Vancouver Canucks need to find cheap defencemen in free agency

If the Vancouver Canucks are bent on adding more blueliners in free agency, they need to target veteran guys who can be had at a cheap rate.

The Vancouver Canucks need to bring in at least a couple of new faces on defence this offseason, and general manager Jim Benning will get his opportunities when free agency begins in three days.

You’ve most likely heard the ongoing rumours about the Canucks being interested in pending UFA Tyler Myers. He and Jake Gardiner are the two best free agent blueliners (now that Erik Karlsson is off the market), and it’s safe to believe that they’ll both be paid above market value. This is a UFA class with few capable top four blueliners, after all.

But the Canucks cannot afford to break the bank on a blueliner whose contract could end up being very bad in short time. Myers just turned 29, and Gardiner will be the same age on July 4. When’s the last time a team didn’t regret handing out such a giant contract to a free agent that was about to enter his 30s again?

The Canucks need to avoid Gardiner and Myers, plain and simple. Benning just can’t afford to hand out another mammoth contract just as Vancouver’s next competitive window begins to open up. That said, he can easily find some quality blueliners at very reasonable prices once free agency begins.

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Tampa Bay blueliner Anton Stralman turns 33 in August, so it’s safe to believe his asking price won’t be too high.

The Canucks might want to take a chance on this stay-at-home blueliner with a respectable 52.6 career Corsi For percentage.

Stralman has recorded 70-plus blocked shots in each of the last five seasons, and he recorded 100 more hits in three of the past five years.

He’s also a right-handed shot, which would come in handy on Vancouver’s second power play unit.

Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet 650 thinks the Canucks could target Jordie Benn, another reliable stay-at-home defenceman. He has a career Corsi For percentage of 53.4 and had a good season with the Montreal Canadiens, tallying 128 blocked shots and 124 hits.

Though he endured a frustrating season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, veteran Ron Hainsey might be worth a look. He can eat up 20 minutes a night, and at 38 years of age, Hainsey would certainly come at a reasonable price.

Other targets in the bargain bin could include Winnipeg Jets blueliner Ben Chiarot (good size at 6-foot-3, 219 pounds) or Marc Methot, who excelled as a stay-at-home blueliner with the Ottawa Senators before moving on to the Dallas Stars. He played just 45 games over two seasons there, but when healthy, the physical and hockey smart Methot can play top four minutes.

There are plenty of good options out there for Benning, and he doesn’t have to break the bank to sign the likes of Stralman, Benn or Hainsey. All could be had at reasonable two or three-year deals at good prices, and these are the types of players Vancouver should target on Monday.