The Vancouver Canucks are fresh off one of the most tumultuous years in franchise history, which is saying something, given some of the unusual seasons the team has had over the past 20 years. The relationship between star forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller cast a black cloud over a team expected to compete for a Stanley Cup in 2024-25. Still, the Canucks ultimately missed the playoffs and have a lot of work to do this summer if they want to get back into contention. This summer will be crucial in their re-emergence and could be one that either reopens their window to win or slams it shut, forcing Vancouver to consider another potential rebuild.
At some point very soon, the Canucks are going to need to decide who the core members of this team are. Pettersson is locked up for another seven years, and it’s hard to imagine him being a trade candidate, given his play last season. This locks him in as a core member, whether or not the team wants him to be. He is indeed a candidate to bounce back; if he does, it would be welcome news for the team. Beyond Pettersson is where it starts to get murky concerning the core Canucks.
Any team in the NHL would want defenseman Quinn Hughes in their defense core, but there is a lot of speculation as to whether or not the 25-year-old wants to remain in Vancouver long-term. Hughes has two years remaining on a six-year deal and carries a cap hit of $7.85MM. He isn’t eligible for an extension until July 1, 2026, and rumors will run wild until he signs one with the Canucks or is traded.
Hughes has made it known that he would like to play with his brothers in the NHL, and Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford has commented publicly on the idea of acquiring the other Hughes brothers to keep Hughes in Vancouver. One thing is for sure, the Canucks are never dull when it comes to storylines off the ice, and the Hughes story will continue until a resolution is met.
The Canucks also have a tough decision to make on goaltender Thatcher Demko, who has dealt with numerous injury issues and was limited to 23 starts last season, during which he posted a .889 SV%. Demko has one year left on his contract at $5MM and will be eligible to sign an extension this summer. It will be interesting to see if that happens, given how last season unfolded for the 29-year-old.
Vancouver will have to decide very shortly whether or not they view Demko as part of their future, or if they can rely on recently extended Kevin Lankinen as their starting goaltender going forward. The hitch with Demko is that he is just a year removed from finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting and could very well recapture his form next season, or he could continue to struggle with injuries. Either way, there is a considerable risk for Vancouver and Demko.
Besides making a call on their core, Vancouver must address the hole left by trading Miller to the New York Rangers. The Canucks acquired Filip Chytil in the trade; however, he is likely best suited for third-line duties, given the stage of his career. Vancouver’s general manager, Patrik Allvin, might be hard-pressed to find a suitable replacement given the demand for centers around the NHL, but there are options available.
In free agency, the Canucks are in a position where they could target Sam Bennett, Matt Duchene, or John Tavares. Vancouver has roughly $12.156MM under the salary cap and has 21 of 23 roster slots filled (as per PuckPedia). This means they could sign any of the players mentioned and still have money left over to fill their final roster spot. Nothing suggests that any of those players would have Vancouver at the top of their list, particularly after the past 12 months. However, financially, the Canucks have as good a shot as just about any other team.
Outside of free agency, Vancouver could look to trade for a center such as Minnesota’s Marco Rossi. The Canucks might not want to explore that option if they can help it, as it might cost them one or both of their top prospects, Jonathan Lekkerimaki or Tom Willander. Vancouver doesn’t have a great prospect pool (21st in the NHL, as per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic) and likely wouldn’t want to deplete it further if they can help it. Lesser targets such as Trevor Zegras and Mika Zibanejad might be options, but given the circus that went on in Vancouver last season, they might steer clear of those two.
The Canucks should also look to bolster the right side of their defense core to allow Tyler Myers to slot in lower in the lineup. Vancouver dealt with many injuries at the end of the season (including Myers) and could use the added depth. The Canucks have several promising young defensemen who could be solutions on the ride side in the future, but they need someone for the short term to patch them over until Willander is ready for a significant role. The free agent market doesn’t offer much help for Vancouver unless they want to go big-game hunting for Aaron Ekblad.
If the Canucks wanted to make a trade for a top-four defenseman on the right side, they could look to Pittsburgh for Erik Karlsson or Philadelphia and Rasmus Ristolainen. While those are both big names, they have massive warts to their game and might not be a good fit in a dressing room that is as fragile as the Canucks have. Right-shot defensemen are always in demand, and even those with obvious flaws generally command a premium, which could force the Canucks to look at other areas of their roster to improve.
Regardless of whether Vancouver addresses their second-line center position and the right side of their defense, they have to add scoring to the lineup. The Canucks finished 23rd in the NHL in goals last season and desperately need to add to their offense, particularly in the bottom six. There are two ways Vancouver could achieve this. The first is to add a top-six forward to the group, and they might need to do this to balance the scales and replace the potentially departing Brock Boeser. The second option would be to add some depth scoring to the bottom six.
Vancouver likely won’t be in on wingers Mitch Marner or Nikolaj Ehlers, which means they will need to look at secondary options to try to add scoring by committee. Mikael Granlund could be an interesting option, as he is an excellent passer and almost always finds a way to put up numbers. Fit could be a concern with him, but he could be a cheaper option for the top six forwards, and Vancouver could use the remaining cap space to find the bottom six forwards to fill out their depth.
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Patrik Allvin has proven that he isn’t qualified for his position.