The Canucks have a serious need for defencemen in their prospect pool, particularly ones that can put up points. After Olli Juolevi, the Canucks’ prospect depth on defence falls off a cliff into really shallow water.

Fortunately, the Canucks have a top-ten pick in a defenceman-heavy 2018 draft. It almost feels like the Canucks have to take a defenceman with the seventh overall pick, but at least there are a lot of defencemen available for them to take.

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There are five or six defencemen that the Canucks could realistically pick at seventh overall, which qualifies as a veritable plethora. While each of them is worth exploring in more detail in the future, let’s start by looking at the pros and cones of the top defencemen available in the 2018 draft for the Canucks.

Rasmus Dahlin

Pros:

Dahlin is a generational talent that could almost single-handedly change the fortunes of a rebuilding team.

Cons:

He’s going first overall and the Canucks are not selecting first overall, which must be some sort of a mistake.

Quinn Hughes

Pros:

Hughes is a speedy, offensively-gifted defenceman, with superlative vision and creativity in the offensive zone. He’s a dynamic, game-changing player, who has proven himself against older players in the NCAA and more than held his own at the World Hockey Championships for Team USA.

He’s no slouch defensively either, using his speed to close down on opposing forwards. When he gets the puck in the defensive zone, he’s a one-man breakout machine with his skating and passing ability. Hughes has legitimately elite potential.

Also, Hughes has a younger brother, a centre expected to be the first overall pick in 2019. Pick Quinn this year, Jack next year, and the Canucks once again have two brothers to lead them into the future.

Cons:

Hughes is on the small side at 5’10” and 175 lbs. That’s becoming less of a concern in the NHL these days, and he’s proven he can compete with larger players in the NCAA and at the World Hockey Championships, but his ability to deal with the size and strength of NHL forwards is the biggest question mark in his development.

The bigger con for Canucks fans is that Hughes will likely be long gone before the 7th overall pick. Both the Arizona Coyotes (5th overall) and Detroit Red Wings (6th overall) also need defence. It’s hard to imagine the Red Wings passing over an elite blueliner in their backyard, as Hughes played last season at Michigan University.

Adam Boqvist

Pros:

Boqvist has high-end offensive ability. He’s a smooth skater and puckhandler, capable of breaking out of the defensive zone with ease and creating offensive chances by jumping up in the play. His passing and powerful shot make him deadly on the power play. As an added bonus, he has a right-handed shot.

He’s one of the most dynamic players in the draft with a very high ceiling. His potential is particularly tantalizing since he's still just 17 and doesn't turn 18 until August. Aside from Dahlin, Boqvist might have the highest potential to be a game-breaking player on the blue line.

Cons:

Boqvist really didn’t show any of that offence in the SHL or Allsvenskan this season. He had one assist in 15 SHL games and two assists in 7 Allsvenskan games. While it’s still noteworthy that he played that many games in a men’s league at the age of 17, it’s still somewhat concerning.

He produced well in the Superelit junior league, with 14 goals and 24 points in 25 games, but you have to wonder if all the hype about Boqvist really comes down to one excellent performance at the Ivan Hlinka tournament. That’s where he initially captured everyone’s attention.

The other issue is that he’s an adventure defensively, prone to taking risks and getting caught on the wrong side of the puck. He has elite potential and a high ceiling, but also comes with a much lower floor than some of the other defencemen available in this range.

Evan Bouchard

Pros:

Bouchard’s point production is undeniable: he led all defencemen in the OHL with 87 points. In fact, he led all first-time draft-eligible players in the OHL in scoring, not just defencemen. That’s unreal.

He is a superb passer with excellent vision, and he’s very good at holding the blue line in the offensive zone, making him an excellent power play quarterback. While he doesn’t have the hardest shot, it’s an accurate one (and right-handed to boot) and he racked up 25 goals, third among OHL defencemen. In addition, he has good size at 6’2” and 192 lbs. With his size and hockey sense, he has the potential to make the jump to the NHL quickly.

Cons:

Skating is a concern for Bouchard. It’s not that he’s a bad skater, and he’s got good agility and mobility, but he lacks top-end speed. It won’t prevent him from playing well in the NHL, but will potentially prevent him from playing the same style of game that has made him so successful in the OHL.

There are also question marks about his defence, though not as pronounced as some of the other defencemen in this range. The biggest question is whether he’ll be a true impact player at the NHL level befitting a top-10 pick.

Noah Dobson

Pros:

At 6’3”, Dobson is the tallest of the top defencemen in the draft, giving him what some scouts might call a “projectable frame.” Dobson is also a strong skater, with both great agility and acceleration. Combined with his reach and defensive awareness, Dobson is hard to beat in the defensive zone.

Offensively, Dobson has upside, putting up 69 points in 67 games in the QMJHL, good for second in the league among defencemen and first among draft-eligible defencemen. He has a great shot from the point and has the poise, patience, and vision to create plays, giving him potential on the power play with his right-handed shot. His combination of defence and offence means he might be the most complete two-way defenceman in the draft.

At the Memorial Cup this year, he’s erasing concerns that some have had about the level of competition in the QMJHL. So far, he has 7 points in three Memorial Cup games.

Cons:

While Dobson has offensive ability, he’s less dynamic than some of the other defencemen in this range: he doesn’t jump up as much in the play and is less aggressive in the offensive zone, tending to play it safe by staying back at the point. Dobson has top-pairing potential, but might not be a game-changing defenceman in the NHL.

In some respects, that makes Dobson a “safe” pick, which is the type of thing that makes me run for the hills when it comes to drafting defencemen in the top-10, although reducing Dobson to just a "safe" pick is underselling him.

Ty Smith

Pros:

Smith has been a workhorse for Spokane in the WHL, playing in every situation. He defends better than the other small defencemen like Boqvist and Hughes, but still has offensive upside thanks to his speed, poise, and playmaking. He is superb at breaking the puck out of the defensive zone, but also at preventing the puck from entering the zone in the first place.

Smith had 14 goals and 73 points in 69 WHL games, good for second among all WHL defencemen and first among draft-eligible defencemen. With his two-way game, Smith is a safe bet to make the NHL even if his offensive game doesn’t translate.

Cons:

Smith lacks size at just 5’10” and 170 lbs. There’s also a general consensus that Smith is more likely to be a second-pairing defenceman than a first-pairing one, which is reflected in how most draft rankings place him outside the top-10. Drafting Smith seventh overall would be a reach.

If the Canucks like Smith, however, trading down in the draft would be justifiable.

