The Canuck Way
Fansided

Canucks: 3 dark horses that could make opening night roster

By Brayden Ursel

SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 02: Sven Baertschi #47 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on during the game against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on March 2, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 02: Sven Baertschi #47 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on during the game against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on March 2, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Brogan Rafferty takes down a St. Louis Blues player (William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports).
Brogan Rafferty takes down a St. Louis Blues player (William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports). /

Brogan Rafferty

It’s crazy to think that after the tremendous season Rafferty had last year in the AHL he’s still on the outside looking in. Okay, he might be on the right track to getting an NHL opportunity, but him being next in line is still very much in question.

Rafferty was a late signing in 2018-19 and played just two games for the Canucks. He was designated to Utica the following year despite having himself a very impressive training camp. He continued to pad his stats in the AHL where he exceeded all expectations by finishing the year as a defender with the third-most points in the league. His offensive punch was enough to tally seven goals and add 38 assists.

When Rafferty became a black ace for the Canucks bubble squad this summer, his performance soured and he was exposed as just another AHL star who didn’t appear to have what to took to keep up with the big dogs. Juolevi jumped him on the depth chart and Rafferty never got a chance to help the Canucks during the playoffs.

For whatever reason, Rafferty was skipped on by coach Green and he’ll have to wait his turn to try again. Lucky for him, beyond Tyler Myers, the Canucks don’t have another right-shot defender. That’ll be his biggest betting chip going into training camp. Green is not a big fan of playing his defenders on the opposite side of their shooting hand, so if he can perform admirably in camp, he has a shot to get noticed.

Next. Canucks will rely on young core to produce offensively. dark

What do you think Canucks Nation? Who is the biggest dark horse candidate that could steal a job from an NHL player next season? Let us know in the comments below.

Home/Editorials