Predicting the Canucks’ 2024-25 Defensive Pairings – Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks defense will look different again this season after general manager (GM) Patrik Allvin decided not to re-sign Nikita Zadorov and Ian Cole. Their replacements will include Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais, two rough-and-tumble blueliners with size, but not known for their pace and offense. There may be more to come before the puck drops on Oct. 9, but as we head into the month of August, let’s take a look at how the defensive pairings might look against the Calgary Flames on opening night.

Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek

Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek will be the mainstays of this Canucks blue line for a long time. The reigning Norris Trophy winner is signed through 2027 and Hronek recently signed an eight-year extension that will keep him in Vancouver until 2032. They’ve become the Canucks’ version of Cale Makar and Devon Toews, and despite Hronek’s dramatic decline in production. at the end of the season, he is still Hughes’ best fit and will continue to be so in 2024-25.

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If you look at their stats as a pair last season, Hughes and Hronek blew the competition out of the water when it came to catches and chances. In 1,237:51 of even-strength ice time together, they had a 56.78 Corsi percentage (CF%) and the Canucks produced 659 scoring chances and 277 dangerous chances on the ice. According to MoneyPuck, they were also in the lead with 72 goals, behind Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard (78). It wasn’t all offense and no defense as Hughes (plus-38) and Hronek (plus-33) were a combined plus-71 in the plus/minus column. Overall, they were as effective on the top pairing as any in the NHL last season and are likely to lead this season as well.

Carson Soucy – Tyler Myers

When Carson Soucy was healthy last season, his most common defensive partner was Tyler Myers, and considering their performance, they will likely remain paired to start in 2024-25. In 393:23 at even strength, they were on the ice with only 12 goals and achieved 1.85 goals against 60 minutes. Their CF% was under 50 at 46.3, so they didn’t make plays but were decent at stifling the most dangerous scoring opportunities, the Canucks produced 66 of their opponents’ 61.

Besides Hughes and Hronek, Soucy and Myers were the Canucks’ top two defensemen in the 2023-24 season. Although Soucy only played 40 games, he was a cool presence whenever he was on the roster and was arguably their best defender. The Canucks’ record speaks for itself, as they are 27-9-4 when he is ready for the game and 23-14-5 when he is not.

As for Myers, despite the criticism he often gets from fans and the media for his defensive lapses and bad penalties, I feel he cut those things down last season for the most part. He no longer deserves to be called the “Chaos Giraffe”, and deserves much praise for his two-way game. It seems Tocchet, Adam Foote and Sergey Gonchar have found a way to unlock the best parts of the 6-foot-8 defenseman 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, reading that correctly, he was part of the closing pairing that was sent to limit two of the best in the world. That alone shows the growth in Myers’ game over the last season or so. So much so that Allvin felt he had to re-sign for another three years – which, I’m a minority in saying this, was better than bringing back Zadorov.

Derek Forbort – Vincent Desharnais

Now onto the starters. There is no history between Forbort and Desharnais, so we have no statistics to speak of. But, when paired together to start the season, it should be a successful tandem. Physical strength, grit, and sacrifice will be the name of the game with these two 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 can be an issue, but both were integral parts of their previous teams 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 best pairings Tocchet sends when the Canucks are down on man. Forbort was specifically mentioned in Jake DeBrusk’s opening interview as a good “puck-eating” killer, so I’m sure he’ll be a staple in that situation possibly taking up the 2:39 of short ice time Cole last logged. the season. Desharnais is also unknown in the PK as he was behind only Darnell Nurse (2:30) and Cody Ceci (2:36) for the Oilers in 2:02.

7th defenseman: Noah Juulsen

This will depend on whether the Canucks decide to take 14 forwards or eight in the regular season, but as my first guess, I’m leaning toward the former. This time, Noah Juulsen will be taking seventh place ahead of Mark Friedman. He took huge strides in his game last season and became a more versatile defender. Because of Soucy’s injury issues, he suited up for 54 games and proved himself to be a no-nonsense physical option who isn’t afraid to hit and block shots. The Surrey, BC native finished with 164 hits (leading defensemen) and 85 blocked shots (fourth behind Hronek, Myers and Cole), and was there on the PK. If one of the Canucks’ top penalty-killing defensemen goes down due to injury, he’s a good player as he plays the same style as Forbort and Desharnais.

The Canucks Defense Doesn’t Lack Length or Body

Last season, the Canucks defense was one of the biggest in the league with only Hughes under 6 feet. This season, it will be more of the same with the addition of Forbort (6-foot-4) and Desharnais (6-foot-6) in place of Cole (6-foot-1) and Zadorov (6-foot-7). In fact, they will be bigger, with Forbort standing three inches taller than Cole, and Desharnais only one inch shorter than Zadorov. And, with the exception of Hughes and Hronek, they are all physical and willing to throw their bodies in front of pucks. Basically, while this defensive group may lack movement and puck movement beyond Hughes, Hronek and Myers, they will be one of the toughest units to battle against night in and night out — and that’s the way Foote and Tocchet like it.