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Why Kevin Dean is a good hire for the Canucks: Canucks Conversation
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Photo credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Clarke Corsan
Jun 3, 2025, 20:41 EDT
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On Tuesday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal broke down the Vancouver Canucks’ hiring of assistant coach Kevin Dean – and why it’s a move that makes a lot of sense for the team, especially given where the franchise is headed.
“I like this hire,” said Harm. “He has a lot of experience running defences – in Chicago for the last three seasons and in Boston for five or six years before that. This isn’t a case of going the ‘cheap’ or ‘inexperienced’ route, which is important because Adam Foote himself doesn’t have a lot of experience as a head coach. When you evaluate what the Canucks do with their coaching staff as a whole, a big part of that is going to be the quality of the assistant coaches they surround Foote with, and I like the Dean hiring from that perspective.”
Dean’s most recent work in Chicago stands out in particular, given how young that blue line group has been in the midst of a rebuild.
“He’s got a lot of experience working with young defencemen,” Harm continued. “He did a lot of that in Chicago. The Blackhawks, outside of Seth Jones, didn’t have a lot of experienced, established defencemen. They’ve been in rebuild mode, and he’s worked with a lot of their younger defence in recent times – getting them acclimated to the NHL game and working multiple of them in at the same time.”
That’s especially relevant for the Canucks, who could look to work in prospects like Elias Pettersson (D-Petey), Tom Willander, and Victor Mancini over the next season or two. Having an assistant coach who has recently guided young defencemen through that exact NHL transition is a major benefit.
“In Chicago, Alex Vlasic has taken massive strides,” Harm pointed out. “He was drafted in the third round as a project defenceman at 6’6. He didn’t have the puck skills or skating to profile as a top-four defenceman, but over the last two years he’s turned into a legit top-four shutdown stud. A core part of that Blackhawks team – and honestly, their de facto number one defenceman now that Seth Jones is gone.”
It wasn’t all perfect during Dean’s Chicago tenure, but the overall development track record leans positive.
“Kevin Korchinski was a really high draft pick but probably rushed into the NHL in 2023-24,” said Harm. “He struggled defensively and split time between the AHL and NHL. But there’s other guys too. Sam Rinzel on the right side played nine games down the stretch this year and exceeded all expectations. Levshunov, as well – towards the end of the year, came up from Rockford and impressed. I’d say it’s been mostly positive what we’ve seen from Blackhawks defencemen, and especially the younger ones from Dean’s time running the defence there.”
And before Chicago, there was Boston – where Dean helped lead one of the league’s most consistent defensive groups for years.
“While he was in Boston, the Bruins perennially had one of the most rock-solid defences in the NHL,” Harm said. “He’s an experienced voice, he has a solid track record, and he should be a solid fit.”
You can watch the full segment below:
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