DOES SUBBAN HAVE A FUTURE IN VANCOUVER??
He hasn’t played a real game in the NHL, and no matter how much he improves it doesn’t seem to change his situation
There is ample video evidence of what Jordan Subban can do to a goalie’s water bottle.
Despite obvious challenges for the diminutive defenceman — everything from defending better to ensuring his passes are wicked and don’t wobble — he can wire a onetime slapper with such velocity and accuracy that it has popped plastic bottles out of holders atop the net.
Subban had 10 power-play goals for the Utica Comets last season — third among all blue-liners — and you’d think that his 16 goals and 20 assists in 36 AHL games would have warranted a look by the injury-ravaged Vancouver Canucks at some point. Not a chance. Subban never got a sniff. Subban was dispatched to the Comets a day after his only pre-season outing last September. He had five shot attempts and an assist in 20:58 of ice time in a 3-2 loss in San Jose, but was overshadowed by freeagent college rookie Troy Stetcher.
The fourth-round 2013 draft pick has yet to play an NHL regular-season game and it’s fair to ask if he ever will.
Which only made his highlight-reel effort Sunday afternoon against the expansion Vegas Golden Knights more intriguing.
He raced down the wing before showing a deft backhand-to-forehand touch to score glove side during a lopsided 9-4 pre-season loss at Rogers Arena.
But what does that really mean in the big picture?
In yet another training camp where there’s curiosity about how far away Olli Juolevi’s game is from the NHL and whether Philip Holm can actually play at this level, Subban has again been that guy whose shortcomings are signalled out more than what he can do with the puck.
He was a minus-2 against the Golden Knights and often struggled as much as his back-end brethren.
“Personally, I thought I could have been better but we’ll be better the next game (Wednesday in Calgary) for sure,” said Subban.
“The goal is good, but I don’t know if it does much when you lose 9-4. I could have been better in my own zone. Not necessarily bad, but the team wasn’t great and giving up nine goals, I don’t think anybody was great.
“I just want to keep getting better and use it as a learning experience. My goal isn’t to prove I can score, it’s to prove I can be better defensively.”
Subban will get a longer pre-season look this time around with the veteran contingent in China this week for two games against the Los Angeles Kings. But it’s fair to ask if the 22-year-old is already wondering if he has a future with this franchise.
After all, the top six seems set — even if pre-season pairings are massaged — and with Alex Biega and Patrick Wiercioch as depth options, Subban is in familiar territory. Maybe some other club could use him as a limited third-pairing guy and power-play specialist?
He isn’t thinking about that — at least not yet.
“I only focus on what I can control,” added the 5-9 Subban. “There are injuries and you just have to focus on getting better when you get your chances. You have to work on things you’re not great at and get out of your comfort zone.”
Subban has cited smaller defencemen such as Sami Vatanen (5-10, Anaheim), Torey Krug (5-9, Boston) and Jared Spurgeon (5-9, Minnesota) as examples of blue-liners who are thriving. “You have to think the game and be good positionally,” reasoned Subban, who gets regular encouragement from older brother P.K. “It (playing in the NHL) is possible and my height is definitely something that won’t hold me back.”
Former Canucks coach Willie Desjardins doesn’t think it should.
“I was worried about Troy Stecher’s size for sure at the start, but I look at Spurgeon and he plays against the other teams’ biggest guys,” said Desjardins.
“That made me believe if one guy can do it, others can. And there’s no reason why Jordan can’t do it. He’s got good skill and an upside offensively.
“I said to him there are two ways of defending. You can work on your defence for 30 seconds in your zone, or you can get the puck and break it out right away. Then you avoid those 30 seconds.”