While it was expected that the Canucks would make a quick decision on whether or not to turn top draft pick Quinn Hughes pro next season, it appears that the team hasn’t decided whether that’s the best move for him just yet. In an interview with TSN 1040 (audio link), GM Jim Benning stated that he remains in conversations with Hughes’ family advisor in an effort to determine what’s best for his long-term development. He also acknowledged the current logjam on their back end but indicated that if he was to attend training camp and play well enough to earn a roster spot that they would make a move to make room for him. For him to attend camp, he’d have to be signed to an entry-level deal which would put an end to his NCAA eligibility although he would be able to play in the AHL.
More from the Pacific:
- The Canucks have only one restricted free agent remaining in winger Jake Virtanen. From the same interview, Benning mentioned that the team remains in discussions with his agent Kevin Epp and classifies the talks as “going good”. Given Virtanen’s inconsistency over the past couple of seasons, it’s likely that Vancouver will be pushing for him to sign a short-term contract. The 21-year-old had ten goals and ten assists in 75 games last season. He had a qualifying offer of roughly $875K but that expired back on July 15th.
- Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is expected to resume skating next week as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery notes Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan. The team remains hopeful that he’ll be ready for training camp and if he does so and plays well early on next season, Morgan believes the team may look to get an early extension done rather than wait for him to his restricted free agency next summer.