Meet a New Canuck is a feature Ken Hill (@LWOSPuckHead) and I will be running throughout the off-season as an introduction to the newest members of the Vancouver Canucks.
Name: Matt Bartkowski
Position: Defenceman
Contract: One year, $1.75 Million AAV
After trading Kevin Bieksa to the Anaheim Ducks, the Vancouver Canucks needed a depth defender who could step in seamlessly if needed (which was only further emphasized by the recent departure of defense prospect Adam Clendening via the Brandon Sutter trade.)
Bartkowski is a 27-year-old American defenceman who was drafted in the 7th round of the 2008 NHL entry draft by the Florida Panthers (190th overall), and made his National Hockey League debut in 2010-11 with the Boston Bruins, playing six games and accumulating four PIM’s.
Bartkowski’s first full-time season in the NHL came in the Bruins’ President’s Trophy-winning 2013-14 campaign that saw Bartkowski play solid minutes in the absence of top-pair defenceman Dennis Seidenberg, as well as participating in eight playoff games (after playing in seven the year previous). In 2011, when the Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final, Bartkowski had the opportunity to raise the Stanley Cup (despite not playing a single playoff game that year), but did not his name engraved on the Cup.
Before joining the NHL, the American defenceman played with the Lincoln Stars, accumulating 50 points in 117 games, as well as with Ohio State University, where he managed a total of 11 goals and 38 points in 80 games played (over the course of two seasons). Since being drafted, Bartkowski has played in 175 American Hockey League contests, putting up a total 11 goals, to go with 58 assists for a cumulative 69 points. 131 games into his NHL career, Bartkowski has 24 points to his name, each of those being assists.
In Vancouver, Bartkowski ranks 7th on the defensive depth chart, 4th on the left side behind former All-Star Alex Edler, veteran Dan Hamhuis and the maligned Luca Sbisa. Due to boasting a mere three right-side defencemen, Bartkowski will be the go-to in the event of any defensive injuries, no matter the side. While Bartkowski is mostly an unknown commodity to Canucks fans, he comes advertised as an offensive defender, despite a zero in the NHL goal column, and may be expected to occasionally fill in on the 2nd unit power play to off-set the loss of Bieksa.
It seems unlikely that Bartkowski will see a huge amount of ice-time, however, should Sbisa, acquired in the Ryan Kesler trade, replicate his 2014-15 performance, it’s conceivable that he could outplay the Swiss defender and earn an everyday spot on the third defense pairing, while also establishing himself as a piece the organization would be wise to move forward with.
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