Canucks Take Former Oiler Desharnais Out of the Lineup After One Game
Photo credit: NHL
The Vancouver Canucks signed former Oilers defenceman Vincent Desharnais to a $4M contract in the offseason, and after only one game he will be a healthy scratch.
According to Canucks reporter Brendan Batchelor, Coach Rick Tocchet has taken Desharnais out of the lineup in favour of Noah Juulsen.
Vancouver lost their first game of the season against a rebuilding Flames team due to an extremely leaky defence, and Desharnais was one of the weakest players. Paired with a similar big-bodied stay at home defenceman in Derek Forbort, the pair was struggling to break the puck out of their own zone with quality passes. Desharnais himself had his pocket picked by Jonathan Huberdeau early on in the game, and things didn't improve from there. He only played 13 minutes, got 4 penalty minutes, and was a -2.
Signing Vincent Desharnais to the contract that he was asking for was always risky deal, and it's why the Oilers walked away. Desharnais had only played 114 NHL games at the age of 28, and his main asset is his size. When it comes time for the playoffs when every touch of the puck matters, the Oilers had to scratch him in favour of the rookie Philip Broberg. Paying out $2M each season for a defenceman with such little history of success was a clear gamble by the Canucks.
Still, they should be able to find a way to make Desharnais effective. In Edmonton he was paired with Brett Kulak, a defender who does have the ability to consistently break out the puck. If Desharnais can find another partner than Forbort, perhaps he can be more effective as an actual stay at home defenceman. For now though, the contract is already looking rough for the Canucks.
The Oilers will first meet the Canucks this year in Vancouver on November 9th. After their heated playoff matchup last season, it should be a game every hockey fan has circled to watch.
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