Should Vancouver Claim David Rundblad?

With the holiday roster freeze no longer in effect, the NHL has kicked into first gear as we enter the final stretch towards the trade deadline. In an episode of extreme schadenfreude, the Oilers acquired Zack Kassian for Ben Scrivens. Only a few hours later, the Chicago Blackhawks placed David Rundblad on waivers.

Given the Canucks defensive miscues and dwindling reinforcements on the blue line, the prospect of adding Rundblad by waivers is certainly one worth exploring. Is this a case of NHL management casting aside a useful asset by way of mistaking “disappointing” for “bad”? Or could this be the end of the road for the once coveted blue liner?

Rundblad has spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, joining them via trade at the 2014 deadline. This was the third such trade of Rundblad’s career, as he was originally dealt to the Ottawa Senators at the 2010 Draft, in exchange for a first round selection, which St. Louis later used on Vladimir Tarasenko. Not long after, the Senators dealt Rundblad to the Coyotes, in exchange for Kyle Turris. 

To suggest Rundblad’s name is synonymous with diminishing returns would be an entirely fair statement, to this point in his young career. It’s definitely a concerning sign that four organizations have seen fit to cut bait with the young, Swedish defenceman, especially given he’s just barely 25-years old.

Rundblad was originally selected 17th overall, in the 2009 NHL Draft. To his credit are 113 games in the NHL over the course of five seasons, with a total of 25-points for his troubles. Rundblad’s underlying metrics are sterling, but having spent a significant amount of time watching the Chicago Blackhawks this season, I would attribute this in large to the protection afforded Rundblad by Joel Quinneville. 

Any concerns one might have about the extent to which usage is buoying Rundblad’s underlying success could be meted with his showing by dCorsi (which takes into account usage, team effects and any other circumstance to draw a delta score) where he is having the best season of his career, with a +62.24 showing. Of course, this number is driven entirely by his ability to generate shots relative to his usage, et al. Defensively, there is still very much left to be desired.

Given the Canucks faith in a player like Luca Sbisa turning the corner at 25, Rundblad’s youth might engender himself to the Canucks brain trust. The Canucks are also running short of defenceman on NHL contracts, as the Ashton Sautner recall leaves them with just Jordan Subban on an NHL contract. There’s been very little word on the status of Sbisa and it’s becoming increasingly likely that Chris Tanev’s injury is of the long-term variety. Then there’s Dan Hamhuis. The Canucks are a franchise in dire need of NHL defenceman and I can say with a certain degree of certainty that Rundblad is an NHL caliber defenceman.

The Canucks find themselves in the middle of the pack by waiver priority, but I’m convinced Rundblad will still be in play by the time Vancouver’s number is called. This isn’t the first time Rundblad’s been placed on waivers; nor am I certain it will be his last.

For a team so disproportionately top-heavy in their prospect stable, it would serve them well to add a relatively young defender, with a fair amount of offensive upside, into the fold. The ship has likely sailed on Rundblad reaching his potential as a top-four defender, but there is ample evidence that in a prescribed offensive role, Rundblad can contribute to the short term health of this franchise.