On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal discussed possible rental targets Vancouver could look at this year to help shore up their blue line.
The Canucks weren’t able to land any major defencemen in the offseason, but that doesn’t mean the front office isn’t still looking for opportunities.
Quads started with a good example from last year, “Who would’ve thought the Canucks would go out and get Nikita Zadorov in November?” he said. “Another trade they made early was for Sam Lafferty; the idea we’re getting here from this management regime is that they are not afraid to strike. If they see a hole in their roster, they’re not afraid to go and make that trade. Right now, we look at this lineup and see that we probably want another depth option. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a bona fide top-4 guy, just another guy who can put some pressure on those bottom 3. You’ve got Myers, Desharnais, and Forbort; how about a puck-moving, right-handed guy who can move up the lineup and play in the top-4 or just play on that 3rd pairing? It gives you more versatility. You’d be able to either have Myers or Desharnais on your 3rd pairing if he’s able to do that.”
The guys looked at defensemen on expiring contracts whose teams might be looking to sell at the deadline, should they be in a position to do so. Players like Shea Theodore and Ivan Provorov were ruled out for the most part as the acquisition cost is assumed to be too high, and these are trade-and-sign targets.
The first player the guys discussed was Penguins defender Marcus Pettersson, who has lined up beside Erik Karlsson for the past few years in Pittsburgh.
“The Penguins have an interesting year ahead of them,” said Quads. “Obviously, they’re going to try and compete, but they were trying to compete last year too. If he hits the trade market, he’s going to be the most sought-after defenceman on the market.”
“Marcus Pettersson is really good,” said Harm. “He’s more of an all-around, steady, two-way type; he’s good at moving the puck, but he’s a do-it-all guy. Karlsson raves about Pettersson, and he’s Pittsburgh’s only top-4 defender who can actually defend really well. He may be a rental, but you’re not going to be a second-round pick. It’s going to be expensive, but that’s why I love him as a player. Stylistically, it would check both boxes in that he can move the puck and he’s somebody Rick Tocchet could turn to defend Connor McDavid in the playoffs.”
Next was Winnipeg defender Neal Pionk.
“Neal Pionk is interesting because when he first came over in the Jacob Trouba trade, he came flying out of the gates playing like a top-4 defenceman,” said Harm. “The Jets came out of that trade looking amazing initially, but his game since the pandemic-shortened season has dipped a bit. He struggled in a top-4 role last year and he’s on a big cap hit. I’d need to monitor his play closely this season and see where exactly he’s at, because if it’s close to last season, I’m not sure.”
“Olli Määttä could be interesting because he’s going to be cheap, plus he’s got familiarity with Filip Hronek,” Harm segued. “During the season the Canucks acquired Hronek, the two of them were delivering decent results in a second-pair role. I don’t know about Määttä being top-4 quality if everybody is healthy, but it’s another option. If Carson Soucy gets hurt, we know we have another guy who is third-pair calibre but can slide up and play second pair in a pinch. He doesn’t move very quick, but he’s smart, makes a good first pass, and he defends decently.”
Watch the full replay of yesterday’s show below!
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