The Vancouver Canucks made headlines as they bought out defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The 31-year-old had a difficult time during his two seasons with Vancouver and will now hit the free-agent market for the first time in his career. His departure now means the Canucks will need to find a permanent solution and replace the over 19 minutes a night he played last season. Instead of going out and overspending in the free-agent market, here are three internal options they could use to replace him.
Christian Wolanin
In his first year as a Canuck, Christian Wolanin had one of his best seasons as a pro. Starting at the American Hockey League (AHL) level, he led the Abbotsford Canucks in scoring with 55 points in 49 games, attended the All-Star Game and was named AHL Defenceman of the Year. The 28-year-old also finished one point off the team lead during the playoffs, recording five points in six games and helping the Canucks win their first playoff series in franchise history.
At the NHL level, Wolanin also showed he could adapt and succeed under a Rick Tochett-led team. He appeared in 16 games averaging 15:45 of ice time, which included some time on the second-unit power play. At 5-on-5, he also finished with an expected goals for percentage (XGF%) of 50.39% along with a high-danger chances for percentage (HDCF%) of 54.64. A player that was rewarded with a two-year, two-way extension near the end of the season, he looks finally ready to become a full-time NHLer.
Guillaume Brisebois
One of the longest-serving members of the Canucks organization, this seems like the perfect time to see what Guillaume Brisebois can bring to the lineup on a full-time basis. In 2022-23, he split time between the NHL and AHL, playing 36 games with Abbotsford and 17 with Vancouver. Of those 17 games, 14 of them came under the new coaching staff, where he averaged 16:28 of ice time while averaging 2:00 per game on the penalty kill.
Related: Canucks 2022-23 Report Cards: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Under Tochett, Brisebois continued to be given more responsibility as the season progressed. He finished the 14-game stretch with 23 blocked shots as well as scoring his first career goal in the NHL. Like Wolanin, he was also signed to a two-year extension, with only the first year of the contract being a two-way deal. The 25-year-old has earned this opportunity and could provide valuable minutes on the blue line next season.
Jack Rathbone
At this point of his career, Jack Rathbone needs to be playing games at the NHL level. He has already shown how strong of a player he can be at the AHL level and should be given every opportunity to make Vancouver’s roster next season. A puck-moving defenceman who can play on the power play, the 24-year-old is in the final year of his two-year, one-way contract and will be eligible for arbitration after the 2023-24 season.
Last season, Rathbone did get an opportunity to play under Tochett but wasn’t given much responsibility during the games. He averaged 12:49 of ice time, including a total of 5:12 on the power play, scoring one goal and registering five shots on net. With the right defensive partner next to him, he could finally develop into the puck-moving, offensive defenceman he was projected to be when playing at Harvard.
Canucks Should Spend Money Elsewhere
Based on the free-agent class and internal options available, it would be better for Vancouver to spend Ekman-Larsson’s cap savings somewhere else. If one thing was apparent last season after the coaching change, it is that their new system is simple enough that players can be plugged in and have success. All three of these players are already signed to cheap deals, so including them on next season’s roster could be the best option for the Canucks heading into the 2023-24 season.
