Mattias Öhlund

[EpochLink]

Ohlund, Jovo and Salo were a pretty special big 3 during the early 2000's.

Jovo was often injured as with Salo in their prime.

 

[Jyrki21]

I'm afraid to say you can count me as one of those ignorant fans who probably booed Lumme more than once during this time. It wasn't until later that I grew to appreciate what we had.

As my username suggests, I was always a massive Lumme fan, and always thought the knocks on his defensive game were overstated. I mean, he was seemingly the one guy who could even loft the puck out of the zone, particularly on the backhand. But more than anything, yes, it's nice to see thinking about the game has evolved to the point where the average Joe fan is much more likely to realize that a guy who brings the puck out of the zone on attack is actually doing far more for the defensive bottom line than a guy who snarls a lot and cross-checks the other team as they're setting up in your zone.

 

[Huggy]

They'd also have added a couple million in cap hit to a team that had like eight dollars in cap space.

good thig keith ballrd wasted 4 million dollars so we could lose the cup

 

[Dissonance]

Ohlund is one of my absolute favorite players ever, but I'm a little skeptical of the idea that he could've contended for Norris trophies had it not been for his eye.

Even before the injury his power play skills looked pretty limited — he had that nice hard, low shot from the point and he moved the puck well enough, but didn't really have the same creativity you saw from guys like Sergei Gonchar or Teppo Numminen or even Rob Blake. I have a hard time imagining him putting up 40-50 points in the dead puck era, which seemed like the starting point for serious Norris consideration at the time. (With the occasional high-profile exception, like Scott Stevens.)

Anyway, doesn't matter much. Tremendous defensemen, certainly #1 on Vancouver's all-time list. That 2003 roster still makes me sad about what could've been if only we'd had halfway competent goaltending. Oy.

 

[Scurr]

Ohlund is one of my absolute favorite players ever, but I'm a little skeptical of the idea that he could've contended for Norris trophies had it not been for his eye.

Even before the injury his power play skills looked pretty limited — he had that nice hard, low shot from the point and he moved the puck well enough, but didn't really have the same creativity you saw from guys like Sergei Gonchar or Teppo Numminen or even Rob Blake. I have a hard time imagining him putting up 40-50 points in the dead puck era, which seemed like the starting point for serious Norris consideration at the time. (With the occasional high-profile exception, like Scott Stevens.)

Anyway, doesn't matter much. Tremendous defensemen, certainly #1 on Vancouver's all-time list. That 2003 roster still makes me sad about what could've been if only we'd had halfway competent goaltending. Oy.

or Jovo. That guy is criminally underrated by our fan base.

 

[Dissonance]

or Jovo. That guy is criminally underrated by our fan base.

Agree, meant to put him on the list but forgot.

I think Jovanovski gets underrated because he could be frustratingly inconsistent — often had stretches of lazy play, something you never saw from Ohlund. But at his best, when he was skating flat-out and rushing the puck up the ice and hitting everything in sight, Jovo was on another level. One of the best two-way defensemen in the league, easily. Too bad we didn't see that every night.

 

[EpochLink]

Agree, meant to put him on the list but forgot.

I think Jovanovski gets underrated because he could be frustratingly inconsistent — often had stretches of lazy play, something you never saw from Ohlund. But at his best, when he was skating flat-out and rushing the puck up the ice and hitting everything in sight, Jovo was on another level. One of the best two-way defensemen in the league, easily. Too bad we didn't see that every night.

We didn't call him Special Ed for nothing. At times, his mean streak and constant play were really good. Then he would tail off and be super lazy at times, forget his man and make some boneheaded penalty.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Most likely going to be placed in the ring of honour, same with Burrows.

 

[serge2k]

Thinking about best Canucks defensemen. What could Bieksa have been if the Achilles tendon injury never happened?

A pretty decent offensive dman who got carried defensively by better partners.

 

[serge2k]

It was a big shame that he didn't retire a Canuck.

If Mattias Ohlund and Willie Mitchell were around in 2011 instead of Keith Ballard and Andrew Alberts they would have won in the finals.

If Dan Hamhuis was around they might have won. :/

 

[PM]

Ohlund was awesome but we cut ties with him at the absolute perfect time. He dropped off right after his last season with us and suffered a long string of injuries all while having a pretty high cap hit and massive contract. Mitchell on the other hand would have been nice to keep for a while but he had some big injury concerns after the Malkin cheap shot. I really didn't want to lose Mitchell though, that one stung.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Ohlund was awesome but we cut ties with him at the absolute perfect time. He dropped off right after his last season with us and suffered a long string of injuries all while having a pretty high cap hit and massive contract. Mitchell on the other hand would have been nice to keep for a while but he had some big injury concerns after the Malkin cheap shot. I really didn't want to lose Mitchell though, that one stung.

oh yeah, i was heartbroken but it was definitely the right move. same with trevor when he was traded for mccabe and bertuzzi.

and obviously gillis was right to let salo go out to pasture to tampa bay too. garrison, not so much.

 

[Hit the post]

Thinking about best Canucks defensemen. What could Bieksa have been if the Achilles tendon injury never happened?

IMHO, his play prior that injury was pretty bad (on my recollection, REALLY bad). Course that isn't to say he couldn't have gotten better.

Ohlund was awesome but we cut ties with him at the absolute perfect time. He dropped off right after his last season with us and suffered a long string of injuries all while having a pretty high cap hit and massive contract. Mitchell on the other hand would have been nice to keep for a while but he had some big injury concerns after the Malkin cheap shot. I really didn't want to lose Mitchell though, that one stung.

I wouldn't feel too bad about him...he got in the end a nice retirement contract in Florida. Wish we all could get that heh...

 

[Karl Hungus]

Ohlund is one of my absolute favorite players ever, but I'm a little skeptical of the idea that he could've contended for Norris trophies had it not been for his eye.

Even before the injury his power play skills looked pretty limited — he had that nice hard, low shot from the point and he moved the puck well enough, but didn't really have the same creativity you saw from guys like Sergei Gonchar or Teppo Numminen or even Rob Blake. I have a hard time imagining him putting up 40-50 points in the dead puck era, which seemed like the starting point for serious Norris consideration at the time. (With the occasional high-profile exception, like Scott Stevens.)

Anyway, doesn't matter much. Tremendous defensemen, certainly #1 on Vancouver's all-time list. That 2003 roster still makes me sad about what could've been if only we'd had halfway competent goaltending. Oy.

Ohlund also had the ability to snipe a nice wrist shot from the high slot. I can recall him scoring a few where he floated down down the middle uncovered and beat the goalie high. I think he could have had Weber potential, just with a bit less offense, but a similar package of great defensive play with top pairing skill to boot.

 

[Vancouver_2010]

No, Jovo is the best

 

[MikeK]

No, Jovo is the best

The best at what? Being hurt? then yes, he was better than Ohlund.

 

[moog35]

I feel ashamed to say that my knowledge of Ohlund is limited to this and this only:


The Swedish are coming! Run for ye lives!!!!

Run????!!!!

The twins would let you punch them in the head while Edler just stands there and watches

Ohlund is the only one there you have to run from

 

[Hit the post]

Ohlund is the only one there you have to run from

Nah, Ohlund won't bother you if you don't bother him....let the sleeping giant, sleep.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

does anyone wonder whether edler would have ended up coming through more on his potential if ohlund had stayed another couple of years?

 

[Hit the post]

does anyone wonder whether edler would have ended up coming through more on his potential if ohlund had stayed another couple of years?

I always held out hope that some of Ohlund's mean streak would rub off on Edler...no such luck.

 

[RobertKron]

I always held out hope that some of Ohlund's mean streak would rub off on Edler...no such luck.

I'd suggest that Edler's back problems likely played a part in that.

 

[MikeK]

I'd suggest that Edler's back problems likely played a part in that.

Definitely. The player he was before and the player after are very different. Back injuries are brutal. I have no doubt Edler could have been an amazing Dman. He'll likely break down faster and have a shorter career because of his back.

 

[thenextone]

IMHO, his play prior that injury was pretty bad (on my recollection, REALLY bad). Course that isn't to say he couldn't have gotten better.



I wouldn't feel too bad about him...he got in the end a nice retirement contract in Florida. Wish we all could get that heh...

He actually won 2 cups with LA first...then retired in Florida

 

[Hit the post]

He actually won 2 cups with LA first...then retired in Florida

Still ticks me off to this day Malkin didn't even get a game for that cheapshot on him (actually, it was FAR WORSE than just a 'cheapshot'...guy is a sack of ****).

 

[Ernie]

Ohlund is arguably the best defenseman to play for the Canucks, but that also is evidence that the Canucks have never had an elite player on the back end.

He was never the best player on the team, always overshadowed by the likes of Bure, Mogilny, Naslund, Bertuzzi, the Sedins, and even Kesler.