The Canuck Way
Fansided

The best defencemen in Vancouver Canucks franchise history

ByJarred Chan|
9 Dec 1998: Mattias Ohlund #2 of the Vancover Canucks skates during the game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The Ducks tied with the Canucks 4-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport
9 Dec 1998: Mattias Ohlund #2 of the Vancover Canucks skates during the game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The Ducks tied with the Canucks 4-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport
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23 Feb 1997: Defenseman Jyrki Lumme of the Vancouver Canucks (right) and Anaheim Mighty Ducks rightwinger Joe Sacco tangle up during a game at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The Ducks won the game, 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport
23 Feb 1997: Defenseman Jyrki Lumme of the Vancouver Canucks (right) and Anaheim Mighty Ducks rightwinger Joe Sacco tangle up during a game at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The Ducks won the game, 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport

With the Vancouver Canucks heading into a new era, boasting some young and talented defensive prospects, let’s take a look at some of the best defenders in franchise history.

With the emergence of highly touted prospect Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks have plenty to look forward to for the future. despite this, we should reflect and look back at the best defenders that have played in a Canucks sweater.

This list is in chronological order of when they played in their first season with the Canucks.

Jyrki Lumme (1989-1998)

Career stats: 985GP, 114G, 354A, 468TP

stats with Vancouver: 579GP, 83G, 238A, 321TP

Over Jyrki Lumme‘s 9 seasons with the Canucks, he is the only defenceman on this list that was apart of the 1993-1994 cup run ending in a 3-2 loss in game seven against the New York Rangers. Lumme’s best year production-wise with the Canucks was in the 1995-1996 season where he produced 17 goals and 37 assists for 54 points in 80 games, his highest point total with the Canucks came in 1993-94 where he had 55 points in 83 games.

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Tied with Dennis Kearns for third all-time in franchise defencemen scoring (with 321 points,) Lumme was also one of the most offensively consistent defenders in franchise history, leading all defencemen on this list with points-per-game over his time with the Canucks, with 0.554 ppg.

Lumme was drafted 57th overall in the 1986 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens, where he played his first 75 games. Other than the Canadiens and Canucks, Lumme played for the Phoenix Coyotes after becoming a free agent in the offseason of 1998, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lumme should be very familiar to any fan who watched the Canucks in the ’90s.

Mattias Ohlund (1997-2009)

Career stats: 909GP, 93G, 250A, 343TP

Stats with Vancouver: 770GP, 93G, 232A, 325TP

Drafted 13th overall in the 1994 NHL draft, Mattias Ohlund is second among all franchise defenceman in points, recently surpassed by another player on this list. Ohlund’s best year production-wise was in the 1999-00 season, where he produced 4 goals and 20 points in 42 games (0.476 ppg,) but his highest point total as a Canuck was 36 points in the 2001-2002 season. Ohlund faced a fair amount of injuries over his career, most notably when he took a puck to his right eye forcing him to miss 38 games in the 1999-00 season, and when he had to have knee surgery that forced him to miss the end of the 2007-08 season.

Ohlund helped the Canucks reach the Western Conference semifinals three times, in 2002-03, 2006-07, and in the 2008-09 season. In his last season with the Canucks, Ohlund was the current longest-tenured player, and served as an alternate captain. Ohlund ended his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning after becoming an unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason.

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