Benning’s priority is a better back end
Development of Hughes and Juolevi will be crucial to hopes of Canucks general manager
Young, dynamic 20-goal scorers and minor-league prospects moving the development meter have given Jim Benning a level of rebuild mathematics satisfaction.
In Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat, who have 26, 21 and 20 goals respectively, the Vancouver Canuc ks general manager has that crucial next core of foundational players. Add the advancement of Adam Gaudette, rapid improvement in Zack MacEwen and patience with Jonathan Dahlen and there’s reason for some optimism.
Acquiring proven offensive help for Horvat is imperative for the NHL’s 24th-ranked offence, but that’s more likely to occur in the off-season than parting with a prime prospect or draft pick Monday at the trade deadline.
The forward focus has moved blue-line concerns to the back burner because Benning placed a premium on adding help up front at the trade deadline last year in winger Tyler Motte and Brendan Leipsic. He then ensured that young forwards had support in free-agent acquisitions Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel and Tim Schaller.
There are still obvious concerns — the health of Sven Baertschi, the project that is Nikolay Goldobin, the future of Brandon Sutter whose contract reverts to a modified no-trade clause this summer and the ineffectiveness of Schaller — but most have had their moments.
The prognosis for health on the back end is built upon hope.
Benning hopes to reach a reasonable contract extension with the concussed Alex Edler. He hopes Chris Tanev’s ankle ailment isn’t more serious. He hopes Troy Stecher and Ben Hutton can keep logging ridiculous ice times without breaking down. And you have to wonder if he lost hope in the struggling pairing of Derrick Pouliot and Erik Gudbranson that had to be split up. Pouliot is on an expiring contract and Hutton needs an extension.
Benning also hopes Quinn Hughes and Olli Juolevi can make immediate and even- tual impacts respectively when they arrive in the NHL. And there’s the hope that the recalled Ashton Sautner can continue to develop along with minor-leaguers Guillaume Brisebois, Evan McEneny and Jalen Chatfield.
That’s a lot to hope for. It’s why bolstering the back end has become Job 1.
“That’s fair,” said Benning. “We’ve been trying to figure out some things on the back end. It’s easy to pick forwards when you draft high because they’re going to come in and score. Sometimes it’s tougher when you pick defencemen in the top five or 10 (Juolevi was fifth overall in 2016, Hughes seventh overall in 2018) because they take longer to develop.
“But when they get here and you’re patient, you’ll benefit from the rewards.”
There’s obvious patience with Juolevi and anticipation with Hughes.
Juolevi was limited to 18 games this campaign with the Utica Comets before season-ending knee surgery and last June he needed a microdiscectomy back procedure. As for the dazzling Hughes, the potential seems unlimited for the University of Michigan standout.
His regular season ends March 2 at Wisconsin and if the Wolverines don’t earn an at-large bid for post-season play, the pro wheels could quickly turn once he makes an expected NHL commitment.
“We can get him signed, get him in here the next day and get him going,” Benning said of Hughes, who has 29 points (4-25) this season.
The fast-tracking plan is akin to the Boeser arrival because the Canucks know they have something special in the 19-year-old Hughes, who can change the dynamic in an ever-changing game.
“The great thing about Quinn is that he fills our greatest need as a power-play defenceman and one who’s good in transition,” said Canucks director of player development and Comets GM Ryan Johnson. “His hockey sense is elite. He sees things on the ice that not many do.
“When he takes that( NHL) jump and is surrounded by players who are thinking what he’s thinking, it’s going to be scary to see what he can do. He’s very mature.”
Before his latest surgery, the 20-year-old Juolevi looked like he’d be playing second-half games with the Canucks. He had 13 points (1-12) in his first North American pro season and Johnson thinks there’s reason for optimism in the manner in which Juolevi adjusted to the game and ice.
“He was off to such a great start and we were almost trying to back his minutes down because we didn’t want to wear him out too much,” said Johnson. “He was running our power play, was a great puck distributor and learning the defensive game after playing in Finland.”
A scenario where Hughes and Juolevi are in the lineup next fall would address some needs to get younger and better. There’s an obvious need for skill and speed and some pushback, too.
“We’ve been thinking about that and it’s why we drafted Jett Woo (37th overall in 2018),” said Benning. “We’re going to get there (better), but it takes time.
“If we can start next year with Hughes and Juolevi, that can help change the look of our defence. That’s not to say we won’t be in on a free-agent player through a trade.”
Anything to turn hope into the right reality.