Vancouver Canucks Regret Not Signing Veteran New Jersey Devils Defenseman When They Had the Chance
Photo credit: The Hockey Writers
After a disastrous 2024-2025 NHL campaign for the Vancouver Canucks, with clear issues on their blueline, a new report indicates that General Manager Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford regret not signing available veteran New Jersey Devils d-man Brenden Dillon.
The glaring issues for the Vancouver Canucks stem from many facets this season, including drama within the locker room, Injuries, head coach Rick Tocchet leaving the organization after just two seasons, and a outcome that had them miss the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks probably regret not singing veteran defenseman Brenden Dillon as a free-agent
But one area of the Canucks that is not talked about enough is that other than Captain Quinn Hughes, the defensive group was probably the weakest link of the team's makeup.
With a hard hitting injury to number two d-man Filip Hronek, the Canucks struggled with depth on the blue line and having to rely on younger players to fill in the gaps which proved to be ineffective.
This brings up the fact the Canucks did not make enough moves in the 2023-2024 offseason in order to make sure that if and when players like Hughes and Hronek go down or miss time, they have suitable veterans to pick up the slack.
One available name that the team could of pursued was B.C Native and stay at home defenseman Brenden Dillon, who talked about almost signing with the team and his experience during free-agency.
"It's a weird process, free agency. When you talk to players, especially for me since it was my first time going through that whole thing. I of course spend time in Vancouver in the summers and I'm around a lot of the Canucks guys, just when skates get there towards the end of August. You're skating with the Canucks guys, everyone's out here wearing Canucks stuff and you're like 'Oh yeah, we're doing Canucks drills,' Yogi's running the skates. You're kind of like, 'Ok, this is a pretty good routine!'
"I was very fortunate when I was a free agent last summer to talk to as many teams as I did. It's an awesome process when, for the first time in your career you're hearing that you're a good player. These guys like you, yeah, you're this, you're perfect, like wow! You haven't heard that ever. From the Canucks standpoint, I think they were going through things with [Nikita Zadorov]. I think, at the time, there were some certain decisions they were making up front with forwards.
The fact they had him in their facility and were able to see his work ethic and type of play he brings and still didn't sign him for the number he was asking seems to be serious head scratcher.
The Canucks have a hard time pulling the trigger on names like this, but after being relied heavily on the Devils, it proves that the Vancouver Canucks needed him on the back end just as much, and surely regret picking him up when they had the chance.
Source: The Canuck Way
Canucks fumbled chance to sign top Devils defenceman last offseason
Canucks fumbled chance to sign top Devils defenceman last offseason
| POLL | ||
MAI 24 | 1190 ANSWERS Vancouver Canucks Regret Not Signing Veteran New Jersey Devils Defenseman When They Had the Chance Do you think the Vancouver Canucks should have signed Brenden Dillon when they had the chance? | ||
| Yes | 831 | 69.8 % |
| No | 359 | 30.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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