Ever since German blue liner Christian Ehrhoff left for Buffalo after the Canucks run to the Stanley Cup Final, one of the most glaring issues facing the Vancouver Canucks has been the lack of a true, puck moving blue liner to support the offense. While the likes of Alex Edler and Kevin Bieksa are certainly capable of putting up respectable point totals, they lack the ability to truly quarterback a power play. The importance of having one is important, as shown by the Canucks declining power play efficiency post-Ehrhoff. The Canucks placed 4th in 2011-12 on the power play, with 19.8%, 22nd in the lockout shortened 2012-13 campaign posting an efficiency rate of 15.8%, and down to 26th in the disastrous 2013-14 season with 15.2%. While part of that drastic decline has to, and will be, put on the shoulders of the Sedin twins, a substantial chunk of the Canucks’ downward spiral with the man advantage is most certainly due to the absence of puck movement from the back end. Fortunately for Canucks fans, it appears that Vancouver has three talented, offensive defenders in their system who have the ability to solve their power play woes for years to come.
One of these defencemen is 18-year-old Swede Gustav Forsling, who was drafted 126th overall (5th round) by the Canucks in the 2014 draft. Forsling is described as having strong offensive upside, with a knack for dishing out the puck, along with a heavy shot and strong hockey IQ. The one aspect holding Forsling back is his size, at 172 pounds and 5-11 in height, it may be difficult for Forsling to hold down the fort against bigger, stronger opponents. That said, Forsling possesses a strong positional game, and a calm demeanor when on the ice, making him a serviceable defensive option.
The left handed d-man is currently participating in the World Junior Hockey Championships as a member of Team Sweden. Forsling has exceeded all expectations so far through four games of the tournament, currently sitting at a points per game of 1.5, with six points in four games, the third highest total among all players, and first among defencemen. In addition to his sparkling offensive output, he has posted a positive plus-minus rating, has not taken a single penalty, and was even recognized as the player of the game in Sweden’s match against Russia. If Forsling’s performance through four games is any indicator, the Canucks’ may have not only found their future power play QB, but also the late round gem fans had hoped for when Jim Benning was brought in as general manager.
The second blue liner that has the potential to run the Canucks future power play units, is 2012 5th round draft pick Ben Hutton. Last season was a breakthrough campaign for the offensive minded 21-year-old, as he put up 29 points in 35 games with the University of Maine’s Men’s Ice Hockey Team, breaking the school record for most goals by a defenseman, with 15, in the process. To start the 2014-15 campaign, Hutton has continued his appreciable offensive production, posting ten points through his first 18 games. While not quite at the same level as his torrid production of last season, ten points in just under 20 contests is still very, very respectable. If Hutton’s trajectory remains at the pace it’s currently on, the ‘Nucks could have a dangerous player on their hands.
The third and final offensive talent, is Jordan Subban, brother of (Montreal Canadiens defenceman) P.K. Subban and (Boston Bruins goaltending prospect) Malcolm Subban. Subban, taken in the 4th round of the 2013 entry draft by Vancouver, is currently experiencing the finest offensive campaign of his four year OHL career, sitting at 28 points in 35 games. Of those 28 points, 13 of them are goals, which is two off his career high of 15 in almost half the games. Considering that over the past three seasons the only Canuck to post double digits in goals is Alex Edler (11 in 2011-12), Subban’s goal scoring prowess, and hard right handed shot, could be a welcome addition to future Vancouver Canucks rosters.
While Forsling, Hutton and Subban are hardly sure things to have a lengthy and successful National Hockey League career, after all, they are only 18, 21 and 19 years old respectively, and none of the three have even played an American Hockey League game, early indications are promising. If everything pans out for these three blossoming blue liners, Vancouver could have a lethal power play on their hands for years to come.
All statistics courtesy of TSN.ca and hockeydb.com
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