Offseason Keys: Vancouver Canucks

While the playoffs are ongoing, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Vancouver Canucks.

This past season was yet another rough one in Vancouver as they failed to pass the 75-point mark for the third straight year while finishing seventh in the Pacific Division for the second time in a row.  As a result, the Canucks now find themselves in a full rebuild mode as they head into what should be an interesting summer.  Here are some keys to their offseason.

Replace The Sedins

Back in April, both Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin decided that they would be hanging up their skates at the conclusion of the season.  This is the end of an era as the twins were key cogs in Vancouver’s attack for 17 seasons and have been the faces of that franchise for a long time.  The nostalgic element aside, the two are core players that will need to be replaced.

With both carrying $7MM cap hits on their last contracts, the Canucks now have a lot of cap room this summer.  If they want, they can be active on the free agent market or perhaps try to leverage their space in a trade and add a younger asset or two in exchange for taking on a big contract from a cap-strapped team.

That said, even though they can go this route, should they?  As a team that has made a stated commitment to a youth movement, perhaps they would be better served letting some of their younger players and prospects take on a bigger role for 2018-19 to see how they handle the extra responsibility. Vancouver has quietly assembled an intriguing group of prospects up front and some are likely ready for the challenge.

Whichever way they decide to go, this is a decision that will need to be made sooner than later, if it hasn’t already.  Once the trade activity starts to pick up closer to the draft, they’ll need to have made their choice on how they plan to replace the Sedins to know how (or if) they’ll be utilizing their cap space.

Explore A Boeser Extension

Considering he has played all of 71 career games in the NHL, it seems strange to think that winger Brock Boeser has now completed two seasons out of his three-year, entry-level deal which makes him eligible to sign a contract extension as of July 1st.  After tying for the team lead in scoring in 2017-18 despite missing 20 games due to a back injury, it’s safe to say that the Canucks are going to want to lock him up to a long-term deal.

The big questions here are going to be how much will it cost and is it worth it for Boeser to sign now considering he has less than one full season under his belt?  A duplicate performance in 2018-19 would only boost his value in talks a year from now if no extension is reached.  Accordingly, Boeser holds a lot of leverage here as unless Vancouver comes to the table with a significant offer, potentially in the $6MM-$7MM range, he can just wait until next summer and still land a big second contract.

Defensive Decisions

In terms of free agents, the Canucks don’t have many players to re-sign (just Troy Stecher and Derrick Pouliot, both restricted free agents).  However, they have a trio of decisions to make when it comes to their back end.

The first one involves Alexander Edler.  The oft-injured veteran is set to enter the final year of his contract and considering where the team is in its rebuilding cycle, the time may be right to move him.  However, Edler has been loyal to Vancouver in the past so an extension isn’t out of the question either.  If they do decide to try to trade him, doing so in the offseason makes a lot of sense as they should get better value for him now than in an in-season trade.  He will, however, have to waive his no-trade clause should a trade be agreed upon.

Then there’s Chris Tanev, who has also battled significant injury trouble the last couple of years.  He has a couple of years left on his contract but again, with the team rebuilding, does he have more value to a contender than he does in Vancouver?  Teams have called on him before and that’s likely to happen again this offseason.  GM Jim Benning hasn’t wanted to move him yet but there’s a chance that could change in the coming months.

The other player is Ben Hutton.  He had a particularly rough season, going from a key cog on their back end to a frequent healthy scratch while seeing his numbers drop across the board.  He has one year left on his deal before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency but a repeat performance from 2017-18 would make him a non-tender candidate.  His trade value is lower now which will make a decision here a bit trickier.  Is it better to move him for a lesser return now or see if he can play his way back into a regular role, knowing that if he struggles again, they could lose him for nothing by not qualifying him?

Most of Vancouver’s back end is under contract but there are still quite a few decisions that Benning will have to make in the weeks to come.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.