Canucks D-Corps Remains Questionable, No Immediate Plans for Change

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin doesn’t project a sense of urgency as it relates to making any more roster changes ahead of training camp. That’s not to say something won’t happen, or as he puts it in reference to a question about improving the club’s defence, “maybe look into different trade scenarios”.

The answers simply weren’t there as part of the NHL’s ‘free agent frenzy’.

“We realized that there really wasn’t anything for us today in the market to get into, so probably it will be over time,” Allvin stated Wednesday. “I didn’t feel like we needed to rush into something here and then take other options away leading up to training camp.”

Check out the potential pairings and the question marks that come with them. Too many question marks.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Tyler Myers

1A and 1B, if you want to flip-flop those two with Quinn Hughes and Luke Schenn.

The first question mark arises with the overall value and effectiveness of Myers at $6-million per season for the next two. Not to discount his penalty kill minutes, one could suggest that there must be a better replacement available somewhere in terms of overall play, especially at that price. The buy-out option is one the club has suggested will not be happening.

Allvin has also stated he’s not trading future draft picks as part of a deal to improve.

Schenn turns age-33 in November. Can he hold up over the long run as Hughes’s partner given the fact that Schenn is the team’s lone modern ‘enforcer’, playing a physically taxing game while riding shotgun to the dynamic soon-to-be 23-year-old?

Speaking of question marks, we’re told that Tucker Poolman has recovered from his headaches and the like and is back to full training this summer. Yet this is a player with a history of concussions who twice last season departed from games after one period because of his head. If healthy, one might still question his value on the third pair, with or without the $2.5-million cap hit for three seasons. Again, health aside for now, that one seems movable / buy-out-able at some point down the road.

Back-up options at the moment? Kyle Burroughs is always willing and able and can play both sides. He’ll drop the mitts, hit anyone. Never a bad person to have around, especially at $750,000 for one more season. Brady Keeper, who broke his leg in training camp last fall is a right-shot, but he’s 26-years-old with a grand total of 2 career NHL games. He’s making $775,000 next season whether he’s in the big show or not.

Projected minor league righties Filip Johansson (age 22), Jett Woo (age 21), and Noah Juulsen (age 25) will all get a look-see in camp if they’re still around.

Um, yeah, the Vancouver Canucks still have some work to do.