The Canuck Way
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Vancouver Canucks defence: How bad is it? A lot better than before

By David Quadrelli

NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 4: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on April 4, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 4: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on April 4, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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VANCOUVER, BC – MARCH 24: Troy Stecher #51 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Arena March 24, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)”n
VANCOUVER, BC – MARCH 24: Troy Stecher #51 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Arena March 24, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)”n /

How bad is it?

So how bad is it? Not bad in my opinion; but how bad was it just a year ago? Bad, like, really bad. For the second season in a row, the Canucks came back with the same underachieving defence group that they had in the 2017-18 season. This included names like Stanley Cup champion Michael Del Zotto and Erik Gudbranson, both of whom are no longer a part of the team.

It had the often injured Alex Edler and Chris Tanev playing big minutes as the team’s top pairing, and it had Ben Hutton and Troy Stecher playing 30 minutes a night at one point during the season. If that doesn’t get my point across, I don’t know what will. While both Hutton and Stecher performed relatively well in that role, they just aren’t top-line players.

It showed the lack of depth on the Canucks last season when it comes to defencemen and they addressed that this offseason by adding Tyler Myers, Jordie Benn, and Oscar Fantenberg in free agency. Someone else who will greatly improve the defence right from opening night is rookie Quinn Hughes. The Canucks haven’t had a defenceman of Hughes’ calibre in years, and as we saw for a limited time last season, he will have a very positive effect on the Canucks’ power play.

Not to mention the fact that Myers is coming off a nine-goal season with the Winnipeg Jets, in which he played a more limited role than the one he’ll likely be in with the Canucks. The Canucks added proven talent to their blueline this offseason, and as a result, fans should be happy. That being said, it is completely fair for fans to worry about the length of Myers’ deal. Nonetheless, the Canucks are now a better team than they were last season.

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