Canucks: Looking at defence preseason battles and potential pairings

The Vancouver Canucks have one more game left on the preseason schedule. The Edmonton Oilers come to town on Saturday and then they will face them on opening night in Edmonton on Wednesday.

As the preseason winds down, the main roster will start to look more clear. A bunch of players have been cut and there will be more coming. There are battles for the bottom six and of course battles for a spot on the blue line.

On the defensive side, multiple players are competing for the prize of a spot on the third pairing. It’s like Netflix’s Squid Game but without the deadly consequences, of course.

Here is how the Canucks lined up for practice on Friday according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

You might be wondering where Olli Juolevi is. At the time of this writing, he hasn’t been cut. According to Drance, Juolevi was not in the Canucks practice group. He also wasn’t at practice on Wednesday.

Before training camp, the only battle on the defensive side is the third pair’s left side. With Travis Hamonic’s situation still unclear, a spot has opened up for the right side too.

Let’s take a look at which defencemen could make the Canucks opening night roster at this point and then predict the defensive pairings. (You are free to yell at me and tell me I’m wrong in the comment section, Facebook comment section and in my Twitter mentions.)

Locks

Quinn Hughes: He didn’t look out of place in his first preseason game. With Hughes locked up for six more years, expect a big year for him and he’s only going to get better.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson: OEL has impressed in the preseason with his puck-moving ability and play on the man advantage.

Tyler Myers: Described as an “agent of chaos” by The Athletic’s Wyatt Arndt, the tall defencemen has been easily beaten by defenders in the preseason so far and is taking penalties again, so nature is healing. However, he does know how to skate down the ice on the rush.

Tucker Poolman: Poolman has been surprisingly solid defensively in the preseason. He was paired with the likes of Ekman-Larsson and Hughes.

Jack Rathbone: I kind of explained why Rathbone is already a lock here. He continues to impress in the preseason.

Still in the hunt

Luke Schenn: Schenn has had a rough preseason as he has looked slow and made defensive mistakes. However, it might be taking time for him to settle in and he has proven to be a reliable third pairing or seventh (or eighth) defenceman in the past.

Brad Hunt: Hunt is has been hunting for a roster spot and he hasn’t played in the AHL since 2017. He has looked good with and without the puck. Since he could play both sides, his versatility could be needed.

Madison Bowey: Bowey is a good skater and not too bad at moving the puck. The concern is his play on his end. He was alright in his last game against the Oilers being paired up with Rathbone.

Likely to be cut

Kyle Burroughs: It’s hard not to think of Alex Burrows when hearing Burroughs’ name on the broadcast but it’s spelt differently and they are two different players and one is retired. Burroughs has been noticeable at times but I’m not sure if he’s making the Canucks roster.

Olli Juolevi: Juolevi still has a tough time pivoting and defending players coming down the wing. He hasn’t been at the last two practices and hasn’t played in the last two games. By the time you are reading this, Juolevi may have been cut or still on the Canucks preseason roster.