Chris Tanev

Pacific Notes: Markstrom, Vancouver, Calgary

June 10, 2020 at 7:40 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

Without an official start date announced for the expanded NHL postseason, it is nearly impossible to guess when the Stanley Cup might be awarded this year and when the off-season may begin. All that Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning cares about is that by the time the off-season does arrive, goaltender Jacob Markstrom is back under contract. “He’s an important guy for us,” Benning told Ben Kuzma of The Province, adding “My intent is to figure out something that works for him and us. I’m hoping to get him signed.” Markstrom is part of a trio of key free agents for Vancouver that includes defenseman Chris Tanev and forward Tyler Toffoli, but the All-Star netminder appears to be Benning’s priority. The GM has been working to extend Markstrom all year, while Markstrom himself has said multiple times that he would like to remain in Vancouver. All that is left is for the two sides to meet on money in the confines of a potential flat salary cap and the Canucks’ hefty payroll. Markstrom enjoyed a career year in 2019-20 and could still boost his stock even further with a strong playoff performance. If the Canucks don’t pay him, someone else undoubtedly will.

The city of Vancouver is hoping to have a first-hand look at the coming postseason. The province of British Columbia has put together a formal proposal, designed and approved by its top healthcare professionals, that recommends Vancouver as one of the two “hub cities” for the NHL’s makeshift playoff format. Per the Canadian Press, this proposal will be presented to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for approval and then finally to the NHL. Vancouver was already on the shortlist of possible locations that the league was considering, but are now taking steps to be a front runner for the event. Whether or not the NHL would allow the Canucks to play at home or instead send the Eastern Conference teams to Western Canada remains to be seen.
Working against Vancouver’s odds of hosting a postseason tournament is Canada’s continued insistence on a 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the country. If this policy is still in place once the postseason is ready to commence, it would present a holdup that the NHL cannot afford. Before it even reaches that possible breaking point, the quarantine rule is already impacting training camp plans. Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving tells TSN’s Ryan Rishaug that the organization already has a plan in place to hold their July training camp in the U.S. if the quarantine rule is not lifted or an exception is not made. “I don’t want guys coming back to Calgary and sitting on their butts for two weeks,” Treliving stated, “It may make more sense for us to have camp in the U.S. so we can have guys together quicker and being productive. The quarantine issue is a big one.” There is no word yet on where exactly this fallback training camp would take place, but hockey-centric cities relatively close to Calgary include Spokane, Washington and Grand Forks, North Dakota.

West Notes: Canucks, Kaprizov, Karlsson

June 7, 2020 at 3:54 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

While many NHL teams will be opening up their practice facilities to players as part of Phase 2 in small groups as soon as Monday, the Vancouver Canucks will not be doing that. Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reports that with just three Canucks’ players in the area, each who has access to their own independent ice rinks, there is no reason to open up their training facilities, at least until Canada’s 14-day quarantine for foreigners is solved.

The three Canucks’ players, defensemen Alexander Edler, Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher all choose to stay in Vancouver during the shutdown along with injured forward Josh Leivo. More than half the roster reside outside of Canada. Of course, Phase 2 is voluntary and the Canucks cannot order their players back at this point, so most of their players aren’t necessarily eager to return to Canada yet.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that while the NHL has been insistent that unsigned players like Kirill Kaprizov will not be eligible for the upcoming tournament, the NHLPA is working on that issue since the league is technically changing a long-standing collective bargaining rule. That could be a big bonus for the Minnesota Wild if the NHLPA can reverse the NHL’s stance on that. The scribe writes that if the team feels Kaprizov could help immediately, he could push someone like Victor Rask or Ryan Donato out the lineup and make Minnesota’s squad even more interesting. “If we feel that (Kaprizov’s) ready to go then I don’t think it’ll be an issue whatsoever,” interim coach Dean Evason said. “It’s no different than a player popping in and out or sitting out or coming in and taking over for an injured guy. So no, we don’t feel that would be a problem at all and obviously (it’d) be very exciting for us in the organization if we can get him going right away.”
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the team has a number of interesting free agents coming up this offseason, but perhaps the most interesting situation to watch will be that of forward Melker Karlsson, who is an unrestricted free agent and hasn’t always been a fan favorite of Sharks’ fans. While he has proven to be a solid fourth-line player and a quality penalty killer, many of his advanced metric statistics aren’t that impressive. However, after already losing a top penalty killer in Barclay Goodrow recently, losing a second player on a top-rated unit might not be the way to go, making it a very interesting scenario. The scribe writes that Karlsson’s agent said there was mutual interest in getting a deal done, but there have been no talks since play was suspended. His $2MM contact for the past three seasons might require him to accept a pay cut if he wants to stay.

Pacific Notes: Pelletier, Tanev, Ducks

June 5, 2020 at 6:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The QMJHL draft is just underway and already there has been a notable trade agreed upon. TVA Sports’ Mikael Lalancette (Twitter link) is among those to report that Flames prospect Jakob Pelletier has been dealt from Moncton to Val-d’Or. RDS’ Stephane Leroux adds (Twitter link) that a pair of first-round picks are among the five picks and a prospect going the other way.

Pelletier was the 26th overall pick by Calgary last June following a breakout season. He followed up his 89-point 2018-19 campaign with 82 points this season in eight fewer games. The 19-year-old has already signed his entry-level deal which means he will be making the jump to the pros for 2021-22, making this a steep price to pay for what will be a one-year rental at the junior level.

Stretch Run Storylines: Vancouver Canucks

May 2, 2020 at 1:56 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks. Assuming the regular season continues (something the league remains hopeful of doing), there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run. Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team. We continue our look at the Pacific Division with Vancouver.

The Canucks have been a team trying to pry their way into the playoffs after several years of rebuilding. The team even took that next step, trading their first-round pick last offseason to Tampa Bay in exchange for goal-scoring forward J.T. Miller, a deal that paid off as he leads the team in scoring with 72 points and is tied for the team lead in goals with 27. The team has been in the playoff race all season, but might have some challenges in the months ahead.

Playoff Race

The Canucks have 78 points at this point in the season and currently, based on points percentage, they would be the first wildcard team if the season ended today. That’s great news, but if the regular season resumes and is based on points, the Canucks would be out of the playoffs, meaning they would need to prove they can overcome teams like Nashville and Winnipeg, among others, to squeak into the playoffs.

Vancouver does have the advantage of being a young team that might have a better shot of jumping out quickly like it did when the regular season started and the Canucks dominated the Pacific Division for the first couple months of the season. Players like Quinn Hughes would be playing as if he was a second-year player and should be able to provide even more stability in their back end to help the team gain their way into the playoffs. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who was on LTIR before the suspension of play, is already fully healed from his knee injury, and ready to go — another big plus.

Pending UFAs

The team does have quite a bit offseason work to complete this season. The team has to lock up Markstrom to a long-term deal. The UFA could be one of the bigger names on the goalie market for teams, although he recently told Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, that he has no intention of playing for another team and wants to re-sign in Vancouver, which is good news for Canucks fans. The 30-year-old had his best season to date with a 2.75 GAA and a .918 save percentage.

However, the team has other issues, which could be challenging, considering the team is capped out. Barring a compliance buyout that could save them, the Canucks may have to make some significant moves to stay under a cap that likely won’t increase this offseason. The team also must consider contracts for veteran defenseman Chris Tanev as well as trade-deadline acquisition Tyler Toffoli, who looked exceptional in 10 games, scoring six goals and 10 points in a Vancouver uniform. That doesn’t even consider the team’s RFAs for next season, including Jake Virtanen, Adam Gaudette, Troy Stecher and Tyler Motte.

Hughes For Calder?

Hughes will have chance to walk away from the offseason with some hardware as it looks more and more like a two-person race for the Calder Trophy, for the best rookie. While many feel that Cale Makar was the runaway leader for the trophy, the play of Hughes in the second-half of the season has been exceptional and could be enough to vault himself past Makar in the running. Hughes did win our PHR poll in March by quite a landslide.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vancouver’s Chris Tanev, Vegas’ Max Pacioretty Out “Week-To-Week”

March 11, 2020 at 8:43 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

The Pacific Division playoff race received a significant shake-up on Wednesday night when two contenders announced the injury absences of key players. The Vancouver Canucks, fighting hard to stay in the playoff race, will be without defenseman Chris Tanev “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. The same generalized injury and timeline was later announced by the Vegas Golden Knights in regards to veteran forward Max Pacioretty as well.

Tanev is no stranger to injury, having missed considerable time in each of the past three seasons. In fact, Tanev was on pace for the first full season of his career and could still top his career high of 70 games played if he returns for only two more contests. When healthy, Tanev is arguably the Canucks’ best two-way defenseman. Fortunately, he is not as much of a lynchpin player this season following the additions of rookie sensation Quinn Hughes and major free agent add Tyler Myers. Still, with the Canucks currently sitting in the final wild card spot out west and already missing starting goalie Jacob Markstrom, the team surely hopes that “week-to-week” might just mean a week or two tops without Tanev.

Meanwhile, the Pacific-leading Golden Knights are dealing with an even bigger loss. Pacioretty is the team’s leading scorer and has been healthy for every game up until this point. His injury comes much around the same time as last season and under similar circumstances. Vegas was hindered by a rash of injuries late last season as well and find themselves in the same place this year, with Pacioretty, Mark Stone, and Alex Tuch all sidelined. With only a three-point lead on the Edmonton Oilers, who hold a game in hand, the Knights’ division lead is at risk if Pacioretty’s “week-to-week” prognosis ends up extending into April.

Canucks Notes: Tanev, Eriksson, Goldobin, Podkolzin

March 2, 2020 at 9:11 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

The Vancouver Canucks have finally made that long-awaited return to NHL relevance and look like a team that not only could make the playoffs but possibly make a splash as well. With the spotlight on his squad, Rick Dhaliwal of TSN and The Athletic provided an update on a number of major questions facing the team beyond this season, as they look to keep trending upward. The biggest focus will be how the cap-strapped club handles free agency this summer. The Canucks have $63.5MM tied up in just 15 players for the 2020-21 season and face the tall task of trying to fill out the roster with eight players with around $20MM to work with. The team would like to bring back each of their three primary UFA’s – Jacob Markstrom, Tyler Toffoli, and Chris Tanev – but could find it hard to do so. Dhaliwal reports that Markstrom, who has been invaluable to the Canucks again this season, is the most likely name to return. Toffoli, who has excelled since coming over from the Los Angeles Kings, seems like a top priority for the team as well. That could leave Tanev as the odd man out, even though Dhaliwal states that the team would need to immediately find a replacement. Tanev, a career Canuck, has been effective when healthy during his time in Vancouver, but a thin defense market and the team’s own constraints could make it difficult to keep the two sides together. On the other hand, it may make more sense for the team to move other pieces in order to keep Tanev rather than moving on and hoping they can find an adequate replacement. Even if that means trading RFA defenseman Troy Stecher, the overall Vancouver blue line could benefit from retaining Tanev beyond this season.

Another potential cost-cutting measure could be the end of veteran Loui Eriksson’s playing days with the team. Although Eriksson still has two years left on his contract at a $6MM, Dhaliwal believes that the Canucks may have reached their limit with Eriksson’s disappointing time with the team. Eriksson has never topped 30 points in three seasons with Vancouver and is on pace for a career-low 16 points after being scratched for many of the Canucks’ early games this season. Eriksson has never found his place with the club and Dhaliwal believes he will be on the move this off-season. He notes that Eriksson will receive a $3MM bonus on July 1st, after which his contract carries only $5MM in actual salary over the final two years. The cap implications are far heavier than the actual dollars and a team with more space than the Canucks could be willing to take Eriksson on, perhaps in exchange for another bad contract or alongside a draft pick. If not, Vancouver could also try to persuade Eriksson to walk away from his contract via mutual termination, which Dhaliwal suggests, or they could simply buy him out. Either way, moving on from Eriksson will open up some more cap space to help the Canucks continue to ice a playoff-caliber roster.
Nikolay Goldobin is another player who could be on the move this summer. Dhaliwal reports that Goldobin was nearly moved to the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline and two or three other teams also showed interest. Goldobin has played in the AHL for all but one game this season, but has at least made the most of this relegation with a very productive season. Dhaliwal believes that he will back at the NHL level next season, but will that be in Vancouver? Goldobin is owed a $945K qualifying offer this season for the Canucks to retain his rights, which they are likely to do, but they could still trade his rights away rather than retain him.
Don’t expect 2019 first-rounder Vasili Podkolzin to be in the NHL or anywhere in North America next season. Dhaliwal does not believe that there is any chance that Podkolzin can get out of the final year of his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg, meaning the earliest he could be available to the Canucks is in 2021-22. The wait will be worth it though. After a slow start to the season, Podkolzin’s play picked up in the second half and he has been playing a complete game for months now. Dhaliwal says “the sky is the limit” for Podkolzin’s NHL career, regardless of when it begins.

West Notes: Tanev, Backlund, Ellis

February 5, 2020 at 7:34 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With the Canucks sitting at the top of the Pacific Division, it would stand to reason that Vancouver would be buyers heading into the upcoming trade deadline. However, Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston posits that when it comes to defenseman Chris Tanev at least, the team should at least consider moving him. The 30-year-old has long had injury troubles but has managed to play in every game this season while logging nearly 20 minutes a night. He’s on an expiring contract with a $4.45MM cap hit and with several contenders looking for defensive help, he’d fetch a good return. Part of the logic of holding onto him in the past has been that they’d have sold low on moving him. This is their chance to move him for closer to market value but given the role he’s filling on a team that’s squarely in the playoff hunt, could Vancouver afford to deal him?

Elsewhere out West:

For the time being at least, the Flames have abandoned the experiment of using center Mikael Backlund on the wing, notes Postmedia’s Kristen Anderson. The team started out using the veteran there back in December but Backlund indicated to interim head coach Geoff Ward that he’s not the most comfortable away from the middle. Calgary has been looking for winger help for a while now and with Backlund staying at center now, they likely won’t be able to fill that vacancy from within which was the likely impetus for trying him there in the first place.
Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis is with the team on their current road trip but is unlikely to play, suggests Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean. He’s working his way back from a concussion sustained back at the Winter Classic on January 1st. With Nashville currently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, he’d certainly be a welcome addition but if this holds true, the earliest he’ll be able to play is February 13th.

Trade Deadline Primer: Vancouver Canucks

February 2, 2020 at 2:46 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Vancouver Canucks.

There were many who felt that the Vancouver Canucks still needed another year or two to complete their rebuild, but general manager Jim Benning has moved the team ahead in the last couple of offseasons, adding several significant player additions to go with their nucleus of youth and it has worked out quite well. Benning took a big chance this offseason, trading away their first-round pick to Tampa Bay to acquire winger J.T. Miller, who has helped lead Vancouver to the top of the Pacific Division and the team so far, despite plenty of action right behind them, don’t look like they are fading any time soon. That could make this team an interesting one to watch at the trade deadline.

Record

27-20-7, third in the Pacific Division.

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$1.10MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, VAN 4th, VAN 5th, VAN 6th, ANH 7th
2021: VAN 1st*, VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, VAN 4th, VAN 5th, VAN 6th, VAN 7th

* Vancouver traded their 2020 first-round pick to Tampa Bay, conditional if they make the playoffs. If the Canucks don’t make the playoffs in 2019-20, then the team’s 2019-20 first-round pick transfers to the 2020-21 draft.

Trade Chips

This isn’t a team that has much to offer with a team full of recently brought-in veterans and plenty of youth. Throw in the fact that one of their first-round picks in the next two years is heading to Tampa Bay, the team lacks the assets to acquire a big-name player. Benning might also be unwilling to part with any more draft picks after moving that first-rounder for Miller.

However, one player Benning will likely attempt to move would be the contract of Loui Eriksson and his $6MM contract. While no one would be particularly interested in a player of that caliber, it could be a coup if Benning could unload that contract, which still has two more years remaining on it. That could clear some much-needed cap room.

There aren’t many obvious options for Vancouver. The team could also consider moving defenseman Chris Tanev or Troy Stecher, both who will be hitting unrestricted free agency next season, but again, why trade them when the team is trying to make the playoffs now. The team also have a number of young players who are close to being able to join Vancouver in the next year or two, including Nils Hoglander, Jett Woo, Olli Juolevi, or Tyler Madden to name a few, but again, why would Benning move those young players just for a rental player?

Five Players To Watch For: F Loui Eriksson, D Olli Juolevi, F Tim Schaller, D Troy Stecher, D Chris Tanev

Team Needs

1) Top-Six Forward: The Canucks recently got back Brandon Sutter and hope to get Micheal Ferland back soon too, but the team’s second line right now consists of Bo Horvat, Tanner Pearson and Eriksson. That line isn’t likely to get much done for a playoff team, although it’s very likely the Canucks are doing everything they can to showcase Eriksson and the team still has Brock Boeser, the team could use one more goal scorer. Regardless, one more scorer such as a Pavel Buchnevich, Kyle Palmieri or a player of that magnitude would give Vancouver quite a bit of strength on their top two lines.

2) Cap Space: Again, with just $1.1MM in deadline cap space, the Canucks don’t have much room to maneuver, so even if the team can acquire a piece to their team that fits with their team chemistry, they will have to send back a contract of equal value to get it down. So any way the team can free up some cap space is crucial.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Tanev, Dahlstrom, Draft Rankings

January 16, 2020 at 2:51 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Vancouver Canucks are within striking distance of first place in the Pacific Division as we head into the last part of the season, meaning the team likely won’t be considered sellers this year. With that in mind, Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke to several agents that represent the team’s pending unrestricted free agents. Chris Tanev’s agent Wade Arnott told Dhaliwal that the veteran defenseman’s “priority is to re-sign in Vancouver.”

Tanev is in the final season of a five-year, $22.25MM contract signed in 2015, but is finally having a relatively healthy campaign. After averaging just 54 games played in each of the first four years, Tanev has already suited up 47 times in 2019-20 and is averaging nearly 20 minutes a night for the Canucks. The defensive defenseman is also on track to set a career-high in points, and leads the club in short-handed ice time. That’s a big piece of the team to let walk if the Canucks decide not to re-sign the 30-year old, though it is obvious he wants to stay.

In Winnipeg, two more Jets’ defensemen have been placed on injured reserve. Carl Dahlstrom and Tucker Poolman find themselves with the designation today, with the former facing a six-week absence due to a broken bone in his hand. Poolman isn’t expected to be out as long, but suffering defensemen seems to be a trend in Winnipeg this year. The team will get Dmitry Kulikov back on the top pairing beside Josh Morrissey, but are still putting together a patchwork blue line.
Craig Button of TSN has released his latest rankings for the 2020 entry draft, and it is no longer Quinton Byfield trying to chase down Alexis Lafreniere at the top. Tim Stuetzle, the top-ranked international skater by NHL Central Scouting, has climbed to the second spot on Button’s list, while Austrian-born Marco Rossi of the Ottawa 67’s is now in fifth. Rossi would tie Thomas Vanek as the highest drafted Austrian ever in the NHL if he were to go in that spot this June.

Pacific Notes: Seattle, Canucks, Puljujarvi, Palmu

October 3, 2019 at 6:22 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft is still two full seasons away, but the Seattle expansion team is not messing around in the meantime. If early indications hold true, Seattle will make their presence felt in the NHL long before they actually become an official club. On Thursday night, the second night of the new campaign, Seattle is already out scouting the competition – or more likely the 2021 free agent class and possible Expansion Draft offerings. The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that, presumably for the first time, a Seattle scout is at a game in an official capacity. Former NHLer Stu Barnes is set to watch the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars square off, two talent-laden teams who will likely have tough decisions to make come expansion time. However, this is likely just the beginning. Expect Barnes and company to be a fixture at games for the next two years.

With the Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal and Maple Leafs’ John Tavares recently joining the elite group that is NHL captains, the number of teams without a captain has shrunk even further. The Vegas Golden Knights have yet to name the first captain in franchise history, while the New York Rangers have also been without a captain since 2017-18. Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and Vancouver Canucks have holdover vacancies from last season. However, this group is about lose yet another member. Canucks head coach Travis Green has stated that the team will formally announce their new captain ahead of their home opener on October 9. Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini confirmed as much today, stating that he, Green, and GM Jim Benning saw leadership begin to develop last season and feel they are ready to name a captain. Vancouver has already named four alternates – Alexander Edler, Bo Horvat, Brandon Sutter, and Chris Tanev – and the odds are that the new “C” will be one of the current “A”’s. If the team wants to reward loyalty and establish a veteran leader, Edler is the likely choice. If they want to anoint a young core player as the man to take the team into the future, Horvat will be the selection. Those two have a better chance than Sutter or Tanev, both of whom have seen their roles on the team questioned over the last year or so, but anything is possible.
Speaking with Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes in his latest “31 Thoughts” column that it is his impression that the team is simply waiting and hoping for a better return on disgruntled prospect Jesse Puljujarvi. Puljujarvi followed through on his threat and signed in Europe this off-season when the Oilers wouldn’t trade him. Since then, Edmonton has shifted their focus solely to moving out the young winger, but only at a fair price. Friedman writes that Holland can only hope that Puljujarvi’s trade stock gets a boost from his performance in Finland. Thus far, Puljujarvi has seven points in eight games for the Liiga’s Karpat, which puts him in the top-20 scorers early on, but not exactly at the top. Friedman does mention some actual names – for the first time – that came up in trade talks this summer but were seemingly dismissed by Edmonton: a trio of forwards including the Carolina Hurricanes’ Julien Gauthier, the St. Louis Blues’ Klim Kostin, and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Alexander Volkov.
Another NHL prospect staying in Europe for a while longer is the Canucks’ Petrus Palmu. After news emerged on Wednesday that he was likely to be officially loaned to JYP of the Liiga, the Finnish club confirmed the transfer today. Palmu, a 2017 sixth-round pick who signed his entry-level contract in 2018 and played briefly in the AHL to begin last season, will continue to develop overseas for another year at least. Now officially signed with JYP, Palmu is set to make his season debut this weekend.

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