Vancouver Canucks Armchair GM: Round 1
Welcome to the greatest Canucks related blog of all-time. Just kidding. I’m just a Canucks fan who thinks he knows more than the average fan. Being that I think I know more than the average fan, I am going to do the typical thing and play Armchair General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks. So to kick off this blog I’m going to show what I would do at the 2016 NHL Draft as the GM.
I have the Canucks landing the 5th overall lottery selection. Here’s how I see this playing out…
1st overall (Toronto): Auston Matthews
2nd overall (Edmonton): Patrik Laine
3rd overall (Columbus): Jesse Puljujärvi
4th overall (Winnipeg): Matthew Tkachuk
That will leave the Canucks to pick one of either Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Nylander, Jakob Chychrun. and Olli Juolevi. Some people may want to include Mikhail Sergachev in that list but I don’t see him going in the top five at this point. It will be a strategic travesty if a defensemen is not picked here by the Canucks. The Canucks need a top-end defensive prospects and this pick is where they will find that player. So that narrows the Canucks choices down to Jakob Chychrun and Olli Juolevi. Coming into the 2015–16 season, I would’ve taken Chychrun with the pick and ran. He was the clear cut favourite among defensemen and Juolevi was not a big name, but oh how the times have changed. No disrespect to Jakob Chychrun, but Olli Juolevi is now the choice.
Why Juolevi?
You’re right; he’s not the conventional North American top-flight defensemen. This also isn’t the conventional NHL anymore. No longer is a number one defensemen a stand-at-home guy. The only defensive defensemen that come to mind in that respect are Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. While both those guys are capable number one defensemen, I would argue that they are remnants of the old NHL. The next generation of elite defensemen is trending towards a more hybrid guy who must be able to participate in the offensive zone. This participation includes not only points, but also a strong ability to start and join the transition game. THIS SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED. I would argue that a defensemen’s ability to transition from defense to offence is the most important skill for the modern NHL defensemen. This new generation includes guys like Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson, P.K. Subban, and even Shayne Gostisbehere.
Why Juolevi over Chychrun?
They are both good in their own end; they are both solid skaters; they are both solid offensively. The edge goes to Juolevi in his outstanding transition game. Juolevi is able to get the offence started by consistently making a good first pass. His vision, poise, and skating ability allow him to easily make the smart transitional play. While Jakob Chychrun is good, I just don’t see the transitional game that is required for elite-level defensemen. Juolevi, on the other hand, makes his living moving the puck from the defensive zone up to the offensive. For that reason, the Vancouver Canucks’ 5th overall 2016 draft pick will be Olli Juolevi.
