You can never underestimate the value of a future top 6 defenseman IMO. In a goaltender, you can have a guy that can play 50-60 games; which, yes, is very important, but the Canucks have Roberto Luongo, who right now seems to be challenging Markus Naslund as the 'franchise player.
I would expect them to lock up Luongo for as long as they can, which at this point makes Schneider nowhere nears as valuable as Bourdon. I don't see many games from the 'Q, but the few times I've seen Bourdon I've been extremely impressed. He's a strong skater, can make the hit, and can help out offensively. The only knock I've got on him is his positional play sometimes suffers due to his other abilities. Once they "tame" him, he could be an elite defenseman in the NHL, it just may take a little more time.