Edited Aug. 3, 2021 at 2:07 p.m.
Quoting: BigTramFan
Congratulations you lost Rathbone, Hoglander and a 1st round pick and our defense is no better next season. Fabbro is not a top pairing guy. Dobson will eventually get there. But for now our team just got significantly worse with these moves.
I disagree with your assessment.
Currently Vancouver has 3 bottom pair RD, 1 who many question whether or not he is best suited a 7th D, so let’s compare that to the changes I made for next season.
Fabbro is currently more experienced and would likely have a bigger impact than Rathbone, especially considering he is defensively responsible which would make him a beneficial partner for either Hughes or OEL (team need). Just to clarify on Fabbro, I don’t consider him a top pair D, he is slotted in that position because Vancouver doesn’t have a top pair D on the right side.
Dobson is an upgrade on Poolman, and by the end of the year could be a significant upgrade on him.
Forward Group is unquestionably worse without Hoglander, however their forward group is currently a position of strength. Without an adjustment their right side D could very well be exploited next season.
That was for next season, now let’s look at a few seasons down the road. If you look forward, the Canucks currently have 3 bottom pair RD, 2 of whom are 30+ and are already in decline, 1 that is 28 and haven’t had much of an impact in the NHL. If current projections turn out to be correct (Dobson = top pair, Fabbro = 2nd pair) this team could be very well balanced, possibly as soon as 2022-2023.
Personally I could care less about next season (although I still think this team is more balanced for next year), I want to be a cup contender, not just a playoff team. If the playoffs are all you want to shoot for then you don’t need to make adjustments, because with the current defence locked up to their current contracts, that’s all the team is going to be.