Tim Heed
Tim Heed is more of a depth signing, but it wouldn’t hurt. He played 38 games last season and had a goal and four assists. He is coming off a one-year deal worth $960,000
The 29-year-old Swedish defenceman was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks 132nd overall in 2010 but didn’t play his first NHL game until 2016 when he suited up for the San Jose Sharks.
He has been in and out of the lineup in the last two seasons but has shown promise.
At five-on-five, he can be effective and has a bullet of a point shot. Defensively, he can win battles along the boards.
However, Heed has been prone to defensive mistakes which is probably a reason he has been sheltered in San Jose. The Canucks could take a look at him despite this because he hasn’t played a whole lot and could be a low-risk, high reward type signing. Basically, he could be like Oscar Fantenberg but for the right side.
Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal of The Athletic (Subscription Required), showed that the Sharks defencemen including Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic have been better in terms of shot-attempt differential when Heed was with them
Heed signed with HC Lugano of the Swiss National League on August 20th on a three-month contract that ends on November 15, so there is a possibility that he could return to the NHL but it is up to him.
Luke Schenn
Luke Schenn is a winner of the Stanley Cup! Playing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he got the job done and will now be coming off a one-year contract worth $700,000.
In the late stages of the 2018-19 season, Schenn played with Hughes when he was just making his way into the NHL. Schenn was making noise among Canucks fans for his play. He was hitting, standing up for Hughes and blocking shots. He was earning his next contract, his shot at a championship.
Canucks fans were excited for Schenn and wanted to bring him back. There was even a “Drunk on Schenn” hashtag swirling around on Twitter. Unfortunately, he signed a one-year deal with the Lightning in the summer of 2019.
I think the Canucks should take a look at bringing him back not just because of the success he had with Hughes. He can shut down his opponents well, has solid passing and a pretty good shot. Of course, he will come at a really low price.
Schenn could provide veteran experience and depth on the blue line, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring him back if he’s interested.
Conclusion
These are just three right-handed defencemen the Canucks could potentially sign and there are other options but I decided to include just three. There is a small chance the Canucks could sign one of the players listed above but 2020 has been full of surprises so you never know.