Photo Credit: Bob Frid/USA TODAY Sports

No one has ever made a dollar wagering against what TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports, or publicly suggests is expected.

On Monday, McKenzie suggested that all three of Vancouver Canucks youngers: Ben Hutton, Jared McCann and Jake Virtanen are expected to open the season with the big club. It’s not a huge surprise, this has been telegraphed since Brendan Gaunce and Ronalds Kenins were sent to Utica on Friday night, but it’s an incredibly meaningful decision for an organization that has generally been reluctant to play teenage assets at the NHL level.

Here’s McKenzie’s tweet in full, which also mentions Linden Vey and Frank Corrado:

Personally I don’t think it’s particularly likely that either Vey or Corrado end on waivers. The Canucks’ head coach may prefer Adam Cracknell, 30, to Vey, 24, as a potential fourth-line centre, but Cracknell is more easily replaced and has far less upside. The same logic holds for keeping Biega, 27, over Corrado, 22. 

Asset management isn’t a glamorous project, as I’ve written about in the past when I suggested that Jordan Schroeder should be tendered a qualifying offer (he wasn’t):

This logic applies to Vey in particular at the moment. The 24-year-old hasn’t shown that he’s much better than a replacement level NHL centreman, but that doesn’t mean you can just throw him overboard in favour of a true replacement-level asset like Cracknell. 

Because of Vey’s AHL production, his ability to handle the puck on the power play, and his overall affordability, I’d suggest that he’d fall right on that Arcobello-line if he hits waivers. He’s got just enough offensive pop and just enough upside that a team in desperate need of those things, let’s say New Jersey or Arizona, may strongly consider putting in a claim. If the Canucks allow themselves to be put in that position, it would be wasteful in the extreme. 

There’s also the need to have some insurance on the roster should McCann flame out in his nine-game NHL cup of coffee. There’s no doubt that the 2014 first-round pick has earned a longer look, but if he can’t sustain the level of play he managed in the preseason, the Canucks may need Vey yet. 

As for Corrado, though he hasn’t impressed at training camp, you just don’t put 22-year-old defensemen on waivers in favour of a 27-year-old with seven career games of NHL experience. I like Alex Biega’s game quite a bit, but there’s a reason the Canucks signed him to a deal with a $325k AHL-level salary – and it’s partly because that high salary makes him much more likely to get through waivers…

We’ll have to see how this plays out a bit later on Monday, but I think the choice is clear for the Canucks. You waive Biega and Cracknell and temporarily reassign Ben Hutton (who is then recalled once Chris Higgins goes on long-term injured reserve). Anything else would be a mistake at the margins.