Vancouver Canucks prospect defenseman Jordan Subban keeps on producing, while falling further and further down the depth chart.
Small, skilled players have a place in today’s NHL — at least on offence. But what Vancouver Canucks prospect Jordan Subban is capable of achieving on defence is still a giant question mark. Why not try to avoid it by moving him to the wing?
So far this season, Subban has two goals and four points in two games with the Utica Comets. It is worth noting that both of those games were 5-2 losses against the Toronto Marlies, so Subban got a point on every one of Utica’s goals so far. He is on pace for 76 goals, 76 assists and 152 points this year.
Okay, let’s not exaggerate.
One thing is clear: Subban has great speed, puck skills, hockey IQ and a nose for the net. What he still lacks, despite improving in that area, is defensive awareness and positioning in the defensive zone. Subban’s defensive game is a work in progress, and the fact that he measures 5-foot-9 is not exactly helping.
So, why not move him to the wing?
The Canucks seemed to have confidence in him on defence, but decided to cut him from their training camp roster as one of the first defencemen. His older brother, P.K. Subban, is also a terrific offensive player with defensive efficiencies, but he managed to play well enough defensively to be considered elite in the NHL. Jordan, on the other hand, is far away from that level, and chances are, he’ll never reach it — no matter how many points he produces in Utica.
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Now, moving him to the wing obviously isn’t an easy fix. Switching positions worked out tremendously for Brent Burns, Dustin Byfuglien and Ben Hutton, but learning a new position certainly isn’t easy.
Still, it presents a great opportunity for both Subban and the Comets.
Utica lacks high-end offensive talent. Their top forwards are guys like Mike Zalewski, Michael Chaput, Jayson Megna and Alex Grenier. They all chip in offensively, but project as two-way forwards at the NHL level — if they make it at all.
Even from the back end, Subban ranked fifth in team scoring as a rookie last season, and has great chances of becoming No. 1 this year. Putting Subban on the right wing of Chaput, with Zalewski on the other side, could work out extremely well for Utica and Subban.
There is obviously a chance of the experiment failing and Subban scoring less on the right wing and looking like a mediocre AHL player. However, if that happens, the Comets can still move him back and carry on with their original lineup. It’s impossible to lose in this scenario, unless moving to the wing and failing would hurt Subban’s confidence enough to prevent him from scoring once he’s back on ‘D’.
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Subban is just 21 years old and still has plenty of time to develop into a reliable defenceman. But moving him to the wing could give him a boost and improve his NHL chances. Right now, he is No. 7 on the right-side depth chart behind Chris Tanev, Erik Gudbranson, Philip Larsen, Alex Biega, Nikita Tryamkin and Troy Stecher. As both the Comets and Canucks are in desperate need of scoring, a winger with the speed and skill of Subban would probably have better chances of being called up than a “tiny” defenceman who struggles defensively.
It’s worth a shot.