Canucks Interested In Jake Guentzel
Jake Guentzel‘s pending free agency could lead him to the West Coast. The Hurricanes left winger has yielded strong interest from the Canucks, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports. They’re expected to make a “strong play” for his services amid likely interest from the Capitals, Panthers, Maple Leafs and Rangers, said Seravalli.
An extension in Carolina doesn’t appear to be in the cards for Guentzel, and his signing rights have been made available for trade for teams to get an inside track on a deal before July 1. He’ll have plenty of suitors after drawing a similar level of attention at the trade deadline a few months ago.
Guentzel is nearing the end of a five-year, $30MM extension he signed with the Penguins in December 2018, midway through a breakout campaign that saw him hit the 40-goal and 75-point marks for the first time. His $6MM cap hit since served as a bargain for Pittsburgh as he continued flourishing on Sidney Crosby‘s wing, averaging just north of a point per game over the life of his extension. With the Penguins struggling to stay in the playoff race this season, though, they dealt him to Carolina at the deadline to avoid losing him for nothing this summer – a fate the Hurricanes are also trying to avoid by recouping at least some value for his signing rights.
An upper-body injury limited him to 67 games this season, but it didn’t stop him from having the best offensive campaign of his career on a per-game basis. He finished the season with a sparkling eight goals and 25 points in 17 games for the Canes, bringing his season average up to 1.15 points per game. Only 14 players in the league had more.
In all likelihood, he’ll land a max-term contract this summer, whether it’s a seven-year deal on the open market or an eight-year extension with a team that acquires his signing rights. At age 29, he likely won’t get the chance for another big payday. Seravalli believes his cap hit should come in around $9.5MM per season, close to what we’ll predict on our Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents list dropping next week.
That’s something the Canucks can stomach at first glance with $24.078MM in projected cap space next season, which jumps to $26.578MM if you account for defenseman Tucker Poolman‘s likely long-term injured reserve placement, per CapFriendly. But like the team he’s parting ways with in Raleigh, Vancouver has a large slate of pending free agents to re-sign or part ways with. As Seravalli points out, signing Guentzel almost surely means letting Dakota Joshua and Elias Lindholm hit the open market, pawning off most or all of Ilya Mikheyev‘s $4.75MM cap hit in a trade, and making other tough decisions with a defense group that includes Filip Hronek, Tyler Myers and Nikita Zadorov.
Guentzel does seem to fit like a glove in Vancouver’s lineup, though. Arguably their biggest weakness in their breakout 2023-24 campaign was a lack of support for budding superstar center Elias Pettersson, who spent most of the season with depth wingers Nils Höglander, Sam Lafferty and Mikheyev as his linemates. Getting a player with a lengthy history of meshing well with star centers could do wonders for the 25-year-old Swede as he kicks off his massive eight-year, $92.8MM extension.
It’s not as if there’s no history between Guentzel and Vancouver, either. Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford was the one who signed Guentzel’s current deal as GM of the Penguins, and the club was one of the finalists for his services at the deadline in March.
Canucks To Make A Final Offer To Zadorov Soon
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov is one of several notable pending unrestricted free agents in Vancouver. It appears that they’re going to make one last push to try to sign him as CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (Twitter link) the Canucks are preparing to tender the blueliner a final offer soon. Vancouver acquired the 29-year-old back in November and while he didn’t light it up following the move (14 points in 54 games), Zadorov had a big showing in the playoffs that has certainly bolstered his value. He picked up four goals and four assists in 13 games while averaging nearly four and a half hits per game in just over 20 minutes a night. Dhaliwal adds that some think he could get six years at $6MM per season if he gets to the open market. It would be surprising to see the Canucks go that high with who else needs to be signed but they’ll make one last attempt to try to bridge the gap.
Canucks Looking To Move Ilya Mikheyev
The Canucks are looking to find a trade for forward Ilya Mikheyev, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports. The Russian winger checks in at No. 6 on his latest list of offseason trade targets, joining a list of other well-documented deal candidates that includes Nikolaj Ehlers, Mitch Marner and Martin Nečas.
But unlike the others, it will likely take assets from the Canucks to get out of Mikheyev’s contract. While Vancouver’s front office, led by Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford, has done good work to get them back to playoff contention, his signing in free agency two years ago is a major blemish. Under contract with a $4.75MM cap hit for two more seasons, the 29-year-old has 24 goals and 59 points in 124 games since landing in British Columbia.
This season was especially difficult for Mikheyev. After missing a solid chunk of his inaugural season in Vancouver with an ACL tear initially sustained during the preseason, he had surgery in February 2023. He wasn’t cleared to play when training camp began in advance of this season, though, and missed the first few games of the regular season.
Mikheyev returned with a vengeance, putting up five goals and eight points in his first nine games after making his season debut in late October. But his production fell off a cliff the rest of the season, and he finished the campaign with just one goal in 33 games after the All-Star break. He was a non-factor in the playoffs, too, going without a point and posting a -4 rating in 11 games.
At nearly $5MM per season, they can’t stomach that level of inconsistent play in an offseason where new contracts are needed for most of their defense and a few key forwards, such as top pending UFA center Elias Lindholm. Teams around the league know that, Seravalli reports, and are asking the Canucks to attach assets to Mikheyev’s contract in any trade talks, but Allvin is “balking” at the notion.
Per Seravalli, the Canucks are countering teams’ asks by “saying that it takes a full year to recover from ACL repair, and Mikheyev should be much better next season.” But if they were confident he was going to be worth the money he’s owed next season, why would they be looking to move him?
Mikheyev is a rare overseas undrafted free agent signing success story, sticking in the majors ever since the Maple Leafs brought him over from Russia in 2019. But his career-best point total is only 32, although he did make it happen in only 53 games for the Leafs in 2021-22. That platform year earned him the four-year, $19MM commitment from Vancouver with a 12-team no-trade list throughout.
While he replicated that 0.6 points per game pace in his first year with the Canucks, he hasn’t been able to stretch that level of offensive performance over a season in which he’s stayed healthy. His 78 games played this season was actually a career-high by quite a wide margin, eclipsing the 54 contests he played in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.
If there was one season left on his deal, it may be a different story. But with two years left and reduced leverage due to his no-trade list, it’s a near-certainty that they’ll need to give up assets to completely get out from under his deal. Buying him out is also an option and would yield a cap penalty ranging from $1.15MM to $2.15MM annually over the next four seasons, per CapFriendly.
Little Action On Contract Talks For Hronek
Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek is one of the more prominent pending restricted free agent blueliners this summer. The 26-year-old had a career year in 2023-24, recording 48 points in 81 games while logging over 23 minutes a night, numbers that would serve him well in an arbitration hearing. However, Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province reports that there has been little action on contract talks on a new deal for several months. Vancouver has to issue a $5.28MM qualifying offer later this month, something they should have no concerns about doing. However, with the arbitration filing deadline coming early in July, it stands to reason that they should start discussions with Hronek’s camp in the near future.
Canucks Have Not Made Offers to Myers, Lafferty
Heading into the offseason, the Vancouver Canucks have several quality players heading for unrestricted free agency. In an article today by David Pagnotta of TheFourthPeriod, he touches on the organization’s negotiations with defenseman Tyler Myers and forward Sam Lafferty.
A little over a week ago, it was reported that both Myers and the Canucks wanted to pursue an extension — but it will need to be for a much lower AAV than his previous $6MM salary. It does not appear that the two sides have even started exchanging salary figures, which could push Myers towards unrestricted free agency on July 1st. Vancouver has four defensemen set to hit the open market with an additional restricted free agent to worry about, and the Canucks would be wise to extend some of them well before free agency kicks off.
Unlike Myers, it does not appear that Lafferty wants to extend his stay in Vancouver, but Pagnotta points out that the two sides haven’t shut the door completely. After completing his two-year, $2.3MM contract that he originally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, Lafferty has earned a shot at more earning power this summer after posting 13 goals and 24 points with the Canucks this season.
Canucks Hire Jason Krog As Development Coach
- The Vancouver Canucks have hired former NHL center Jason Krog as a skills and development coach for the NHL and AHL rosters (Twitter link). Krog played in four games with Vancouver to end a 202-game career in the NHL that was largely spent with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Krog scored 22 goals and 59 games across his career, including a single-season high of 25 points in 2002-03. He flaunted fantastic agility and skill as an undersized pivot in a physical era of the NHL – and will now look to bring those lessons to a young Canucks organization.
Canucks Notes: Lindholm, Chatfield, Zadorov
Elliotte Friedman reported on the Jeff Marek Show today that it doesn’t appear that the Vancouver Canucks will be able to hang on to pending unrestricted free agent center Elias Lindholm. Friedman referenced recent reports that the Canucks were willing to offer Lindholm a seven-year deal for $7MM per season but adds that the Canucks are reportedly looking to their next options as Lindholm’s departure becomes more of a reality.
The Canucks gave up a massive package to acquire the 29-year-old sending a first-round pick in 2024, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024, as well as two prospects and Andrei Kuzmenko to the Calgary Flames and aren’t likely to find a suitable replacement in free agency.
In other Vancouver Canucks notes:
- Rick Dhaliwal spoke today on Donnie and Dhali about Carolina Hurricanes pending free agent defenseman Jalen Chatfield. Dhaliwal said that if Chatfield reaches free agency the Canucks will have interest, however, he has also heard that the Hurricanes are pushing to re-sign him. Chatfield started his NHL career with the Canucks, dressing in 18 games during the 2020-21 season and registering one assist. He then signed with Carolina as a free agent in 2021 and has been with the team the past three seasons. Last year the 28-year-old posted eight goals and 14 assists in 72 games and averaged 15:12 of ice time per game.
- Dhaliwal also reported that all is quiet when it comes to contract negotiations between the Canucks and pending free-agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The 29-year-old was also acquired at the trade deadline and reportedly hasn’t spoke with Vancouver over the past few days. The Canucks have just over $24MM in cap space available but have pending extensions to sign in the next three seasons for Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko and will need to be careful how they allocate long-term cap space. Reports have surfaced previously that Zadorov is looking for a six-year deal at $6MM per season.
No Extension Talks Between Canucks And Tocchet Yet
- Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is heading into the final guaranteed season of his contract next season though there is a team option for 2025-26 as well. The bench boss told reporters including Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province that there have yet to be any discussions about a contract extension, nor is he concerned about that. Tocchet led Vancouver to a surprising first-place finish in the Pacific Division with 109 points, helping him earn the Jack Adams Award last month.
Casey DeSmith Expected To Test Free Agency
After being acquired right before training camp, Casey DeSmith had a solid season between the pipes for Vancouver. However, it appears it will be one and done for his time with the Canucks as Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reported in a recent appearance on Sportsnet 650 (audio link) that there have been no contract talks for the pending unrestricted free agent and that the team is likely to go with Arturs Silovs as their backup next season.
Vancouver acquired the 32-year-old from Montreal in mid-September, sending winger Tanner Pearson and a 2025 third-round pick the other way. In doing so, they were able to get an upgrade behind starter Thatcher Demko while also freeing up $1.45MM in cap space.
DeSmith played in 29 games during the regular season where he posted a 2.89 GAA and a .895 SV%, the latter number being a career low. Nonetheless, that still represented a considerable upgrade over the .871 mark from Spencer Martin and .882 from Collin Delia back in 2022-23. DeSmith also made a pair of playoff appearances following Demko’s injury before being injured himself. That gave the net to Silovs who took the net and ran with it for the rest of Vancouver’s postseason.
While Silovs is also a pending free agent, it stands to reason that he’ll earn a fair bit less on his next contract than DeSmith. Silovs is only eligible for restricted free agency and with just 19 career NHL appearances (regular season and playoffs combined), they should be able to get him signed on a short-term bridge contract around the $1MM range. Those savings could be useful as they look to try to re-sign some of their key pending unrestricted free agents, highlighted by Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.
As for DeSmith, despite his lower save percentage, he could be in line for a raise from the $1.8MM he made in each of the last two years. It’s not a great free agent class for goaltenders and there’s a good chance several backups will be moving around. That should create enough openings for there to be a market for DeSmith’s services once the market opens up on July 1st.
Morning Notes: Lindholm, Blackhawks, Larsen
The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly willing to offer pending unrestricted free agent center Elias Lindholm a contract extension around seven years and $7MM annually (as per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts). The deal if signed would be a replica of the deal Nazem Kadri signed with the Calgary Flames in August of 2022 and would be a substantial drop from his contract expectations last fall when many thought Lindholm could fetch a $9MM AAV.
While the potential offer is $7MM annually, there is no guarantee that Lindholm will sign for that, and Friedman isn’t sure that the Canucks can get a deal done at that number. The Canucks reportedly want Lindholm to return, but with the sheer volume of free agents on their roster it might be difficult to get a deal done with the 29-year-old.
In other morning notes:
- Elliotte Friedman has heard from sources that the Chicago Blackhawks would like to expedite their rebuild and may target top free agents this summer to speed things along. Friedman mentions Jake Guentzel as a possibility and also drops the name of Martin Necas. The Blackhawks have a good mix of young emerging players and veterans in their lineup but don’t have many high-end veterans on long-term deals outside of Seth Jones. Guentzel would require a huge long-term commitment from Chicago and would mark a major change in mindset from previous summers where they have dealt impact veteran players.
- Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweeted that former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen is expected to resurface soon after taking time away from hockey following his firing in April 2023. Larsen coached the Blue Jackets for two seasons and lost 102 of the 164 games during that time. Prior to being named the head coach, Larsen was an assistant in Columbus for seven years and even beat out several experienced head coaches to get the top job with the Blue Jackets. Portzline doesn’t specify where Larsen is going to go but does add that an announcement is expected in the next few days.