Canucks: 3 takeaways from Jason Dickinson radio interview

The Vancouver Canucks have finally checked off their need for a third-line centre.

On Saturday afternoon, the team acquired Jason Dickinson from the Dallas Stars, in exchange for a third round pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

The 26-year-old is a solid defensive centre who also has special teams experience. Checking in at 6’2″ and 200 pounds, Dickinson is expected to fill the heft card that General Manager Jim Benning has been looking to address in his bottom-six. While Dickinson’s offensive numbers might not be super flashy, he has been known for contributing to the scoresheet from time to time, and is expected to fit in nicely with the Canucks’ forward group.

Dickinson also made his first radio appearance as a Canuck on Monday afternoon, joining hosts Dan Riccio, Randip Janda and Satiar Shah on “The People’s Show” on Sportsnet 650 to talk more about the trade.

Here are some three takeaways from the interview:

Dickinson on how he can fit in

When asked about his new teammates, Dickinson proclaimed himself as a “hockey nerd”, stating that he makes an effort to keep tabs on every team in the league and how that should help him seamlessly transition into the lineup.

“I immediately felt confident with how I can fit in with the group,” he said. “I know Bo’s (Horvat) game well, so I can see how well I can fit in with the lineup and make an impact. You know Bo’s  been good from the beginning. He seems like he’s the same player that I’ve always remembered playing against, but just that much better. Everything he had back in even minor hockey is just that much more elevated now that he’s older, more mature and understands the game a little bit better. So yeah, he’s the 200-foot player that does everything for his team, and obviously, why he wears the C.”

Dickinson and Horvat were both drafted in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Shah switched gears shortly afterwards to ask about playing on the forecheck, and how Dickinson can adapt to Vancouver’s aggressive defensive approach.

"“That’s where my game is right now. As much as we played that defensive style in Dallas, we were a forechecking team. I was the forechecker, that was the main thing we did and so that fits right into my game perfectly. I’ll transition the puck, get it up quickly and attack right away, so it’s nothing new to me. It’s all I’ve known, basically. I can implement more offence, I think by creating a definite role for myself, that’s where I see the biggest differences.”"

Dickinson went on to talk about how he was able to play both centre and wing in Dallas, depending on his nightly assignments, and how he was also able to play up the line-up if needed. The Canucks have struggled with top-six injuries over the past few seasons so it helps that Dickinson has experience playing on the first and second lines. However, Dickinson is also looking forward to putting his rover days behind him so he can focus more on a specific role here in Vancouver.

“Some nights I’d show up and I’d be left wing someday, then I’d be right,” Dickinson stated. “On some nights I’d be centre, never knowing necessarily which line I was gonna be on. So I think being able to carve out a definitive role for myself is where I’m going to see the growth and find chemistry with guys and really be able to click right away.”

Dickinson has experience trying to shutdown superstars like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, and the Canucks are hoping that he’ll be able to continue excelling in these match-ups moving forward.