The Canuck Way Mailbag: Demko, Pettersson, Juolevi, more

More mailbag Q&A

Obviously, Jim Benning has his work cut out for him this offseason. He’s got a handful of big-name UFA’s to consider resigning and there are a few worthy RFA players in need of new contracts, too. But from what I saw in the playoffs this summer, Vancouver needs to improve on the six players they have playing the blueline.

Quinn Hughes, Tyler Myers, and Alex Edler are all locked in for next year. Unfortunately, beyond the star-studded performances of Hughes, Myers has proven to be not worth his annual value of $6 million, and Edler is starting to show signs of weakness as he gets closer to 35-years of age.

Chris Tanev in my eyes is a player that needs to be extended (under a reasonable contract), but Vancouver still needs to improve the backend. Too often they were hemmed in their own zone and rarely did Vancouver ever outshoot the opposition.

It’s hard to see them going after a big fish in the offseason, but I do think it’s time to get some young, fresh blood out there. Out with the old, and in with the new. If the Canucks can’t make it happen via trade of Free Agency, bring in Olli Juolevi and/or Jack Rathbone.

Travis Green was quick to make adjustments when his team was losing games, but not quick enough in my opinion. At times throughout the bubble experience, Green decided to keep his lines the same and play veterans over hungry youth. Inserting players like Brandon Sutter, Loui Eriksson, and Micheal Ferland were all costly mistakes on his part. As proud as I am of Green for his accomplishments this season, this is what he could learn from.

Jim Benning did what he needed to do to keep his job. In fact, he exceeded that need. But one thing Benning can take home and learn from is: The defense wasn’t good enough. Like mentioned before, beyond Hughes there really isn’t much top-end talent on the blueline. He needs to start putting the brakes on Edler and find himself a young top-four defender.

As for the players, they learned a lot. The Canucks believed in themselves and never took no for an answer. They know what it takes to make the playoffs now and they know what it’s going to take to win. They should be very proud of what they were able to do, and the experience they gained will teach them so much more for years to come. Their time is now, and they’ll be better prepared next season.

Honestly, I believe Travis Green did everything he could. This loss to the Vegas Knights was tough, but Vancouver gave it everything they had. Vegas was the better team in every aspect of the game other than goaltending. They had talent, a deep roster, great defense, and a relentless forecheck that is unparalleled.

At the end of the day, Vancouver just ran out of gas. There was nothing left in the tank. The Canucks played 17 games in 34 nights and had the most back-backs of any team in the playoffs. The rescheduling of games after the Black Lives Matter postponement didn’t help either. Against a bigger opponent, Vancouver played five games in seven nights. I don’t blame the coaches on this at all.

For what it’s worth, there is next to zero chance that Benning targets Alex Pietrangelo as a UFA. Not only have the Blues already begun making room for his extension, but Benning has stated that he’s happy with the players he has within the organization and that he is done targeting big fish in the UFA pond.

Now that doesn’t mean he won’t have to dip into Free Agency altogether. Tanev and Troy Stecher both need new contracts, but could be asking for more money than Benning can afford. The salary cap is remaining flat at $81.5 million and Benning has put too much money into the bottom-six.

As much as Benning should be trying to better the blueline for next year, he’s in a tough spot right now and his best option might be to try and extend the players he has and look for a trade down the road. Time will tell. This is a tough situation I am glad I don’t have to sort out myself. Best of luck Jimbo.

That does it for this week’s edition of the mailbag. Find the weekly tweet on Twitter to get involved. Follow @fsthecanuckway to ask a question.