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Allvin: Canucks Still Looking For Center Help

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Ever since they traded J.T. Miller midseason, the Canucks have been on the lookout for help down the middle.  However, they haven’t had any success doing so just yet.  Speaking with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, GM Patrik Allvin acknowledged that he hasn’t given up looking for center help just yet and continues to keep an eye on the market:

As Allvin noted, there hasn’t been much in the way of available impact centers this offseason.  Several free agents ultimately re-signed with their teams while the trade market hasn’t materialized either, especially with so many teams joining the Canucks in their pursuit of a middleman.  As things stand, Filip Chytil projects to be Vancouver’s second center heading into training camp, a spot on the depth chart he hasn’t held too often in his career.

Kravtsov Won't Look To Return To Russia If Sent To Minors

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  • After a successful KHL season, winger Vitali Kravtsov surprised some with his decision to sign a two-way deal with the Canucks over the summer. Speaking with Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-Express, he discussed his departure from Traktor while also noting that he won’t be looking to return home should he make it through waivers unclaimed and be sent to the AHL.  Kravtsov had 27 goals and 31 assists in 66 KHL contests last season.

Kiefer Sherwood Changes Agents

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After a breakout showing last season, Canucks winger Kiefer Sherwood is one of the more intriguing under-the-radar potential 2026 unrestricted free agents.  Whenever Vancouver talks about an extension with him, however, they’ll now be dealing with a new agent.  Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Sherwood has changed agencies and is now represented by Wasserman after RSG Hockey handled the deal that landed him with the Canucks last summer.

After being more of a role player in Nashville in the first few seasons of his career, the 30-year-old became a regular for the first time in 2023-24 with the Predators.  That season, he put up 10 goals, 17 assists, and 234 hits which made him an interesting target heading into free agency.  As a result, he was able to land a two-year, $3MM contract Vancouver despite his limited track record.

But it turns out that he had another gear to get to.  Last season, Sherwood beat those personal bests from the year before, tallying 19 goals, 21 assists, and a whopping 462 hits, the latter number representing an NHL record since the stat started officially being tracked in 2007-08.  Notably, his playing time jumped to a little under 15 minutes per night.  Instead of being the fourth liner he had been earlier, he was now regularly playing in Vancouver’s middle six.

That has Sherwood well-positioned to earn a fair-sized raise on his next contract.  AFP Analytics projected a three-year deal worth around $2.75MM earlier this summer if he were to sign an extension now while another performance like this next season could push the asking price closer to the $4MM mark next summer.

It’s unknown if discussions have already started between the Canucks and Sherwood with this agent change being a move to try to get discussions rekindled or if it’s just planning ahead for talks later on.  Either way, Sherwood is going to be heading for a nice raise between now and next summer with a new representative involved in those talks.

Prospect Riley Patterson Traded In OHL

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  • A day after his trade request was made public, Canucks prospect Riley Patterson is on the move in the OHL. Niagara announced that they’ve acquired the center from Barrie in exchange for five draft picks.  The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2024 and has averaged just under a point per game in the past two seasons with the Colts, including a 25-goal, 59-point effort last season.  Vancouver has until June 1st to sign Patterson to an entry-level deal or lose his rights so there will be a lot riding on the upcoming season for him.

Canucks Had Trade Interest In Kravtsov Before Signing Him

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  • There was a fair bit of interest in Canucks winger Vitali Kravtsov before Vancouver brought him back to North America, reports Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription link). With that in mind, the team is thought to have an internal belief that the 25-year-old will be claimed off waivers if Vancouver tries to send him to the minors.  Kravtsov is coming off a strong KHL season and signed a one-year, two-way deal earlier this month.  He’ll need to get into 16 NHL games this coming season to remain RFA-eligible and based on this, he might have a shot at getting there even if he’s cut from the Canucks in training camp.

Canucks Make Multiple Changes To Hockey Ops Department

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  • Drawing nearer to the start of training camp and preseason, the Vancouver Canucks announced a few changes to their Hockey Operations department. In a public announcement, General Manager Patrik Allvin revealed three significant staff changes: Brian Hamilton has been promoted to Head Equipment Manager, Ian Beckenstein has been appointed as the Video Coach, and Taylor Phillips has taken on the role of Executive Assistant of Hockey Operations. In terms of outside hires, the team brought in Evan Mathias as the Assistant Video Coach.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Canucks, Kraken Re-Engaging In Marco Rossi Trade Talks With Wild

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While previous reports indicated the Canucks and Kraken both had interest in acquiring Wild restricted free agent center Marco Rossi at various points during the offseason, talks have been quiet for weeks now after Minnesota didn’t land the type of offers they wanted. However, with less than a month now until training camp, they’re now restating their interest in acquiring him if “contract talks between Rossi and the Wild reach a point of no return,” a league source told RG’s James Murphy. Neither club has had intensive talks with Minnesota since mid-July at the latest, the source added.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin spoke to Murphy last week and gave a rather cliché non-update on talks with both Rossi and pending UFA superstar Kirill Kaprizov, saying there were “no real updates” on either player. The two sides haven’t had serious contract discussions since June, leaving them with little time to work out a new deal if a trade doesn’t come to fruition in the next few weeks. The latter outcome is undoubtedly the preferred outcome for both sides at this point, given how the summer has transpired, but that’s been difficult too with Rossi’s desire for a lucrative long-term commitment and the Wild’s need for a top-six forward coming the other way to stay competitive.

For those reasons, the Kraken seem like a better match on paper. As Murphy’s piece pointed out, Seattle has a nearly perfect veteran to offer to satiate Minnesota’s particular desires in Jared McCann, who they were reportedly open to moving last month.

McCann has been a staple atop Seattle’s roll-four-lines attack over the last four years as one of the crown jewels of their expansion draft haul. While he’s spent more time on the wing for the Kraken as his career has progressed, he has plenty of experience down the middle and could feasibly be a direct replacement for Rossi on the depth chart to join Joel Eriksson Ek as the Wild’s top-six pivots. The 29-year-old rattled off 61 points in 82 games last season, but that was actually his lowest per-game output since his first year in Seattle. He’s also due to reach unrestricted free agency in 2027.

While Seattle has a multitude of other veteran forwards slated to hit the open market next summer, there’s likely still an appetite from general manager Jason Botterill to better align the age of their forwards on longer-term deals to match their timeline to emerge as perennial playoff contenders – still a year or two away. Rossi, who put up a nearly identical scoring line to McCann last season and is more comfortable down the middle, would be more expensive to sign than McCann’s current $5MM cap hit but is nearly six years younger. Now entering his age-24 season, he’d be giving Seattle his prime in the middle of a cost-certain deal as the cap rises if they reached a long-term commitment out of the gate.

It’s harder to see how the Canucks could put together a competitive offer for Rossi. He would be an offensive improvement over their current young second-line piece, Filip Chytil, but his concussion history means he’s not likely to move the needle for Guerin, especially if McCann is a realistic option.

It’s also worth noting that the Kraken and Wild have already connected on a trade this summer. Seattle picked up center Frédérick Gaudreau in exchange for the 102nd overall pick in this year’s draft, which Minnesota used on skilled but undersized pivot Adam Benák.

Canucks No Longer Pursuing Jack Roslovic

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Free agent Jack Roslovic’s waiting game may have cost him a potential contract offer from one team. The Canucks have “cooled off on pursuing” the top remaining UFA, writes The Athletic’s Thomas Drance.

There were talks between the Canucks and Roslovic’s camp last month, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic said at the time, leaving them as one of a small list of confirmed suitors. It wasn’t without precedent, either. Vancouver had approached Roslovic last summer as well, before he ended up taking a one-year, $2.8MM contract with the Hurricanes.

That deal saw him tie his career-high of 22 goals in 81 games while also seeing more time at center than he did in 2023-24, likely sparking some optimism that he could help fill out the Canucks’ underwhelming depth down the middle. Nonetheless, it appears Vancouver’s braintrust has now pivoted to only pursuing long-term solutions to supplement anchor Elias Pettersson and, ideally, injury-prone but high-ceiling Filip Chytil in a top-nine role.

“Vancouver is still in the market to land a centre, but the trade market is viewed as a more likely and realistic route of addressing the club’s greatest remaining need,” Drance said. “Vancouver would execute a trade today if the deal returned a credible middle-six centre — even if that centre had more of a defensive bent to their game.”

The Canucks still have $3.27MM in cap space left to facilitate a deal, per PuckPedia.

As for Roslovic, he’s getting into crunch time with only one-year deals and PTOs available for most everyone at this point of the offseason. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in early August that there were five teams with legitimate interest in him but that he was taking his time to make a decision.

Even with that intrigue and proven top-nine capability without much risk of regression – he’s still just 28 years old – a multi-year pact may simply be out of reach for him at this point. At the beginning of the summer, AFP Analytics projected him to receive a three-year deal worth north of $4MM per season. With the way the market has broken, though, he might need to settle for another one-year deal at a comparable value to last year’s $2.8MM cap hit.

Mark Kirton Passes Away

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Former NHL forward Mark Kirton, who spent six seasons in the league, passed away on Sunday, per a league announcement. He was 67.

Kirton played 266 games in the NHL from 1979 to 1985. This included stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs (who drafted Kirton in the third round of the 1978 NHL Draft), the Detroit Red Wings, and the Vancouver Canucks. His most productive season came in 1981–82, when he posted a career-high 42 points with the Red Wings. Interestingly, his career high in goals (17) came during his final season with the Canucks.

An advocate for ALS research, Kirton joined the board of ALS Action Canada after being diagnosed with the disease in 2018. Though his prognosis eventually left him confined to a wheelchair, it never diminished his unwavering efforts to advance research and raise awareness for ALS. This included his efforts to unify all seven Canadian-based NHL teams to raise funds for imperative research. Nine months later, Kirton’s long-time friend and ex-NHL Darryl Sittler announced on Parliament Hill in Ottawa that Kirton’s seven-team effort raised more than $1 million. That same day, Wayne Gretzky, who was in attendance for the announcement, called Kirton, “A hero of mine.”

The NHL Alumni Association also announced Kirton’s passing, highlighting his strength, compassion, and the lasting legacy he leaves behind—both in the hockey world and within the ALS community.

“Mark’s career in the NHL was defined by determination, teamwork, and heart. Off the ice, he brought those same qualities into his fight against ALS. Faced with one of life’s toughest challenges, he chose to become a voice and champion for others, raising awareness and inspiring hope. His courage was unshakable, his advocacy was selfless, and his spirit touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. Mark was not only a teammate but also a friend, mentor, and role model,” the release said.

Kirton is survived by his wife, Lisa, and their three children. Pro Hockey Rumors sends our condolences to Kirton’s family, friends, and loved ones.

Summer Synopsis: Vancouver Canucks

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Now more than a month into the new league year, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective. Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled. Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason.  Next up is a look at Vancouver.

With the Canucks operating as both buyers and sellers last season despite not being a playoff team, it signaled which way they planned to approach the offseason.  After failing to reach an agreement with Rick Tocchet on a contract extension, the team decided to make a coaching change, appointing assistant Adam Foote as the new head coach. A significant portion of their offseason focus has been on retaining as much of their core group as possible.  GM Patrik Allvin feels that Vancouver’s underachieving in 2024-25 is not a sign of things to come.

Draft

1-15: F Braeden Cootes, Seattle (WHL)
2-47: G Alexei Medvedev, London (OHL)
3-65: F Kieren Dervin, St. Andrew’s College (Ontario High School)
5-143: F Wilson Bjorck, Djurgardens (Sweden U20)
6-175: F Gabriel Chiarot, Brampton (OHL)
7-207: F Matthew Lansing, Fargo/Waterloo (USHL)

Vancouver seemed to get all they could have wanted out of the 2025 NHL Draft. In a decisive move, the team addressed clear system weaknesses and shallow depth charts while balancing risky upside with projectable foundations. Cootes won’t have to travel far after spending the season dominating play in the middle lane of the ice for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. He brings a mix of high-pace playmaking, two-way reliability, and physical strength that Vancouver seems to be sorely missing. Those attributes led Cootes to a team-leading 71 points in 66 total games this season. He is expected to return to the Thunderbirds next season. That should provide the perfect setting for Cootes to become quicker, stronger, and more independent on the puck – all traits that should smoothly ramp him into Vancouver’s lineup in just a few years.

The Canucks backed a smart first pick with a line of upside bets. Medvedev proved to be one of the most consistent goalies in the OHL on a game-by-game and period-by-period basis in his rookie season. He recorded a fantastic 22-8-2 record and .912 save percentage in 34 games of backing a star-studded London Knights roster. He started the majority of London’s regular-season games, but was ultimately usurped in the postseason run to the OHL Championship and Memorial Cup by  21-year-old Austin Elliott. Elliott aged out of the CHL this summer, providing Medvedev a golden carpet to prove he can continue to perform at a top level.

Vancouver finds similar upside in Dervin, who only played in 10 OHL games this season, but looked confident and driven in every single one. He’s a high school star who led St. Andrew’s College with 79 points in 50 AAA games this season, but managed just three points with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs. He’s a bet on athleticism, confidence, and instinct, but one that Vancouver balances with the diligent two-way play of Bjorck. Bjorck demonstrated a strong ability to make plays in both slots last season and will be heading to Colorado College, where he is likely to continue focusing on responsible, gritty hockey. The Canucks find a similar balance in the mix of goal-scorer Chiarot and high-skill passer Lansing to round out their class.

Trade Acquisitions

F Evander Kane (from Edmonton)
F Ilya Safonov (from Chicago)
F Chase Stillman (from Pittsburgh)

Amid a summer with minimal new additions, Vancouver found a way to land a potential top-six winger on the trade market. They acquired Kane from the Oilers for a fourth-round draft pick. The 34-year-old winger missed the entire 2024-25 regular season due to abdominal and knee surgery, but returned for 12 points in 21 postseason games. That scoring pace would have put Kane on track for 41 points across 82 games, well in line with his performance over the last few seasons. He’s routinely challenged the 20-goal and 40-point marks, even while missing extended time to injury and personal incidents. While age will be a concern, landing Kane’s routine scoring output could be a major boost to the middle of Vancouver’s lineup.

Vancouver also landed the rights to two intriguing prospects in Safonov and Stillman. The former has spent the last four seasons in a locked-in role with the KHL’s Kazan Ak-Bars, and scored an encouraging 22 points in 51 games this season. He’s a 6-foot-5 center who makes his mark by dominating space close to the net. In contrast, Stillman is a versatile center who operates well in all three zones. He can make important plays, but is still searching for his offensive spark in the minor leagues. He’ll likely head to the Abbotsford Canucks with hopes of winning Sammy Blais’ vacated role, while Safonov has yet to be convinced to move over from Russia.

UFA Signings

D Derek Forbort (one year, $2MM)^
D Guillaume Brisebois (one year, $775K)*^
F Brock Boeser (seven years, $50.75MM)^
D Jimmy Schuldt (two years, $1.55MM)*
F Joseph Labate (one year, $775K)*
F MacKenzie MacEachern (two years, $1.55MM)*
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (one-year, $775K)

* denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

Given that Allvin publicly expressed disappointment over the low-quality trade offers for Boeser at the deadline and noted the absence of negotiations for a new contract between that time and the draft, it was widely anticipated that Boeser would enter the open market and likely move on to another team. This expectation was further heightened by the fact that he was one of the key players in a free-agent class that had significantly weakened in the days leading up to July 1st.  However, not long before free agency officially opened, the two sides took one last run at getting something done and worked this deal out, one that might have been a bit under market value given what Nikolaj Ehlers went for.  Boeser might not be the 70-plus-point player he was in 2023-24 regularly, but he’s a reliable secondary scorer, and he’d have been hard to replace had he gone elsewhere.

Their next-biggest signing was also a re-signing of Forbort.  Although he missed some time due to injuries and an illness, he consistently delivered solid performances as a third-pairing defenseman when he was in the lineup. This reliability earned him a new contract at a slight increase from last season, likely allowing him to anchor the third pairing once again.  Joseph comes over after splitting last season between St. Louis and Pittsburgh, where he failed to gain a foothold with either squad.  But with a track record spanning nearly 200 games, he’ll likely have the leg up on the seventh defenseman spot ahead of Brisebois.

RFA Re-Signings

F Aatu Raty (two years, $1.55MM)
F Arshdeep Bains (two years, $1.55MM)
F Max Sasson (one year, $775K)
D Jett Woo (one year, $775K)*
G Nikita Tolopilo (two years, $1.55MM)*
F Vitali Kravtsov (one year, $775K)*

* denotes two-way contract

Vancouver’s RFA re-signings this summer revolved around potential role players.  Raty did well in limited minutes in 33 games last season and is now waiver-eligible for the first time, giving him a leg up in the battle for the final few spots on the forward depth chart.  Sasson made his NHL debut last season, playing 29 games where he fit well on the fourth line, which earned him a one-way contract.  He’ll likely battle with Bains (who was recalled eight separate times last season) to try to land a spot on the opening roster.

The biggest wild card from this group is the one who most recently signed, that being Kravtsov.  The 26-year-old last played in the NHL during the 2022-23 season with the Vancouver Canucks, where he underperformed after being traded from the New York Rangers. He then returned to his home country and played in the KHL for two years with Traktor Chelyabinsk. During his time there, he saw a resurgence in his offensive performance, finishing as one of the top scorers in the league last season with 58 points in 66 games.  Will that be enough to earn him a spot or a flyer as a waiver claim in training camp?  While it’s not a big story, it will be an intriguing subplot to follow.  Kravtsov will need to play in 16 NHL games this season to remain RFA-eligible.  Otherwise, he’ll be a Group Six unrestricted free agent.

Key Extensions

F Conor Garland (six years, $36MM)
G Thatcher Demko (three years, $25.5MM)

The Canucks wasted little time getting these two signed, as both deals were inked on the opening day of free agency.  Garland’s had been leaked a few days prior, and it’s an agreement that should finally put an end to the on-and-off speculation about his future with the franchise, something that had gone back multiple seasons.  Garland has ranged between 46 and 52 points over the last four seasons, becoming a reliable producer of secondary scoring.  The deal is an indicator of where Vancouver expects the secondary winger market to go, and if he stays in this point range for the foreseeable future, they’ll have him locked in at a reasonable cost.

Demko’s deal is a much riskier bet.  Several top starters have surpassed the $8MM mark on their most recent contracts, and when you look at Demko’s overall track record, he certainly belongs in that category. Last season was difficult for him as he recovered from a knee injury, then suffered a back injury, followed by a lower-body issue.  In between, his numbers were slightly below league average.  The Canucks believe that last year’s performance was an outlier and that he will soon return to form. Once this deal is finalized, they will have one of the most expensive goalie tandems in the league, featuring him and Kevin Lankinen.

Departures

F Lucas Forsell (unsigned)
D Christian Felton (unsigned)
D Cole McWard (signed with Islanders)
F Tristen Nielsen (signed with AHL Colorado)
F Ty Glover (unsigned)
F Akito Hirose (unsigned)
D Christian Wolanin (unsigned)
F Nate Smith (unsigned)
D Noah Juulsen (signed with Flyers)
F Phillip Di Giuseppe (signed with Jets)
F Pius Suter (signed with Blues)
G Arturs Silovs (trade with Penguins)
F Dakota Joshua (trade with Maple Leafs)

Although the Canucks didn’t stand to lose much this offseason in free agency, the departure of Suter could prove to be a crippling one. It was already well known that the Canucks were looking to address their depth at the center position, especially after moving J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers last season. Suter left for the Blues, signing a two-year, $8.25MM contract, which is something that Vancouver shouldn’t have had any issues matching. Given that assumption, it stands to reason that Suter was simply uninterested in continuing his career in British Columbia.

Assuming Chytil stays healthy and performs up to his standards, the Canucks will have a significant drop-off in center depth beyond him. Raty has earned the opportunity for more minutes at the NHL level, though it’s difficult to imagine him as a consistent third-line center on a playoff-caliber team. The same can be said about Blueger, despite him being an established NHL player at this point in his career.

Meanwhile, Silovs could become a significant subtraction, though he hasn’t shown much staying power in the NHL. Still, it’s difficult to overlook his AHL performance in last year’s Calder Cup playoffs, as Silovs managed a 16-7-0 record in 24 games with a .931 SV% and 2.01 GAA en route to a Calder Cup championship.

Salary Cap Outlook

The recent decision by Joshua accounts for all of the $3.27MM in cap space available, according to PuckPedia.  That gives them flexibility to try to add another piece closer to training camp or a chance to bank some extra room early in the season.  The Canucks often make moves earlier than other teams, and if they can stay injury-free, they are well-positioned to do so.

Key Questions

Will Pettersson Bounce Back? The Canucks’ competitiveness largely depends on Elias Pettersson returning to form. Yes, they have arguably the best defenseman in the league aside from Cale Makar (and sometimes better), but Vancouver won’t truly be considered a contender without a top-line forward. The drama between Pettersson and Miller has been well-discussed throughout the NHL world, and has seemingly passed with the former’s trade to the Rangers last season. Still, Pettersson didn’t significantly improve after Miller’s departure, and it remains to be seen if he can cross the 100-point plateau as he did two years ago. If he can, the Canucks will have a real opportunity to reach and even excel in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. Unfortunately, if he doesn’t, it’s difficult to see them making any noise in the playoffs, let alone reaching.

Will Demko Rebound? Despite signing a multi-year extension with Vancouver, Demko has a lot to prove with the Canucks this season. Injuries limited him to 23 games during the 2024-25 campaign, and Lankinen proved he could handle starting minutes. Still, Demko is only a year removed from finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting, and Vancouver would be in a much better position in the standings had they gotten that kind of goaltending last year. If the Canucks can get a rebound season from Pettersson, a return to form for Demko, and a healthy year from Hughes, Vancouver could be a decent bet to return to the postseason.

PHR’s Brian La Rose also contributed to this post.

PHR’s Brennan McClain also contributed to this post. 

Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images (Boeser)

Photo courtesy of Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images (Pettersson)

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