The Canuck Way
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Canucks: 3 defencemen they could explore in free agency

By William Akers

TAMPA, FLORIDA - JULY 07: David Savard #58 of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates with the Stanley Cup following the team's victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Amalie Arena on July 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning defeated the Canadiens 1-0 to take the series four games to one. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JULY 07: David Savard #58 of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates with the Stanley Cup following the team's victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Amalie Arena on July 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning defeated the Canadiens 1-0 to take the series four games to one. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – APRIL 26: Brandon Montour #62 of the Florida Panthers skates the puck against Yakov Trenin #13 of the Nashville Predators. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – APRIL 26: Brandon Montour #62 of the Florida Panthers skates the puck against Yakov Trenin #13 of the Nashville Predators. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Free Agent Target #2: Brandon Montour, RD

Pending-UFA Brandon Montour is another right-handed defensemen that the Canucks should be targeting come July 28th. Montour is only 27 years old, clocking in at 6’0″ and 194 pounds, and has spent his five NHL seasons with three teams (Anaheim, Buffalo, and Florida).

Ever since his days back in USHL with the Waterloo Black Hawks, where he became friends and teammates with current Canuck Brock Boeser, Montour has been a consistent, no-nonsense type of defenceman. While Montour may not be the splash signing every fan looks forward to in the offseason, he’ll be a stable presence on the backend, providing little-to-no mistakes on a nightly basis.

Montour often goes unnoticed when playing, which may sound like a bad thing, but is actually highly valuable for any defenceman in the league. His play is simple and smart, which leads to efficient and successful team hockey, and that’s an attribute that any organization should be looking for.

Throughout his tenure in the league, Montour has totalled 109 points in 293 regular season games, averaging out at around one point per every 2.7 games. Not too bad for a standard two-way defensemen.

Having Montour play 17-20 minutes every night on the penalty kill and on your second or third defensive pair would be a dream for most teams in the NHL. For Vancouver, bringing him in to play on a pairing next to a younger and smaller defenceman like Rathbone would be the perfect fit for the foreseeable future.

Similar to Savard, Montour is a Canadian-born player, which may increase the likelihood of him playing professional hockey north of the border for the first time in his career.

Montour should be a no-brainer pick up for the Canucks and Benning, with a potential contract likely falling in the 2-3 year range at around $3M to $4M AAV.

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