Canucks Signings
For what seemed like two years, maybe longer, beginning around the tail-end of general manager Jim Benning’s tenure, Canucks talk centered around “they need another right shot defenceman, they need another right shot defenceman”. Or two. Or three.
In more recent times it’s been the same thing only different; “they need a number two centerman, they need another centerman.”
In both cases they ended up with one, sort of.
As for the D-men, Benning loaded up in 2021, apparently without doing complete due diligence.
To make a long story short, righty Travis Hamonic signed in January of 2021 and played 38 games for the Canucks. Everything seemed honky-dory until the D-man went full anti-vax as it related to the NHL’s Covid regulations, then injured the same knee twice while playing just 24 games for Vancouver the next season. He was dealt in March of 2022.
That was an unexpected pain in the arse, not the fault of the team.
But the real head scratcher was Tucker Poolman, expected to add size and grit to the back end, the perfect compliment to Tyler Myers, with Poolman lining up behind the even bigger D-man on the depth chart.
Obviously Benning didn’t get all of the info. I did. I called two people in Winnipeg after Poolman signed in late-July 2021 and was told the 28-year-old had concussion issues. I wrote about it, and the fact that the Canucks either downplayed his background, missed the info completely, or believed Poolman would find a way.
That didn’t work.
Poolman played 40 games that first season, three the next, and his career was over. The club was on the hook for $2.5-million for four years, and even though long term injured reserve saved them the cap hit, it still meant unnecessary money out of the owner’s pocketbook.
Benning also signed Luke Schenn on July 28th, 2021. He ended up being a delight to have around again — he played 18 games for Vancouver three seasons before that — and a bodyguard for developing star and partner Quinn Hughes.
Of course Schenn wasn’t the type of player to fulfil the club’s ultimate needs. He was dealt on February 28, 2021 by the new hierarchy of Jim Rutherford/Patrik Allvin.
One day later, they traded for Filip Hronek from Detroit.
It took two regimes and four to five years to meet an urgent need.
End of day, Benning’s desperation failed. So did an apparent lack of due diligence and some bad luck.
Cue that new regime. Same kind of thing: Desperation growing partially out of things beyond their control, ending with a move that backfired.
We don’t know Filip Chytil’s future for sure, but it’s starting to look like Tucker Poolman 2.0. The Canucks were already fleeced in the deal to move J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers, but Blueshirts GM Chris Drury must have had an added chuckle when he rid himself of the very vulnerable Chytil and his $4.4-million cap hit for another two-and-a-half seasons.
Factor in contract limitations, do different kinds of math, complain about misfortune, but ultimately it’s a managerial staff that wasn’t prepared, therefore didn’t react properly, maybe panicked — never a good thing in any life scenario — and finds itself, wait for it … looking for a 2nd line center.
David Kampf signed on Saturday. Not so much.
History repeats itself in Vancouver.
