The Vancouver Canucks are not the same team that won 50 games last season and walked away as Pacific Division champions. They have dropped several notches in people’s minds and are no longer a contender for the Stanley Cup, something they were considered at this time last season. From issues scoring and defending to drama in the dressing room, they are struggling to stay above water and it’s only a matter of time before the playoffs are a pipe dream. Yes, they had an impressive win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, but those games have been few and far between.
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Last season, the Canucks were a consistent powerhouse that could score, defend and outwork teams from the opening puck drop to the final whistle. They were also one of the best in the league at jumping on their opponents and locking games down when they had the lead. Now, not so much, as they have seemingly regressed to the frustrating squads of the Bruce Boudreau and Travis Green eras – maybe even the two-season debacle led by Willie Desjardins in 2015-16 and 2016-17 – where they continually missed the playoffs and ended up in the draft lottery.
There could be a few articles written about the reasons for this drastic shift, but I am going to focus on one: not having Ian Cole and Nikita Zadorov on the blue line.
Ian Cole Was an Underrated Piece of the Canucks’ Defence in 2023-24
There were a lot of fans that applauded the decision not to re-sign Cole given his struggles in the playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers. While I don’t deny that he probably was one of the Canucks’ worst defenders in that series, people forget that he was playing with an injury and was not 100 percent. That series aside, he had a solid stint in the blue and green, logging an average time on ice (TOI) of 18:41 and leading the defence corps in blocked shots with 166. He also was good defensively and played some hard minutes on the penalty kill, pacing everyone in shorthanded time-on-ice with an average of 2:39 per game.
Something very underrated about Cole was his leadership and voice in the dressing room as his two Stanley Cups and over 800 games of experience carried a lot of gravitas. It’s something the Canucks are missing right now, akin to when Kevin Bieksa was traded in 2015 and they lost his presence and personality after their 101-point resurgence in 2014-15.
Cole ended up signing with the Utah Hockey Club for one year at $3.1 million average annual value (AAV) and has brought that same veteran presence to the young core led by Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther. Similar to his time in Vancouver, he is playing a ton on the penalty kill (3:10 average per game), leads the team in blocked shots with 121, and is averaging over 20 minutes a night in the top four. If he was on the Canucks’ defence today, he would also lead everyone in blocked shots as Tyler Myers holds that title with a measly 75 at this point.
As much as everyone was okay with Cole leaving in free agency, in hindsight, he would be an upgrade over the likes of Noah Juulsen, Derek Forbort, and Vincent Desharnais right now.
Nikita Zadorov Was Expensive But Would Have Been a Huge Improvement Over Desharnais & Forbort
Again, everyone was happy that Allvin didn’t sign Zadorov to the monster deal he got from the Boston Bruins. However, while that $5 million AAV is a lot, he would have been a massive improvement over Desharnais and Forbort. Both defencemen have struggled since signing with the Canucks and despite being equivalent in size to Zadorov, don’t possess the same mobility and puck-moving skills the big 6-foot-6 Russian does. He also had an infectious personality that brought a lightness to the dressing room and a playstyle that got under the skin of his opponents.
A lot of people will point to the fact that Zadorov hasn’t had the best season in Boston, so it’s good that he’s not on the roster right now. However, considering how well he fit into Tocchet’s system last season and the offence he brought – especially in the playoffs – I think fans would welcome his presence right now with how much the Canucks have struggled to move the puck. Not to mention his physicality, which is another thing the blue line hasn’t gotten a lot of this season with Noah Juulsen leading with only 86 hits. Zadorov had 124 last season along with 49 blocked shots and five goals and 14 points.
Canucks Need to Find Another Zadorov (At Least) Before the Trade Deadline
It’s easier said than done, and I don’t think Allvin will get lucky and acquire someone like Zadorov for a third-round pick again, but the Canucks need to find a way to add another top-four defenceman before the trade deadline. While the return of Filip Hronek will give the corps a boost in the mobility and puck-moving department, they still need more to contend with the best of the best in the Western Conference and give themselves a chance at not only making the playoffs but going on a run. They have the forwards to do it, just not the defenders that can consistently get them the puck. I also think they need more defencemen like Cole who aren’t afraid to block shots and put their body in harm’s way.
We will see what Allvin does before the deadline to upgrade the Canucks’ mobility and speed from the back end because that’s one of the things that’s holding them back from being the same team that won so many games last season. It’s not the only thing, that’s for sure, but it would go a long way to getting them back there.
The Canucks will try again to string together back-to-back solid performances tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, who sit tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the Western Conference.
