for a little treat, guys.