It’s no secret that the Vancouver Canucks have had one of the NHL’s worst defensive units over the past five years. That’s why general manager Jim Benning dealt a young and skilled centre in Jared McCann and two draft picks to land 6-foot-5 rearguard Erik Gudbranson.
But Gudbranson’s tenure in Vancouver has been nothing more than a major disappointment. A season-ending wrist injury wasted most his 2016-17 season, as Gudbranson was limited to just 30 games.
A fresh start and a new head coach in Travis Green provided optimism for Gudbranson to morph into that shutdown defenceman.