Vancouver Canucks: Projecting the 2019-20 defence pairings
In one day, the Vancouver Canucks have upgraded their backend. Out are Ben Hutton, Luke Schenn, and Derrick Pouliot. In are Tyler Myers, Jordie Benn, and Oscar Fantenberg. I take a look at how they will fit in with the team.
Prior to July 1, it was no secret that the Vancouver Canucks had to upgrade their defence. Rumors of Tyler Myers circulated the Twitterverse as well as the news of Ben Hutton not being qualified. This meant general manager Jim Benning was up to something.
Once the clock struck nine on July 1, his plans came into focus. Myers, Jordie Benn, and Oscar Fantenberg were signed.
Many people were afraid of the term Myers would get, but fears were put to rest (mostly) when the figure came in at five years. The money was also less than reported coming in at $6 million AAV. Benn’s and Fantenberg’s contracts were also of the reasonable variety at 2 years, $2 million and 1 year, $800,000 respectively. But enough with the boring numbers, let’s dig in and look at what they will bring to the team.
Tyler Myers
Let’s start with the big man on campus. Myers is now one of the highest paid Canuck defencemen (tied with Alex Edler). With that money comes a lot of responsibility.
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He will be tasked with turning around a Canucks defence core that only scored 27 goals last season.
Myers can help in that department, as he scored nine of them in the 2018-19 season and has averaged 25 points over the past four seasons. He also is a big body at 6-foot-8, 229 pounds. If the Canucks can manage to eventually get Nikita Tryamkin here, they could have the twin towers protecting the defensive zone. But I digress.
Jordie Benn
Next is Benn, who returns home to British Columbia after spending the last three seasons as part of the Montreal Canadiens. He was born a ferry’s ride away in Victoria, so he must be excited to play for his hometown team. Benn brings a wealth of experience having played 473 games in the NHL.
He also has a bit of a scoring touch, with five goals in the 2018-19 season. That may not sound like a scoring touch, but when you look at the defence last year, only two players had five or more goals. So he represents an upgrade for sure. He is not afraid to throw the body either, as he accumulated 124 hits last season.
Oscar Fantenberg
Finally, we have Fantenberg. A 27-year-old Swedish defenceman who played for the Calgary Flames and Los-Angeles Kings last season. Signed for depth purposes, he will be a solid option when injuries inevitably happen to members of the regular rotation. Described as a blueliner with a “good all-around game and two-way ability” by EliteProspects.com, Fantenberg could potentially compete for the seventh defenceman spot with the incumbent Alex Biega. As all Canucks fans know, you can never have enough serviceable rearguard.
Projecting the pairings
Edler – Tanev
I think this duo should remain as the shut-down pairing as both defencemen play well off each other. Familiarity is key when you are matched up against the best players on the other team. It’s much easier to play defence when you know where your partner is going to be on the ice.
Hughes – Myers
Quinn Hughes will be entering his first full NHL season and should have a partner that can give him some extra room in the defensive zone. That was supposed to be Luke Schenn, but he decided to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
However, towering Myers will do just fine. He may not be as physical as Schenn, but his size and reach will definitely help out in the defensive zone. Myers isn’t the best defensively sometimes, but he can also move the puck, giving Hughes the option to give it back to him, as he moves up the ice.
Benn – Stecher
This prospect of this pairing is exciting, as it will give Troy Stecher a little more freedom to jump up into the play. With a solid defence partner in Benn, Stecher may feel more comfortable to join the offense. This pairing could also be a second matchup option as they are both adept defensively. This could turn out to be a very good two-way pairing.
Extra: Fantenberg – Biega
If the Vancouver Canucks decide to go again with eight defencemen on the roster, Fantenberg and Biega will probably be the two left standing. I know many will be questioning, where is Olli Juolevi? But the fact is, he is coming off a long layoff and will need some time in the American Hockey League.
I have no doubt in my mind that he will see a lot of ice in the NHL this season, just not to start. Josh Teves, Brogen Rafferty and maybe even Jett Woo will almost certainly challenge them, but for now, they will be the seventh and eighth defencemen ready to be inserted at the first sign of injury, which if we’re being honest, will probably happen early in the season.
Barring any trades, the Canucks defence looks set for the 2019-20 season. I may be one of only a few saying this, but I like how Benning has improved the d-core for this coming season. Time will tell if the term and money were right for Myers, but he is a solid option for the top four.
dark. Next. Canucks add Benn and Fantenberg to defence corps
The defence should also provide more offense this coming year with Hughes, Myers, Stecher, Edler and even Benn capable of putting up 20 or more points. If everyone stays healthy, and that’s a big if, we should see an uptick in the numbers. I may be in the minority, but I am excited to see this new backend in action. Bring on the regular season!