The Vancouver Canucks‘ defence corps will look different again this season after general manager (GM) Patrik Allvin decided not to re-sign Nikita Zadorov and Ian Cole. Replacing them will be Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais, two rough-and-tumble blueliners with size, but not noted for their mobility and offence. There may still be an addition to come before the puck drops on Oct. 9, but as we enter the month of August, let’s take a look at what the defence pairings could look like against the Calgary Flames on opening night.
Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek
Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek are going to be the staples of this Canucks blue line for a long time. The reigning Norris Trophy winner is signed until 2027 and Hronek just inked an eight-year extension that will keep him in Vancouver until potentially 2032. They have become the Canucks’ version of Cale Makar and Devon Toews, and despite Hronek’s massive dropoff in production towards the end of the season, he is still the best fit for Hughes on the top pairing and will continue to be so in 2024-25.
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Looking at their stats as a pairing last season, Hughes and Hronek blew the competition out of the water when it came to puck possession and chances. In 1,237:51 of even-strength ice time together, they had a 56.78 Corsi for percentage (CF%) and the Canucks generated 659 scoring chances and 277 high-danger chances with them on the ice. According to MoneyPuck, they were also on the ice for 72 goals, second only to Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard (78). They weren’t all offence and no defence either as Hughes (plus-38) and Hronek (plus-33) were a combined plus-71 in the plus/minus column. All in all, they were as effective of a top-pairing as any in the NHL last season and will probably lead the way this season as well.
Carson Soucy – Tyler Myers
When Carson Soucy was healthy last season, his most common defence partner was Tyler Myers, and considering their effectiveness, they will probably remain a pairing to start 2024-25. In 393:23 at even strength, they were only on the ice for 12 goals and averaged 1.85 goals against per 60 minutes. Their CF% was below 50 at 46.3, so they didn’t drive play but were decent at suppressing high-danger scoring chances, with the Canucks generating 66 to the opponents’ 61.
Apart from Hughes and Hronek, Soucy and Myers were two of the Canucks’ best defencemen during the 2023-24 season. Even though Soucy only played 40 games, he was a calming presence whenever he was in the lineup and arguably was their top two-way defenceman. The Canucks’ record speaks for itself, as they were 27-9-4 when he suited up for a game and 23-14-5 when he didn’t.
As for Myers, despite the criticism he often gets from the fans and media for his defensive lapses and bad penalties, I feel he curtailed those things last season for the most part. He doesn’t deserve the nickname “Chaos Giraffe” anymore, and should be praised more for his overall two-way game. It seems Tocchet, Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar have figured out how to unlock the good parts of the 6-foot-8 defender and make him an effective part of the blue line, even matching him up against the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the playoffs. Yes, you read that correctly, he was part of the shutdown pairing that was sent out to limit two of the best in the world. That alone shows the growth of Myers’ game over the last season or so. So much so that Allvin felt he was worth re-signing for another three years – which, I may be in the minority for saying this, was better than bringing back Zadorov.
Derek Forbort – Vincent Desharnais
Now onto the newbies. There is no history between Forbort and Desharnais, so we have zero stats to talk about. But, if paired together to start the season, they should be an effective tandem. Physicality, grit, and sacrificing the body will be the name of the game with this duo as they have combined for 1,038 hits (Forbort – 858, Desharnais – 180) and 1,029 blocked shots (Forbort – 859, Desharnais – 170) over their careers. Mobility could be an issue, but both of them have been key components of their previous teams in the past with Forbort averaging 17:48 time-on-ice (TOI) in Boston and Desharnais 15:44 TOI in Edmonton.
Forbort and Desharnais could also be one of the top pairings Tocchet sends out when the Canucks are down a man. Forbort was specifically mentioned in Jake DeBrusk’s opening interview as a good penalty killer who “loves eating pucks”, so I’m sure he will be a staple in that situation likely taking on the 2:39 of average shorthanded ice time that Cole logged last season. Desharnais is also no stranger to the PK as he was behind only Darnell Nurse (2:30) and Cody Ceci (2:36) on the Oilers at 2:02.
7th Defenceman: Noah Juulsen
This will depend on whether the Canucks decide to take 14 forwards or eight defencemen into the regular season, but as per my forward projections, I am leaning toward the former. In this case, Noah Juulsen will be taking the seventh spot ahead of Mark Friedman. He took major strides in his game last season and became the perfect plug-and-play defender. Because of Soucy’s injury issues, he suited up for 54 games and established himself as a physical no-nonsense option that wasn’t afraid to hit and block shots. The Surrey, BC native finished with 164 hits (which led the defence corps) and 85 blocked shots (fourth behind Hronek, Myers and Cole), and was a presence on the PK. If any of the Canucks’ top penalty-killing defencemen go down with an injury, he’s the perfect replacement as he plays the same style as Forbort and Desharnais.
Canucks’ Defence Doesn’t Lack Height or Physicality
Last season, the Canucks’ defence corps was one of the biggest in the league with only Hughes under 6 feet. This season, it will be more of the same as the additions of Forbort (6-foot-4) and Desharnais (6-foot-7) replace Cole (6-foot-1) and Zadorov (6-foot-6). In fact, they will be bigger, with Forbort standing three inches taller than Cole, and Desharnais one inch taller than Zadorov. Also, with the exception of Hughes and Hronek, they are all physical and willing to throw their body in front of pucks. Basically, while this defensive group might lack mobility and puck movement beyond Hughes, Hronek and Myers, they will be one of the toughest units to go against night in and night out – and that’s exactly how Foote and Tocchet like it.
