The Vancouver Canucks are awash in cap space this summer, but given their large handful of pending free agents, they may have to replace a wide array of key contributors this offseason.
The Canucks find themselves at something of an inflection point, a team on the rise with significant needs if they hope to maintain the momentum they generated this past season.
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While there is value to be had in unrestricted free agency — Canucks hockey operations proved adept at identifying it last summer — there are some needs the club may not be able to address on the open market — a star-level top-line forward, size on the wings and a quality third-line centre in particular.
Some ingenuity and some of this Canucks management group’s trademark aggressiveness on the trade market may be required to help get this team over the hump and into the mix as a top Stanley Cup contender.
With fewer than three weeks remaining in the league year, let’s rank some of the best targets that could move this offseason in terms of their potential fit in Vancouver — with a focus on star-level forwards, depth forwards with size and third-line centre candidates. Note that the attractiveness of the player’s contract and the probable acquisition cost are factored into our ranking.
Top targets
Mitch Marner
The gifted, mercurial Toronto Maple Leafs winger is a constant headline maker on an expiring deal with a massive cap hit and full trade protection — and a history of underperforming in the playoffs.
Now there’s no reason to think Marner, if he even agrees to move this summer, would welcome a deal to another madcap Canadian hockey market. If he’d consider it, however, he’d be a near-perfect fit in the Vancouver lineup.
And he’s poised to be the most speculated about potential trade chip this summer.
Playoff struggles aside, Marner’s playmaking ability and play-driving would fit well on Elias Pettersson’s wing. He’d help Vancouver drive entries on the power play and is versatile and dynamic enough five-on-four to help facilitate Rick Tocchet’s preferred movement-based approach.
Perhaps most compellingly, in addition to being a skilled, productive playmaker, Marner is an elite penalty-killing forward, giving him a toolkit that would seem to mesh well with Vancouver’s core as a potential over-the-top piece.
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It’s now somewhat widely understood that Marner is overpaid by a couple of million per season on his second contract, but on a one-year deal, that likely helps keep the acquisition cost somewhat reasonable for a bona fide top-of-the-lineup price in a potential trade.
If possible, this would be a deal very much worth making for the Canucks.
Nikolaj Ehlers
Perpetually underutilized by the Winnipeg Jets and entering the final year of his contract, Ehlers is a trade target to keep an eye on this summer.
If the Danish-born winger shakes loose and out of Winnipeg this summer, there’d be no potential addition with more game-breaking upside on the trade market than what Ehlers can bring to the table if he were acquired by the Canucks.
Lightning-quick with a lethal shot and playmaking flair, Ehlers is a true offensive force with some untapped upside given how infrequently he’s been given the sort of deployment — in terms of both minutes and safe first power-play unit time — commensurate with his production and skill level during his Jets career.
The cost of acquisition in a potential Ehlers deal would be mammoth, but a pair of Pettersson and Ehlers would give Vancouver a loaded top-six forward mix.
Pavel Buchnevich
The Blues are in a retool and with Buchnevich entering the final year of his $5.8 million AAV contract, they’ll have to extend or trade him. Keeping Buchnevich would be a no-brainer if this decision was solely based on talent. But does it make sense for a Blues team that isn’t in its contention window to hand out a lucrative extension to a winger who’ll turn 30 by the time his next contract kicks in?
Vancouver should be all over Buchnevich if he hits the market. The 6-foot-1 winger is a slam-dunk all-around top-line winger. He’s produced at a 78-point-per-82-game rate over the last three seasons, is a strong play-driver and plays a heavy, tenacious forechecking style that would fit exceptionally well under Tocchet. Buchnevich is also very reliable defensively and was the Blues’ second-most used penalty-killing forward this past season.
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Buchnevich is a do-it-all top-of-the-lineup stud. The cost to acquire him will be steep, but if Vancouver’s confident about extending him long-term, it’d be worth the investment.
The ‘Only if the price is right’ tier
Patrik Laine
Laine is explicitly on the trade block and his agent has permission to help facilitate a deal, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported on Thursday.
A gifted power-play marksman, Laine is preposterously skilled but has yet to find a way to adapt his game to succeed in other ways beyond overpowering goaltenders with his impossible-to-read one-time shot. He’s dealt with some injuries in recent seasons and finished the year in the joint NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
Laine isn’t an ideal fit in Vancouver, however, given what Tocchet typically demands of his wingers and where Laine is most effective — on the left flank with the man advantage, which is the same spot J.T. Miller typically operates from.
Laine may be an interesting dice roll for somebody if the price is right, but those unique considerations would limit his utility to Vancouver considerably.
Trevor Zegras
Having missed much of training camp while negotiating his second contract with the Anaheim Ducks last season, Zegras endured a miserable campaign that was also truncated by injury.
Zegras is an explosive offensive talent with some defensive limitations, but for the most part, he’s still been an effective two-way player throughout his young NHL career. He’s also been enormously productive. Even with a disastrous 2023-24 campaign factored in, Zegras has produced at a 60-point-per-82-game pace through 211 NHL games, and in an environment with little to help him elevate his game offensively.
Acquiring Zegras would be a big swing and a massive risk, but if he can put it all together, his upside is virtually limitless.
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Jordan Greenway
Vancouver has reportedly had its eye on Greenway in the past. If Dakota Joshua walks in free agency, Greenway could be attractive as a big-bodied, two-way third-line winger.
The 6-foot-6 Sabres winger has a proven, long-term track record of driving strong defensive results. There was a three-season stretch in Minnesota in which he played on a defensive line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno that controlled 58 percent of five-on-five expected goals and outscored opponents by a whopping 29 goals because of their minuscule 1.48 goals-against-per-hour rate.
Greenway’s become more consistent over the years at playing a heavy, high-energy style. He wins battles, is a trusted penalty killer and chipped in with 28 points in 67 games (a 34-point pace). The 27-year-old left winger has one year left at a $3 million cap hit and was reportedly on the trade block ahead of the deadline.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
The 23-year-old forward had a challenging season and an uneven playoff performance this past season.
The Hurricanes have invested a lot in Kotkaniemi and seem to regard him highly, but his recent struggles and significant price tag — Kotkaniemi has six years remaining on a deal with a $4.82 million cap hit — could make him available this summer.
There’s risk in taking on Kotkaniemi, but he’s still a young player and has a complementary skill set to what Vancouver’s other pivots bring to the table. He’s also versatile enough to play an energy role on the wing effectively and is capable of holding up in tough minutes in that role.
Mikael Granlund
If Elias Lindholm walks, the Canucks will need to find a third-line centre. That box will be challenging to check in free agency because of how weak the centre market is (there are only five pending unrestricted free-agent pivots this summer who scored more than 30 points in 2023-24). This is where Granlund could be a candidate depending on the cost.
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The 32-year-old playmaking Finn is entering the final year of a $5 million AAV contract. After a challenging 2022-23 season in which his two-way metrics fell off a cliff, Granlund bounced back in his first year as a San Jose Shark. He led the club with 60 points in 69 games, 15 more than his next closest teammate.
Granlund’s two-way play-driving ability would be the big X-factor. If the Canucks are confident it could hold up and if the price is cheap, he’s worth kicking tires on.
The ‘we can’t afford to part with that many assets’ tier
Martin Necas
Necas is one of a handful of top-line forwards who could move this summer.
The star 25-year-old winger is a slick, skilled player with a power forward’s frame and significant utility on entries and as a puck carrier through the neutral zone. There are some hockey IQ gaps in Necas’ skill set, but he’s been a productive forward with the Hurricanes and a play-driver with significant two-way value.
He’s also a player that the Canucks have reportedly eyed in the past.
The ask for Necas will be significant. Forwards his age (25) with his size and skill level and a couple of years of cost-controlled years remaining, even if that control is annoying to administer due to his arbitration rights, simply don’t shake loose very often. It’s most probable that the price to acquire Necas will exceed Vancouver’s appetite this summer.
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The ‘hey, we like him if you need to make cap space’ tier
Yanni Gourde
Gourde’s fiery, sparkplug playing style, excellent defensive chops and secondary offensive production make him very appealing as a third-line centre candidate. Normally he’d be off limits, but given his age (32), his contract status (one year left at $5.16 million), the dip in his offence (33 points) and Shane Wright emerging, there is a scenario in which Gourde could become available.
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Some may be worried about his offensive drop-off in 2023-24, but a look under the hood suggests it was primarily due to bad luck. Gourde’s line generated shots and scoring chances at a nearly identical rate to 2022-23 when he scored 48 points, but they only scored on 6.4 percent of their five-on-five shots.
There’s a decent chance he’ll bounce back offensively, which, coupled with his ace penalty-killing results and grit, could be an enticing opportunity.
Radek Faksa
Faksa is a big, physical, defensive centre who has become a mainstay fourth-liner and penalty-killing specialist capable of lining up on the wing or at centre for the Dallas Stars.
Moving Faksa isn’t likely to be Dallas’ first choice, but the Stars are very close to breaking through and competing for the Cup. They also have a ton of offseason needs to address — particularly at centre and along the blue line, where Thomas Harley will need a raise and they will need to aggressively pursue upgrades with Chris Tanev and Jani Hakanpää expiring and Esa Lindell becoming extension-eligible on July 1.
The Stars have some cap flexibility, but if Jim Nill and company want to be aggressive this summer, it’s possible they’d see the final year of Faksa’s contract, and his $3.25 million cap hit, as a luxury item.
Faksa would be a very interesting fit as a potential one-year bottom-six stopgap and a player capable of providing some of what the Canucks received from pending unrestricted free agents Joshua and Lindholm.
The ‘maybe there’s something there’ upside bet tier
Jonathan Berggren
Berggren has a productive NHL resume (17 goals and 34 points in 79 career games) but he’s been unable to earn a full-time opportunity with the Detroit Red Wings. It looked like the 23-year-old playmaking winger was on that path in 2022-23 when he appeared in 67 games, but because the Red Wings beefed up their forward depth last summer, he got squeezed out and only played 12 games in 2023-24.
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Berggren will require waivers to be sent down next season, so Detroit has to commit to him or cut bait this summer. Stylistically, it’s not the perfect fit for the Canucks — he’s 5-foot-11 (albeit stocky), has two-way details that need to be sharpened and creates most of his offence from the perimeter. His offensive talent can’t be denied, though.
Philip Tomasino
A couple of years ago, Tomasino looked like he was on the path to becoming a surefire top-six forward. He dazzled with his speed and creativity, scoring 32 points in 76 games as a 20-year-old rookie despite averaging just 11:32 per game. Unfortunately, his development has been stuck in the mud since then.
Tomasino didn’t make the Predators out of camp as a sophomore in 2022-23. He was called up in the second half and again flashed tremendous promise, scoring 18 points in 31 games in a bigger role playing 15:36 per game. This season, he scored 20 points in 41 games for the Preds before being sent back down to AHL Milwaukee again.
Tomasino has the pace and skill to develop into a 50-to-60-point player, but his work rate and defensive habits prevent him from earning consistent NHL trust. This may be a problem for the Canucks considering Tocchet’s system but keep in mind Tomasino is only 22 — sometimes a fresh start unlocks the next step. Don’t forget a young J.T. Miller was once in Alain Vigneault’s doghouse with the New York Rangers.
Ryan McLeod
With breakneck speed, stout penalty killing and solid defensive habits, McLeod has quality all-around tools for a bottom-six centre. The 24-year-old has looked like a player on the cusp of taking the next step for a while, but it hasn’t materialized yet. He’s in the middle of a tough playoff run with just two points in 20 games, and this could make for a decent buy-low opportunity.
McLeod scored 30 points this season and had 11 goals and 23 points in 57 games the year before. Right now, he’s too good to be a fourth-line centre but not quite productive enough to be an ideal third-line centre on a contender. If the Canucks believe he has another gear offensively, he could be a decent 3C target.
The mutual cap dump hockey-trade tier
Christian Dvorak
Due to forces outside of his control and a tough run of injuries, it just hasn’t worked out for Dvorak in Montreal.
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Over the past three seasons, the past two of which ended prematurely with season-ending injuries to his knee and pectoral, Dvorak has averaged just 50 games played per season. So there’s significant risk in his profile.
He’s entering a key contract year, however, and has continued to be productive and defensively reliable when he’s in the lineup. He played arguably the best hockey of his career for Tocchet while a member of the Coyotes organization. And he could fill a key need as a two-way centre in the wake of Lindholm’s probable departure as a pending unrestricted free agent.
Perhaps most importantly, Dvorak is a distressed asset in the final year of his deal with a $4.45 million cap hit. That’s a near match, and one year shorter, than what Vancouver is locked into with Ilya Mikheyev’s deal. If Vancouver were to sweeten a potential deal, would a Dvorak acquisition be a relatively high-risk, high-upside method of reallocating some of its inefficient money off the wings and into the key third-line centre spot?
(Top photo of Mitch Marner: Bob Frid / USA Today)