Coming into this season trotting out the same blueline as last year, the Canucks needed some of the younger players on their backend to take a step forward. More specifically, Travis Green was left wanting more from Ben Hutton and Derrick Pouliot. “I thought Derrick and Hutty weren’t on top of their game (last year),”…
Points totals aren’t always entirely reflective of a defenceman’s offensive contributions. As counterintuitive as this sounds, it begins to make more sense when you examine the fundamental reason as to why we care about them in the first place. People value points because we’re led to believe that the more a player collects, the better…
It’s often said that sorting by most hits on a team should find you the worst possession players. After all, you have to be chasing the puck to actually make a hit in the first place. Darren Archibald proved that theory true for the Canucks; leading the club’s eligible forwards with three hits per game…
The offseason signings of Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel and Tim Schaller have put Brendan Gaunce firmly behind the eight ball as it pertains to an NHL roster spot. Others have already highlighted how these additions exacerbated a roster logjam and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Gaunce as one of the first casualties of the numbers…
As ironic as it sounds, Brandon Sutter’s biggest supporters are probably the ones doing him the most harm as it pertains to his public reputation. Whether it be the lucrative extension he was given, the “foundational” label he was branded with, or the peculiar on-ice situations he’s been deployed in, it always seems as if…
The greatest beneficiary of Quinn Hughes’ decision to return to the University of Michigan may just be Derrick Pouliot. Quite frankly, it’s difficult to fathom a scenario where Troy Stecher, Derrick Pouliot and Quinn Hughes would have made up half of the Canucks’ defence group entering the 2018/19 season. Removing Hughes from the equation subdues…
Travis Green’s insistence on running a shutdown line coupled with injuries to Brandon Sutter and Bo Horvat to create a tremendous opportunity for Nic Dowd. The 27-year-old centre averaged over 15 minutes a night over a 14 game stretch that lasted even after Sutter’s return to the lineup. That the Canucks let Dowd walk this…
The free-agency frenzy has long passed with the Canucks emerging once more as active players. All in all, the team committed just shy of $8-million in annual average value and multi-year commitments for three depth players. The problem? While each of their signings provides varying degrees of grit and defensive acumen, none of them can…
Free-agency hasn’t been the kindest of times for the Canucks under Jim Benning. Two years ago they inked Loui Eriksson to a mammoth 36 million dollar contract; one that will handcuff the team for another four years. Last offseason’s acquisitions weren’t nearly as costly, but with the exception of Thomas Vanek, none of them worked…
The Canucks are one step closer to bolstering their centre ice depth, rumoured as the front-runners for the services of Jay Beagle. Multiple teams in on Jay Beagle but looks like VAN is front runner to land the UFA centre who is expected to leave WSH for a multi-year deal on July 1. — Bob…
The reality of life after the Sedins is finally starting to set in and it’s a grim one to be sure. Say what you want about their decline, but the Twins were productive offensive players to the very end of their careers, combining for 105 points in 2017/18. In the short term, Henrik’s loss has…
The Canucks appear to have taken a step towards addressing their logjam on left defence, choosing not to tender an $840,000 qualifying offer to 24-year-old Derrick Pouliot. The #Canucks did NOT qualify the contract of D Derrick Pouliot who is now a UFA. The 2 sides do continue to talk about a 1 year deal…
