Fan In Van

Ehrhoff, Lukowich and Schneider, oh my!

I went to bed last night still a little terrified at the prospect of seeing Aaron Rome playing for the Vancouver Canucks next season, and in a few short hours of the morning the club had traded for Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich, then proceeded to make the impending Mathieu Schneider signing official. All of a sudden, the Canucks are cramped in the defensemen position, with eight NHL-calibre defensemen in the boat (Rome not included).

First, a breakdown of the trade with the San Jose Sharks. Let me make it clear: I have not been a Patrick White fan since Day One, when the Vancouver Canucks selected him in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft which, at this stage, seems like a forgotten memory now. White, then perceived as the safe pick, barely has any NHL-level skills. I’ve talked to people who live in the Minnesota area who were unimpressed with White when they saw a Golden Gophers game. Both people said White had been used in a 4th-line role and played very few minutes. That alone does little for his development and nothing to enhance what skills he had. The reality is that at this point and time, White barely has the potential to become a fringe NHL forward.

As for Daniel Rahimi, he was more of an unknown, seeing as how he was not a first-rounder like White. But Rahimi was seen as a defenseman for the Manitoba Moose, nothing more, nothing less. Rahimi had the tools to become a serviceable defensive blueliner for the Canucks, but coming out of the Swedish junior league as a 3rd round selection, transitioned horribly into the North American system. In Rahimi, the Sharks are receiving a defenseman with NHL size but still must do a lot of work to improve his on-ice knowledge of the pro game.

What are the Canucks getting in return for the two mid-level prospects they sent to San Jose? Well for starters, Brad Lukowich is a native of Cranbrook, B.C., and the 33 year old blueliner has won two Stanley Cups, one with Dallas in 1999 and Tampa Bay in 2004. He’s a serviceable defensive defenceman who’s able to play a safe game, one of those players where you don’t notice him on the ice (and that’s a good thing). Lukowich has no problems playing a bruising game, whether it’s making a big hit or dropping the gloves; consider him an older but more experienced Shane O’Brien.

With Christian Ehrhoff, the Vancouver Canucks are hoping they’ve acquired that puck-moving defenceman that they’ve been searching for ever since Ed Jovanovski skipped town. Consider the previous experiments which failed the team: Steve McCarthy, Lukas Krajicek, to name a few… The Canucks have desperately needed a puck-rushing defenseman who can carry the puck himself, and Ehrhoff may be the answer. Ehrhoff is a blueliner who can pinch deep into the offensive zone when necessary, carry the puck with relentless drive to the net and fire a booming shot from the point. The 27 year old is also in the midst of his prime years; Canuck fans should expect to see the very best from the German native.

The Canucks continued to beef up their blueline when they made the signing of Mathieu Schneider official today. Schneider, 40, has seen it all during his storied career, playing 20 NHL seasons with Montreal, Long Island, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Anaheim and Atlanta. He has played on the USA Olympic team, won a Stanley Cup and played in countless World Championships. He’ll be expected to bring both leadership and boost the Canuck powerplay.

At the same time with all these additions, more questions seem to have emerged than answers. Ehrhoff and Lukowich make $3.15M and $1.8M respectively, and it is rumoured that Schneider signed a one-year deal for $1.5M. In total, the Canucks are adding $6.45M in payroll to a blueline which is already paying the other five defensemen (Salo, Edler, Bieksa, Mitchell and O’Brien) $15.6M. Altogether, the Canucks have the eight skaters signed on for $22.05M, a hefty price tag. Counting all the forwards and goaltenders, Vancouver is sitting at a total payroll of $58.85M, which is almost $2M over the salary cap. This is, however, a roster of 24 players, so 2 players will still be Manitoba fodder. But in any event, the Canucks are pressed up against the cap with these additions and will need to move bodies.

And unlike most of the Canuck fans jumping up and down with the addition of Ehrhoff, I’m not yet sold on the newest Canuck. He totalled a respectable eight goals and 42 points last season (a career high), but at this stage in his career some expected Ehrhoff to hit the 50 point mark, especially considering the wealth of talent he had with the San Jose team last year. With Vancouver, Ehrhoff will be expected to help carry the powerplay, and considering there are only a handful of players in the Canuck lineup who can work the powerplay along the lines of his former teammates (Both Sedins and Edler), Ehrhoff must now be prepared to quarterback the special teams on his own.

Training camp is mere weeks away, and the Canucks have once again created an aura of optimism among Canuck fans. The new additions have it tough trying to live up to their new expectations.

A highlight package of Christian Ehrhoff’s best: