When the Vancouver Canucks traded for Philip Larsen, I didn’t have a lot of hope for the club’s defense. Larsen is supposed to be the great addition after spending two years in Europe? Alex Biega is signed to a one-way contract and is supposed to be in the NHL full-time this year?
First-overall pick 2017, here we come!
But then, everything changed. The Canucks traded prospect Jared McCann to the Florida Panthers for top-four defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Then, they signed NCAA top free agent Troy Stecher, and finally drafted a future top-pairing player, Olli Juolevi, at the 2016 draft.