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Canucks: Taking a look at potential defence pairings in 2021

By Brayden Ursel

VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 09: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his first NHL goal against the Los Angeles Kings with teammate Tyler Myers #57 during the first period at Rogers Arena on October 9, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 09: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his first NHL goal against the Los Angeles Kings with teammate Tyler Myers #57 during the first period at Rogers Arena on October 9, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images) /
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Olli Juolevi gets ready to make his NHL debut for the Vancouver Canucks. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Olli Juolevi gets ready to make his NHL debut for the Vancouver Canucks. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Taking a look at the bottom pairing

Jordie Benn will be in Vancouver to play out the final season of his two-year contract, but the answer as to who will pair with him when the puck drops in 2021 remains a question mark.

As of right now, the Canucks have options in a few of their prospects. Olli Juolevi, Brogan Rafferty, Jack Rathbone and Jalen Chatfield have all been names whispered this offseason as potential candidates.

Personally, if there was a certain player leading the pack, I’d have to put my money on the Finnish defenceman that went fifth overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Juolevi looks to finally be healthy and after his good impression inside the Edmonton bubble, Benning seems adamant about giving him a full-fledged opportunity.

When talking about the team next season on Sportsnet 650, Vancouver’s GM said that Juolevi looks ready to be an NHL defender. He made his much-anticipated NHL debut inside the bubble in an elimination game versus the Minnesota Wild. He played just over six minutes, made zero mistakes, and helped the Canucks advance to the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In my mind, Rafferty makes the most sense as to who would be next in line behind Juolevi. He had an incredible year in the AHL offensively, he’s older (25) and more mature, and more importantly, he’s right-handed. The acquisition of Schmidt got the Canucks a top-four guy, but it didn’t replace the right-side shot of Tanev or Troy Stecher. Behind Myers, Rafferty is one of the only other right-handed options. The biggest question about his transition to the NHL would be his ability to play responsible defence. If he can do that in training camp, he’s the frontrunner.

Rathbone is probably the most underrated option, but he’s certainly an intriguing one. Coming out of Harvard University, Rathbone put up 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) in 28 games and feels very confident in his abilities to make the jump next season and land an NHL roster spot as a 21-year-old. He spoke with CanucksArmy and had this to say:

"“Yeah, I don’t think anyone goes into a training camp not wanting to make the team. I think that’s definitely a goal of mine; to play in the NHL this year. Honestly, I just want to learn as much as possible with this being my first year pro.”"

Rathbone was signed to a three-year entry-level contract in July and there are people out there in the hockey world that believe this kid can make the jump next season. He’ll have to prove himself completely in order to pass other guys in the pecking order, but there is a chance that he could surprise at camp and be one of the more versatile options on defence.

As for Jalen Chatfield, he’s a defender who got called up a couple of times last season but rather than suit up and play, he got paid NHL money to sit in the press box as a safety precaution. His debut is yet to come, but it appears that he’s moulding his game in the shape and playing style of the departed Tanev.

Predicting the pairings for the start of 2021

It’s tough to say at this point what the Canucks defence pairings will look like, but I have a pretty good idea of the top-four. Rather than pairing Hughes with Schmidt, I predict that Green decides to split them up in order to have a responsible puck-moving defender on the ice more often.

Although I like the idea of putting Edler and Hughes together, I don’t see it happening. Rather, I think Green will go with Hughes and Myers in pairing number one, and Edler with Schmidt to round out the top-four.

Green knows what he has in Hughes and Myers together, and Schmidt is comfortable enough on the right side to polish the top-four and give Edler another reliable partner who can help drive play out of the defensive end.

Next. Canucks: Hughes will dominate next season. dark

As for the bottom pairing, I think Benn makes the roster out of a respect for veterans as well as Green’s inability to trust two rookies together. If nothing goes horribly wrong, I believe Juolevi will make the opening night roster as his partner, but I do think that it’s entirely possible for either one of Rafferty or Rathbone to steal Benn’s roster spot at some point.

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