The Vancouver Canucks’ centre depth is alarming.
Elias Pettersson is legitimately a top-ten centre in the NHL and J.T. Miller is a solid number-two centre, as long as you ignore that he typically plays better on the wing. The trouble is, the Canucks have a dearth of options at centre after Pettersson and Miller, with more question marks than prospects in their system.
The Canucks certainly hope that Aatu Räty can become an impactful centre after making him a major piece of the Bo Horvat trade, but the 20-year-old Finn still has a lot to prove and might ultimately land on the wing. Beyond Räty, there’s Nils Åman, Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson, Daimon Gardner, and Dmitri Zlodeev, and that’s basically it.
There isn’t a blue-chip prospect among them and only Räty has the realistic potential to become anything more than a bottom-six centre.
That means centre is a huge need for the Canucks as they head into the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. And the best centre available to the Canucks at 11th overall might be Oliver Moore.
"He's probably faster than Connor McDavid."
Oliver Moore is absurdly fast. It’s the defining quality of his game.
Moore’s feet churn up the ice, creating acceleration with quick crossovers that drive him past his opponents like they were standing still.
“The way he outraces opponents to loose pucks, explodes past them in space, and covers ground on the backcheck – it would strain credibility to describe it in text,” reads his scouting report from Elite Prospects. “You almost have to see it for yourself to believe it.”
Moore is so monstrously fast that he constantly has people bursting into absurd superlatives to describe it.
“I would put him up there in the same speed category as Connor McDavid and I would think he’s probably faster than Connor McDavid was at the same age,” said Brian Galivan, the strength and conditioning coach for the US National Team Development Program. “I’m not comparing him as a player but from an athleticism and speed standpoint, I’ve never trained [McDavid], but there’s no way he’s as fast as Oliver.”
But Moore isn’t just a burner with great top speed, like Luis Mendoza before he learned how to stop. He’s agile on his skates too, with abrupt changes in pace and direction that leave defenders swimming.
“Lots of skating skills: cutbacks, cuts, jabs, heel-to-heel, and more, and he uses them all at different speeds,” reads a scouting report from Elite Prospects’ Mitch Brown. “He plays fast, slow, and constantly switches between.”
The Canucks have talked about wanting to improve their team speed and the need to “play faster.” Adding Moore to the prospect pool would certainly be a step in that direction for the future.
"He's a menace out there."
Moore’s speed wouldn’t mean much if he coasted defensively, but his work rate is impeccable, and he’s a go-to penalty killer. He gets on opponents faster than they expect, with TSN’s Craig Button describing him as a “disruptive force.”
“He never quits on plays, applies non-stop pressure, and defends like a pro — proactive down-low coverage, leans on opponents but keeps his stick on the ice, and closes space on shooters before they even receive the puck,” said Elite Prospects Mitch Brown in one scouting report. “He’s a menace out there.”
With his speed, Moore is an obvious asset on the backcheck, as he can regularly catch even fast opponents and lift a stick to steal the puck. Inside the defensive zone, Moore is always alert, looking for a chance to pressure the puck carrier, win a battle, or pick off a pass.
“He plays a solid defensive game, using his speed to pressure opponents and a good stick to take away passes and turn play up ice quickly,” says Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News, who ranks Moore 6th overall.
That last element is key: Moore is always looking to turn a defensive stop into an offensive opportunity. Moore excels at transporting the puck out of the defensive zone. Where some speedsters might be tempted to cheat out of the zone for breakaways, Moore stays deep in support of his defenceman like a centre should and allows his skating to be a boon on the breakout.
Elite Prospects ranks Moore as the second-best forward in the draft in transition, behind only Connor Bedard.
An underrated playmaker and scorer
Moore’s speed drives his offensive game. In transition, he attacks with pace and puts defencemen on their heels, giving him a chance to drive around them to the net, cut inside, or stop up and make a pass into the acres of room he’s created.
His speed is also a nightmare for defencemen to deal with on the forecheck, as he wins races to loose pucks, forces bad passes, or pilfers the puck with a quick stick lift. Those turnovers quickly lead to offensive chances.
During offensive zone possessions, Moore’s mobility takes over, as he circles and surveys the ice like a bird of prey waiting to strike. He either spots passing lanes to set up his teammates or uses quick bursts of acceleration to find open space for a shot.
Moore has a very good shot, with a wicked backhand that can catch a goaltender completely off guard, but he’s definitely more of a playmaker than a goalscorer. He has high-level playmaking instincts, with a knack for integrating deception before his passes in order to bait in defenders and create openings for his teammates.
“Moore has flashed among the most creative, skilled, intelligent displays of playmaking of any player outside of the Big Four in this year’s draft,” reads his scouting report from Elite Prospects. “At his best, Moore’s anticipation allows him to process plays one or two steps ahead of everyone else on the ice.”
"More of a worker than someone with legitimate top-six upside."
That “at his best” caveat in the above quote is key. Moore is capable of making high-level plays that illustrate his vision and creativity but he’s inconsistent and sometimes his feet get too far ahead of his brain.
There are some who question whether he’ll be able to produce offensively in the NHL or if he’ll be more of an energy player with his speed and forechecking — useful but tough to justify the use of a top pick if he’s not going to be a first or second-line centre.
“Many in the industry (some in our ranks among them) view Moore as more of a worker than someone with legitimate top-six upside,” says Elite Prospects, which is why Moore isn’t a consensus top-ten pick.
While many public draft rankings have Moore around the 7-9 spot, there’s good reason to believe he could be available to the Canucks at 11, as the more mainstream rankings have him further back. Button and his TSN colleague Bob McKenzie have Moore outside of the top ten at 13th and 16th, respectively. The Hockey News ranks Moore 11th, while Sportsnet has Moore lowest at 17th overall.
Part of the problem is that Moore didn’t blow the roof off with the USNTDP like some of his teammates. Moore was stuck on the second line behind top prospects Ryan Leonard, Will Smith, and Gabriel Perreault, each of whom racked up massive point totals: 94 points for Leonard, 127 points for Smith, and 132 points for Perreault.
Moore’s point totals were comparatively meagre, as he managed “only” 75 points in 61 games. That’s still excellent production, but comparable to the likes of Joel Farabee or Jack Roslovic — good NHL forwards, but not game breakers.
On the other hand, being stuck on the second line and playing with lesser wingers could mean that there’s a lot more offence to unlock for Moore.
“He can create opportunities for himself offensively in a flash because he’s so quick,” said Button, who compares Moore to Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin. “He has underrated offensive abilities. He was not put into the top offensive situations but when he was playing with better offensive players, his productivity took off.”
That’s the gamble with Moore — does he have the offensive upside to be a legitimate top-six centre in the NHL?
As gambles go, it’s a pretty safe one. Moore’s exceptional speed and detailed defensive game should translate to, at minimum, a third-line role on an NHL team or a spot as a complementary winger on a second line. But if the offence takes off like some scouts believe it will, Moore could be a major difference maker.
And for a team in desperate need of centres, Moore may be a gamble worth taking for the Canucks.
