Canucks Quarter Review "Defence"

Part two
Defence.

The Canucks defence is built with a bunch of 1-4 D men at the top and some solid depth.  Because the defence hasn’t really had solid paring to date I am going to do a write up for each Canucks defenseman.

Alexander Edler:  Elder has played all 18 games and has looked like the defender the Canucks are looking to develop. He’s a big mobile dman who can move the puck forward and add an offensive element to the team from the backend. As far as dman go it seems to take most defenders longer to develop and Elder has been around for a while now and he’s still only 24. He looks great on the PP and his game is moving forward right now. I can see him being a #1 Dman in the next few years. For now I’ll call his season so far very solid as he is proving to be a good 1B player on the point. Look for more offense, big hits, shutdown defence and solid improvement from Edler for the rest of the season and into the playoffs.

Christian Ehrhoff: Even with a few glaring defensive mind blanks Ehrhoff is again putting together a start to another solid season. He is working on a contract year and I expect to see more strong play from the German born Dman. Although 8 of his 10 points are on the PP Ehrhoff is still a +1. He along with Edler are a scary pairing on the PP and demand a lot of respect which opens a lot of room for the Twins to work down low. Ehrhoff will always have a few errors in his own zone however on the break out and in the offensive zone he is a huge contributor to the Canucks. Throughout the season I expect him to play solid offensive hockey leading the team forward from the back end. His job is not to play shut down defence but to get the puck to the forwards and so far this year he has been doing a good job at that. Consistency and constant work on his defensive game will round Ehrhoff into another top defender for the Canucks to lock up into their core going forward.

Dan Hamhuis: One of two big acquisitions for the defence this off season, Hamhuis was brought in through the UFA market.  Before his deep bone bruise injury in his foot Hamhuis was looking like a top pairing Dman for the Nucks. Since coming back from injury he has had moments where he’s look unstable on his foot. He is not practising every practice and is still trying to fully recover from his injury. Look for Hamhuis’ game to improve each game as he approaches 100%. Going into the playoffs Hamhuis will be a big factor for the team. He will more than likely anchor the second pairing bring solid all around play in his own zone and the offensive zone. Coming out of Nashville there has been a steep learning curve for Hamhuis in the Canucks system. With more time he will learn when to activate from the point and as we saw in the Pens game he will start getting some scoring chances.

Keith Ballard: The other offseason deal the Canucks made was for Ballard. He was brought in for Bernier, Grabner and a 1^st. An off season hip surgery, that seemed to slide past the very knowledgeable Vancouver media, has seemed to slow Ballard down this year. He seemed to be getting closer to game shape and then had a setback with a concussion. Watching Ballard for a few years now I expect him to recover and play to the level MG expected when he traded for him. In my opinion he will be huge in the second half of the season and into the playoffs. Give him time to get into game shape and adjust to the fast pace of the Canucks system and I think he will be a great player for the team.

Kevin Bieksa: The lone right handed Dman on the current roster and in a contract year, Bieksa has been the whipping boy of the Canucks fan base for a couple years. This year however his play has improved dramatically. Is it because he’s playing for a contract? Because he is healthy? Or just finding his game again? I think it’s a little bit of both. There was a lot of rumours about Bieksa being traded this season and I expect him to be moved come the deadline. MG and his crew are wizards with the cap and I think they will find a way to fit Salo and Bieksa together on the same roster however there will be teams who want Bieksa and they will cash in on having extra D and the ability to trade them. Look for Kevin to keep improving his game this season. He will always have gaffs in his own end but if he plays hard and gritty and chips in from the point he will be a key contributor for the Canucks and probably someone else come playoffs.

Andrew Alberts: Much complaining was had over the offseason about how bad of a trade MG had made to acquire Alberts. Today it looks like a reasonable trade. Alberts took the offseason to get into great shape and lose some weight. He gained enough foot speed to compliment his big physical presence and has been a solid 5-6 man for the team this year. He will not bring you much offence but he does kill penalties and he usually makes the easy high percentage break out pass. That’s all you can ask for from a player of his nature. He also brings big hits from the backend. Look for Alberts to work on better positioning and picking the right time to lay someone out and the right time to retreat and play D. If he continues his improvement from the summer throughout the year he could be an important shutdown depth player throughout the season.

Aaron Rome: Rome has had a decent start to the season for a depth player. He gave AV the chance to sit Keith Ballard down when he wasn’t 100% and he has played alright. He has seen some time on the PP and that is a bit scary as he will probably never bring much offence to the team. When the Canucks are healthy he will be a 6-8 guy and at his salary and skill level he is a great guy to have there. In a pinch situation come playoff time there have been a lot worse situations for the Canucks in the past.

Rest of the guys:

Sami Salo: Look for Salo to return earlier than later. He went on the trip with the team on their eastern trip and there is talk he’ll be back in December. In my opinion Salo is the Ace in their back pocket the Canucks hold. He’s easily a top 4 dman when healthy and can play in any role he’s asked to play in. Knock on wood his first half the year break keeps him healthy for the rest of the year and deep into the playoffs. Right handed canon from the point will lead the second PP unit to a lot more goals.

Ryan Parent: Acquired for O’Brien, MG might have himself another steal. I know Parent has had a rough start to his career but he was a very highly rated prospect who was rushed into the NHL. He was the 18^th overall pick in ’05 and is still only 23. He has no pressure to do anything but slowly improve his game behind the deep staff Vancouver has. Worst case scenario from the trade is the Canucks lost O’Brien for nothing and still saved the cap room. Best case scenario he will get his career back on track and the Canucks will have gained a very solid asset.

Kevin Connauton: The Canucks also have Connauton in the minors. He has 3 goals and 4 assists on the Moose. Hopefully he can develop some form of a defensive game. I look for him to be a strong contributor to the Canucks in a few years but for now he’s just more depth the Canucks have right now on D.

Overall the Canucks are very deep at Defence and when the players are fully healthy and have all learned the system and their partners I expect this defence to be one of the tops in the league. Look for a trade at the deadline and consistent play throughout the playoffs leading the team and Luongo to the cup.