Vancouver Canucks preseason: Top 5 players too risky to put on waivers

No. 4 D Alex Biega

It was evident towards the end of last season that Alex Biega was the perfect depth player, regardless of what position he plays. Both the “Bulldog” and the “Hound” were great looks by Biega last season and the Canucks would love that flexibility.

With the emergence of Brock Boeser, Jake Virtanen and Nikolay Goldobin, it is becoming more and more evident that the Canucks might have to carry 14 forwards instead of 8 defencemen.

The Canucks need to be flexible with their roster spots and make sure that these three aforementioned players get ice time. Biega as a depth player offers that flexibility the Canucks need.

There is an argument to make that Biega has actually improved as a smart and offensive player this offseason and that he is ready for a full-time role, whether it be as a top-six defender or a fourth-line winger. Just look at this play.

Looking at his stat lines from his 17:27 of ice time against the Los Angeles Kings, we can see that Biega led all Canucks defencemen in hits (3) and was the only one credited with a takeaway in the two preseason games.

Biega is the perfect depth option as he isn’t a young player who needs a lot of TOI to develop, either.