Yannick Weber's travails may not be over. While he's currently the 6th d-man on the Canucks' depth chart, he'll probably drop one spot when Chris Tanev is re-signed. And now, apparently they are eyeing Douglas Murray, they want to improve their 'mix' too I guess.
The Canucks are noticeably weak on the fourth line, with marginal guys like Tom Sestito and Mike Santorelli populating it last year. Maybe Yannick can get some minutes on the 4th line and pitch in on the powerplay?
Of course, I'm being ironic about him playing at forward, something he doesn't relish, and that his compatriot Mark Streit didn't either when he was a Canadien. Yannick will be in a better situation than in Montréal, he’ll have a better opportunity to contribute, and there won’t be five guys in the AHL pushing to get his spot like there would have been with the Canadiens. The Canucks farm system is depleted, he has a couple of seasons to show his worth.
The Canucks have three good powerplay d-men in Alex Edler, Kevin Bieksa and Jason Garrison. They need a fourth. Dan Hamhuis can get by in that spot, and Chris Tanev shows promise, but that’s it.
Yannick can be that guy if he’s not a gong show in defensive situations.
So yeah, I’m joking about forward, but they did use Keith Ballard at forward a few times last season, they had no one else that made more sense, and they liked having him as an option in case of an injury. So it’s not that far-fetched that Yannick could get five minutes a game as a 4th-line winger and powerplay duty in some games. But we'll wish him the best, and hope that things click for him out on the West Coast, he's a nice kid and deserves it.
Of course, I'm being ironic about him playing at forward, something he doesn't relish, and that his compatriot Mark Streit didn't either when he was a Canadien. Yannick will be in a better situation than in Montréal, he’ll have a better opportunity to contribute, and there won’t be five guys in the AHL pushing to get his spot like there would have been with the Canadiens. The Canucks farm system is depleted, he has a couple of seasons to show his worth.
The Canucks have three good powerplay d-men in Alex Edler, Kevin Bieksa and Jason Garrison. They need a fourth. Dan Hamhuis can get by in that spot, and Chris Tanev shows promise, but that’s it.
Yannick can be that guy if he’s not a gong show in defensive situations.
So yeah, I’m joking about forward, but they did use Keith Ballard at forward a few times last season, they had no one else that made more sense, and they liked having him as an option in case of an injury. So it’s not that far-fetched that Yannick could get five minutes a game as a 4th-line winger and powerplay duty in some games. But we'll wish him the best, and hope that things click for him out on the West Coast, he's a nice kid and deserves it.
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