from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
The Canucks had been targeting the Ducks’ other first-rounder, 10th overall in Friday’s draft, a pick that originally belonged to the Ottawa Senators but went to Anaheim last year in the Bobby Ryan deal. The Ducks held firm there, believing that they can get a quality prospect at that early juncture in Friday’s draft.
From the Canucks’ perspective, it is a good starting point for new general manager Jim Benning. Sbisa has the potential to be a top-four defenceman in the league, but is mostly known for his defensive work. He was limited to only 30 regular-season games this season because of injury, which paved the way for Lindholm to emerge. The year before, he played almost 20 minutes a game for the Ducks.
Bonino was Anaheim’s third-leading scorer last season, behind Getzlaf and Corey Perry and was second on the team in power-play goals with seven. He generally played on the first power-play unit, but in the playoffs, was used mostly as the team’s fourth-line centre at even strength, coach Bruce Boudreau flipping him and Mathieu Perreault frequently up and down the depth chart, depending upon the match-ups he was looking for.
With an extra pick in Friday’s draft, the Canucks could theoretically use it as a means of moving up from the No. 6 spot in the draft order, which they currently hold.
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.