4 former Stanley Cup champions among UFA defencemen Canucks could target

"Joel Edmundson was once one of the most underrated two-way defenders in the NHL.

He's still a mean, versatile, 6-foot-5 defender with decent defensive instincts. His ability to defend the rush and pivot on retrievals has diminished somewhat with age, however, and he's an absolute zero offensively.

Edmundson would certainly help the Canucks offset any potential losses in size on the back end in unrestricted free agency, and his style of play would seem to be a fit with how the Canucks approached team-level defence this season." Drance and Dayal said about Joel Edmundson.

"The 36-year-old defensive stalwart, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, is likely to move on from the Golden Knights this summer.

He'll be highly sought after for his leadership ability and defensive acumen on the open market. Not to mention that though Martinez's two-way results cratered somewhat this season, he still mostly held up in a top-of-the-lineup role on a high-end team this season.

There's always risk with signing 36-year-old players, especially because of 35-plus contract rules, but in a more limited role than what he held down in Vegas last season, Martinez would still be a good bet to help a contending team win games while bringing championship-level weight to the dressing room." Drance and Dayal said.

"Justin Schultz seems like a long shot to be pursued by the Canucks.

It didn't end well with him and Rutherford's Penguins when he was a major part of Pittsburgh's back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning teams in the middle of the previous decade. And when he was last an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022, the club didn't pursue him with any particular vigour, despite its clear need on the right side of the defence.

Schultz is a gifted puck-moving defender with good size and a veteran ability to elevate his game in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He's been steady and productive through both of his seasons down the I-5 with the Kraken, and would certainly add some much-needed offensive juice to the Vancouver back end if the Canucks decided to try to recruit him this time out."

"Chad Ruhwedel is a steady depth option who cut his teeth in the Penguins organization. It took him a while, but Ruhwedel finally cemented himself as an everyday NHL-level defender over the past few seasons.

Although Ruhwedel is listed at 5-foot-11, he defends with a good level of toughness. He's not the most productive defender, but he's got a huge shot from the point. Just a steady depth option, you might think of him as the defender version of Sam Lafferty." They said.