When we started watching hockey almost 30 years ago, the New York Islanders were just finishing their run of four straight Stanley Cups. The Isles had this great defenceman named Denis Potvin. He scored 101 points one season.
Then it was time for the Edmonton Oilers to take over. The Oilers had this great defenceman named Paul Coffey. He scored 138 points one season.
Then Montreal won in 1986. That same season, a Habs defenceman named Larry Robinson scored 82 points. He was pretty great, too. Won a few Cups in the '70s, if we're not mistaken.
Calgary won in 1989 thanks in large part to a great Flames defenceman named Al MacInnis. He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs after scoring 31 points in 22 postseason games. He's also in the Hall of Fame now. So are the other three guys we've mentioned.
Pittsburgh won in 1990 and 1991. The Pens had Coffey for one of them and another great offensive defenceman by the name of Larry Murphy for both. Murphy would go on to win a couple of more Cups with Detroit. He's in the hall, too.
Brian Leetch. Remember him? Won the Conn Smythe in 1994. Great offensive defenceman. HOF inductee, class of 2009.
It keeps going — great offensive defenceman after great offensive defenceman winning Stanley Cups.
Ray Bourque, Scott Niedermayer, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Sergei Zubov, Dan Boyle and Sergei Gonchar — each has at least one Stanley Cup ring and each is or was a premier puck-mover.
It's not just a matter of piling up points for these guys; it's also leading the breakout and facilitating entry into the offensive zone, particularly on the power play.
There's a reason Calgary aggressively pursued Jay Bouwmeester this summer, and it should be noted that he still has his doubters.
"In my view, what Jay has not shown yet is the ability to really control the game, the way a No. 1 defenceman should be able to," the aforementioned Potvin — who watched Bouwmeester as a Florida broadcaster — told the Toronto Sun.
That brings us to the Vancouver Canucks, a team with plenty of good defencemen but none great with the puck. Actually, the Canucks have never had a great offensive defenceman, which is funny because they've never won a Stanley Cup either.
Can you win it all without a great offensive defenceman? Sure, Carolina did it in 2006. (No offence, Frantisek Kaberle and Bret Hedican.) But it's by far the exception.
We mention all this because Canucks GM Mike Gillis is in the market for a couple of blueliners, preferably a puck-mover among them. As it stands, Vancouver already has three good-but-not-great defencemen with puck-moving ability in Kevin Bieksa, Sami Salo and Alex Edler. They are paid a good-but-not-great amount of money and do a good-but-not-great job.
If you think that's a problem — and it's certainly up for debate — the solution probably won't be found in the leftover unrestricted-free-agent market. (No offence, Dennis Seidenberg and Marc-Andre Bergeron.)
The trade market isn't exactly loaded with options either.
Tomas Kaberle could be had from Toronto until Aug. 15, when his no-trade clause kicks in, but Leafs GM Brian Burke wants a top-end forward in return. Not many extra ones of those kicking around these parts.
You might be able to convince the Chicago Blackhawks to part with Brian Campbell, but the seven years and almost $50 million US left on the 30-year-old's contract is problematic.
Maybe Edler's the answer. Remember that he's only 23 and has already come a long way.
Or, maybe it's Evan Oberg, the 21-year-old the Canucks recently signed out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
"He's a guy who can make the pass out of the zone, but if it's not there he can carry the puck out under pressure," said Stan Smyl, Canucks director of college scouting.
That sounds great if he can do it at the NHL level — the operative word being "great," not just "good."
Canucks fans have already seen plenty of the latter, but is it the former that's been missing all along?
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