After entering the offseason vowing to get younger, the Canucks confused many of their fans this summer with some unpopular trades that left them older at several positions. General manager Jim Benning said the moves will open spots for young players and address shortcomings identified in a six-game loss to the Calgary Flames in the Western Conference First Round. The Canucks traded two popular players, goalie Eddie Lack and defenseman Kevin Bieksa; cost-effective center Nick Bonino; promising but inconsistent power forward Zack Kassian; and defense prospect Adam Clendening. Coming to Vancouver are center Brandon Sutter, forward Brandon Prust and draft picks.
The Canucks have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs six of the past seven seasons but have not advanced past the first round since reaching the Cup Final in 2011.
Vancouver's moves started with the trade at the 2015 NHL Draft that sent Lack to the Carolina Hurricanes for the third-round draft pick the Canucks used to select defenseman Guillaume Brisebois, and a seventh-round pick at the 2016 draft. Vancouver got younger by replacing Lack, 27, with Markstrom, 25, but Benning has been criticized after admitting at an event for season-ticket holders that there was enough interest from other teams in goaltender Ryan Miller, 35, that the Canucks could have kept the two younger goalies. Instead, they traded Lack, who led the Canucks with a .921 save percentage last season and carried them into the playoffs after Miller injured his knee in late February. Lack was pulled early in Game 4 against the Flames and backed up Miller the final two games. Benning helped draft Miller with the Buffalo Sabres in 1999 and signed him to a three-year, $18 million contract last summer.
The Canucks got younger by trading Bieksa, 34, to the Anaheim Ducks on June 30 for a 2016 second-round pick, a move that made room for 22-year-old right-shot defensemen Frank Corrado and Clendening, who each re-signed with Vancouver on July 8. They got older when they traded Kassian, 24, to the Montreal Canadiens on July 1 for Prust, a 31-year-old fourth-line energy forward who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Benning said acquiring Prust became necessary after trading Bieksa.
Vancouver acquired Sutter and a third-round pick in 2016 from the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 28 for Clendening, the second-round pick they received from the Ducks in the Bieksa trade, and Bonino, 27. Critics have argued Sutter isn't an upgrade on the second-line center hole created by the June 2014 trade of Ryan Kesler and filled by Bonino last season, at least not offensively. Sutter's possession statistics suggest he's a fourth-line center, so criticism increased when the Canucks signed the 26-year-old to a five-year, $21.875 million contract extension with no-trade protection Aug. 4. Benning, who called Sutter a foundation player, views the speedy forward as key to filling the gap between an aging core led by Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin, who each turn 35 in late September, and young players including Bo Horvat, who may be ready to take on some second-line offensive minutes after finding his scoring stride as a rookie in the second half of the 2014-15 season. Sutter's 21 goals last season matched his NHL career high; his career best of 40 points was in 2009-10 with the Carolina Hurricanes. Even after allowing 27-year-old Shawn Matthias (18 goals in 78 games in 2014-15) to leave in free agency, Benning doesn't seem concerned about scoring. The bigger focus is finding the right balance between the skilled prospects on the way and the right kind of veteran presence to guide them.
Jim Benning: "We have some young players that need an opportunity to play in the NHL and show what they can do, so we made some tough decisions to make room for these players [identifying forwards Sven Baertschi, Ronalds Kenins and Jake Virtanen, along with goalie Jacob Markstrom]. I'm OK if we take a little bit of a step back in the regular season to make our team better in the playoffs. That was the intent of what we were looking at when we made the moves we made. Goalies in this market, for whatever reason, are always under the microscope, and I felt we needed an experienced goalie. And Markstrom looks to me like he is going to develop into a really good No. 1 goalie, and we wanted him to get up and going."
"Kevin gave our team a courage level to work and compete every game, and when we moved him I thought it was important to get a type of player that can supply that. We just felt we needed a bit more grit. The playoffs is tough, physical hockey, and I felt we needed more grit and bringing in both Brandons, Prust and Sutter, gives us that competitiveness and grit we need to win. We acquired Sutter to give us more depth and speed through the middle of the ice, and he is a matchup player too. We're expecting Bo to come in and have a real good year, but I don't want to put too much pressure on him to have to score. I want to be competitive and I want our young guys to learn from our older guys the things they have to do to play the right way to win. It's invaluable to have veterans that can teach our young players what it means to be a Vancouver Canuck."
Coach Willie Desjardins wasn't comfortable starting last season with a 19-year-old center in his lineup, but by the time Horvat turned 20 on April 5, he was a key part of it. After earning the trust of his coach with responsible defensive play and by winning faceoffs against tough competition in the first half of the season, Horvat gained confidence offensively in the second. He scored 10 of his 13 goals and had 17 of his 25 points after the All-Star break, then had a goal and three assists in six playoff games. After starting the season playing fewer than 10 minutes a game, he averaged almost 14:00 after March 1 and 12:40 his first NHL playoff series.
"After the All-Star break I started hanging on to the puck a little more instead of wanting to give it away right away and being afraid to make a mistake. Playing well defensively opened a lot of eyes, and I think I gained Willie's trust even quicker when he knew I could play well defensively."
There isn't necessarily a lot of can't-miss, top-pick talent outside of forward Jake Virtanen, but the Canucks have more prospects who are likely NHL players than at any point in recent memory. Virtanen, who was the sixth pick at the 2014 NHL Draft, will be given a real chance to make the Canucks as a 19-year-old after finishing last season with Utica of the American Hockey League during its run to the Calder Cup Finals. Virtanen, who projects as a power forward with a good shot, had one assist in 10 playoff games, but he proved he was ready to handle the physicality of the professional game, landing several big hits and establishing himself on the forecheck.
Sven Baertschi, acquired from the Calgary Flames last season, is being counted on to play a top-six role at 22, and defenseman Frank Corrado, 22, is in line for minutes opened by the trade of Kevin Bieksa. It's also not out of the question that 20-year-old center Cole Cassels could see some time with the Canucks in his first pro season, and skilled wing Hunter Shinkaruk could be a scoring option in his secon. The list of prospects behind them is bright, led by center Jared McCann and goalie Thatcher Demko, who should be even better after hip surgery this offseason improved his mobility and flexibility.
Written off by some after their worst season in a decade under one-year coach John Tortorella in 2013-14, each Sedin twin bounced back to finish in the top 10 in NHL scoring last season. Daniel went from 47 points in 73 games two seasons ago to 76 (tied for eighth in the League) in 82 last season, and Henrik improved from 50 points in 70 games under Tortorella to 73 (10th) in 82 last season. Although a lot of that bounce-back was driven by a power play that tied for eighth in the NHL (19.3 percent), bolstered by free agent addition and one-shot scorer Radim Vrbata, the Sedins showed their patient, pass-happy style of play might allow them to be productive in the final stage of their career. That's important; the twins turn 35 in September.
The plus-minus statistic is far from perfect, but the fact Alexander Edler, who is the Canucks' top defenseman, was an NHL-worst minus-39 two seasons ago had to be concerning, if not alarming. After wilting under the fiery demands of Tortorella, the soft-spoken Swede bounced back last season, benefitting from a better fit with steady partner Christopher Tanev to finish plus-13 despite being matched against the opposition's top forwards most games. Edler's offense has regressed since he had an NHL career-high 49 points in 2011-12, and he probably won't ever win the Norris Trophy, as some predicted after an impressive first few seasons in the League, but at least the Canucks can count on him for something other than fishing the puck out of his net.
The Canucks reshaped their roster with several trades this offseason after losing in six games to the Calgary Flames in the Western Conference First Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Longtime defenseman Kevin Bieksa is gone, as are goalie Eddie Lack and forwards Zack Kassian and Shawn Matthias. Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin remain as the Canucks' core players. General manager Jim Benning said the roster shakeup will make Vancouver better equipped for the postseason and open spots for young players. It will be up to second-year coach Willie Desjardins to put the pieces together.
From Roberto Luongo to Cory Schneider to Lack, there has been strong goaltending in Vancouver since 2006, and the Canucks have employed one of the NHL's top tandems since 2010. They needed it again last season when Lack took over after Ryan Miller injured his knee in late February and carried them into the playoffs. Lack had a .927 save percentage as the starter and finished the regular season at .921, ahead of Miller's .911, before faltering and giving up the crease in Game 4 against the Flames.
Miller's save percentage was his lowest since the 2007-08 season and hasn't been above .920 since 2009-10, when he won the Vezina Trophy. He turned 35 in July, but there are a few reasons for optimism this season. First, Miller has an elite ability to read and anticipate plays, a skill that shouldn't necessarily erode over time like a more reactive physical element would. Second, he was continuing to adjust to the Western Conference last season (he spent the first 10-plus seasons of his NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres before being traded to the St. Louis Blues in February 2014), as well as a new system. Finally, he didn't always look comfortable after making changes to his style under new goaltending coach Roland Melanson. But Miller trusts the changes, telling NHL.com he was cutting himself "some statistical slack" early in the season in the hopes they would pay off down the stretch. The knee injury prevented Miller from finding out if the changes helped him finish strong. After trading Lack to the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2015 NHL Draft, the Canucks hope Miller is better. If not, they will turn to 25-year-old Jacob Markstrom, a 6-foot-6 Swede who dominated with Utica of the American Hockey League last season (1.88 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and five shutouts in 32 games) but has struggled in the past when given opportunities in the NHL. The changes Markstrom has made since arriving in Vancouver from the Florida Panthers as part of the Luongo trade in March 2014 should make it easier to use his big frame more effectively and efficiently.
"We feel we're going to have real good goaltending [this season], with Ryan and Jacob," Canucks president of hockey operations Trevor Linden said at the draft. "[Markstrom's] a player that's young and needs some time, and we're going to give him that."
Doubts about trade acquisition Brandon Sutter's ability to play a more offensive role at center would be moot if Bo Horvat can continue last season's late scoring push and grab the second-line job. The Canucks more than likely will rely on depth and versatility with two units behind the Sedins that are better suited for third-line duty. Vancouver should have enough depth on the wings to spread around, whether Alexandre Burrows or Radim Vrbata plays with the Sedins at even strength, but the pressure is on 22-year-old Sven Baertschi and possibly 19-year-old Jake Virtanen to score following the departure of Matthias, who scored 17 of his 18 goals at even strength, and Kassian, who scored nine of his 10 goals at even strength.
The Canucks have never really had a bona fide No. 1 defenseman, and they usually need to go well beyond their top six to get through each season. In 2014-15, Vancouver used 10 defensemen, including 27-year-old Alex Biega, who played his first seven NHL games during a run of injuries in mid-February.
With Bieksa and Adam Clendening traded, and their lone free agent addition of Matt Bartkowski offset by the departure of Ryan Stanton, the Canucks defense looks thin going into the season. Rookie Frank Corrado should give them seven NHL-ready defensemen to start, but 5-foot-10, 187-pound Biega could be called up from Utica earlier this season.
It wasn't long ago it would have been difficult to come up with a list of five good Vancouver Canucks prospects. That's no longer the case, thanks in part to general manager Jim Benning, who was brought in last summer because of his scouting acumen. Benning pointed to all the draft picks traded away before his arrival as the primary reason for the dearth of prospect talent. He did credit the previous regime for a strong 2013 NHL Draft that included Bo Horvat (No. 9), Hunter Shinkaruk (No. 24) and Cole Cassels (No. 85), and said his focus at the 2014 and 2015 drafts was adding skilled players.Jake Virtanen, RW
How acquired: 1st round (No. 6), 2014 NHL Draft
Last season: Calgary, WHL: 50 GP, 21-31-52
Virtanen was slowed last season by shoulder surgery in the summer but showed flashes of the speed, power and shot that made him such a high draft pick. Some wonder if the 19-year-old has the hockey smarts to get into position often enough to utilize that shot effectively in the NHL; if not, the 6-foot-1, 208-pound forward can be effective as a north-south player who isn't afraid to throw his big body around and dig for loose pucks around the crease.
Projected NHL arrival: 2015-16
Jared McCann, C
How acquired: 1st round (No. 24), 2014 NHL Draft
Last season: Sault Ste. Marie, OHL: 56 GP, 34-47-81
McCann, 19, left Hockey Canada's Summer Showcase in early August after taking a heavy hit to the head. Regardless of his health in the short term, the 19-year-old is a long shot to stick with the Canucks out of training camp, not that it will take the 6-foot, 179-pound center long to get another shot. Blessed with top-end skill and vision, McCann compared himself to former Canucks center Ryan Kesler after being drafted because he also likes to be an agitator.
Projected NHL arrival: 2017-18
Brock Boeser, RW
How acquired: 1st round (No. 23), 2015 NHL Draft
Last season: Waterloo, USHL: 57 GP, 35-33-68
Boeser, 18, tied for the USHL lead with 35 goals last season, made a strong impression at USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., and will play for the University of North Dakota this fall. Able to play a power forward role at 6-foot-1, 191 pounds, the Minnesota native is blessed with an abundance of skill and a quick-release, score-from-anywhere shot, giving the Canucks hope he can provide top-end scoring in the future despite some early questions about his skating.
Projected NHL arrival: 2018-19
Cole Cassels, C
How acquired: 3rd round (No. 85), 2013 NHL Draft
Last season: Oshawa, OHL: 54 GP, 30-51-81
Cassels, 20, will start his professional career with Utica of the American Hockey League this season after helping Oshawa to the 2015 Memorial Cup, including a shutdown role against Erie's Connor McDavid in the Ontario Hockey League championship series. Although 30 goals and 81 points in 54 games reflect the offensive gifts of his father, former Canucks center Andrew Cassels, the 6-foot, 178-pound center plays with more of an edge and is already responsible in his own end, so he could see the NHL soon and a lot of McDavid, who the Edmonton Oilers selected with the No. 1 pick of the 2015 draft, in coming years.
Projected NHL arrival: 2016-17
Thatcher Demko, G
How acquired: 2nd round (No. 36), 2014 NHL Draft
Last season: Boston College, H-EAST: 35 GP, 19-13-3, 2.19 GAA, .925 save percentage
Even if Demko leaves Boston College after his junior season, as the Canucks would prefer because he has some technical fine-tuning to do, he is probably several years away from making an impact in the NHL. Despite that, it's tough to leave the 6-foot-4, 192-pound player off any list of Canucks prospects because of his upside, which may be even higher after offseason surgery on his hips. Demko said he already feels more flexible and mobile, and the hip injuries might explain some past inefficiencies and movement quirks.
Projected NHL arrival: 2018-19
Predicted Lines
22 D. Sedin - 33 H. Sedin - 17 Vrbata
47 Baertschi - # Sutter - 14 Burrows
# Prust - 53 Horvat - 20 Higgins
51 Dorsett - 7 Vey - 36 Hansen
23 Edler - 8 Tanev
2 Hamhuis - 6 Weber
5 Sbisa - # Bartkowski
30 Miller - 35 Markstrom
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