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Can the Canucks invest to become one of the best NHL clubs at developing young defencemen?: Canucks Conversation.
Photo credit: © Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
May 22, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: May 22, 2026, 00:01 EDT
On a recent episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal laid out why the Vancouver Canucks should make developing young defencemen one of the organization’s biggest priorities during their rebuild.
For Harm, the Canucks’ blue line pipeline represents one of the few areas where the organization already has a foundation to build around.
“When you look at this Canucks rebuild, you don’t have a lot right now to work with in terms of elite talent,” Harm started. “If there’s one area you have a bit of a head start, it’s definitely the back end.”
With prospects like Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, and Elias Pettersson already in the system – and the possibility of adding another high-end defender like Chase Reid at third overall – Harm believes Vancouver should be investing heavily into how those players are developed.
“If I had a research and development team, I’d commission the smartest people I can find to come up with an evidence-based blueprint on the best way to develop young defencemen,” Harm said.
“Buium was one of the highest-scoring NCAA defencemen in history,” Harm said. “He has the upside to become a number one defenceman, and I’m not saying Quinn Hughes level, but maybe Kris Letang.”
At the same time, Harm pointed out how slim the margin can be for high-end defence prospects.
“If he doesn’t hit that ceiling, you’re talking about an average-sized point producer who can’t really defend all that well,” noted Harm. “If they can help him hit his ceiling and become the kind of defenceman that’s worth say 11 million dollars compared to the floor scenario, that’s worth over $100 million to an organization over the span of 10-15 years.”
The same logic applies to other prospects in the system as well.
“If they can get Tom Willander to even be a number three defenceman on a Cup-contending team in his prime, that’s worth tens of millions over his career, and it’s the same with D-Petey.”
While NHL teams invest heavily in scouting and analytics, there’s still a lot of uncertainty league-wide when it comes to properly developing young defenders.
“The Canucks should be doing everything possible to become the most knowledgeable team in the league at developing young D in today’s NHL,” Harm continued. “When you look at defenders who are drafted high and how teams handle them, like Kevin Korchinski — the Hawks rushed him in, and it lowered his ceiling significantly. Simon Nemec in New Jersey was brought in right after being drafted, and his development has been up and down.”
The main takeaway here is there still isn’t a clear formula teams consistently follow.
“I don’t think teams have quite figured out the formula,” Harm said. “You can make a case that some teams have been rushing these guys to turn pro and it hasn’t been the best for their development.”
“There’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all plan for how to develop young defencemen, but at least some of the questions you should be asking are what’s generally the right age to turn pro, what markers to look for, and how do you sufficiently insulate these defencemen?”
Harm also pointed to deployment and support systems as areas where the Canucks could gain an edge.
“What kind of partner would Zeev Buium benefit from? Does Buium need power play one time over Filip Hronek? How many minutes should some of these guys play, what kind of matchups?” He asked.
This is an area where Vancouver could create a meaningful long-term advantage if they commit to it properly.
“By the end of the summer, I want my R&D department to have a personalized development program for Buium, Willander, and D-Petey because that’s worth so much to the organization,” Harm said. “I don’t know what it would cost, but if it’s a few hundred grand, who cares? It’s worth it if we become the most knowledgeable team in the league in developing young defencemen.”
Check out the full segment below!
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