Yesterday, we wrote about
the relatively small handful of true, blue top-six centres still available on the trade market. With GM Patrik Allvin and Co. of the
Vancouver Canucks said to be on the summer-long lookout for additional centre depth, it’s a reasonable thing to be thinking about.
But if we’re talking in terms of realism, we have to admit that none of the players who made that list are particularly realistic options at this point in the offseason. Really, any genuine top-six centre – particularly in this centre-starved economy – is going to cost either cap space or trade capital far over and above what the Canucks have available, and probably both.
Maybe Allvin still has a rabbit or two up his sleeve, and will be able to work his magic on a transaction of unforeseen magnitude.
If not, however, it’s probably off to the bargain bin. Which, it should be noted, is not unfamiliar territory for this Canucks’ front office. The player who filled that 2C role for the latter portion of the 2024/25 season – and even the 1C role for a minute or two – was Pius Suter, signed in the late summer of 2023 to a two-year, $1.6 million AAV contract. In the end, Suter returned close to quadruple the value of that salary.
So, it is definitely possible for the Canucks to go discount shopping for centres and still wind up with a win. Is it likely? Maybe not, but there are certainly some intriguing options on the block at the same time, and we’ve collected a number of them for you to consider below.
The Buy-Low Bargain Bin Options
Evan Rodrigues
31, 5’11”, 182lb, $3 million AAV until 2027
| | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Corsi |
| 2024/25 | 82 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 57.1% |
Rodrigues has already been identified as the player most likely to be traded in order to get the Florida Panthers under the cap. If so, he’s a name well worth looking into. Able to play all three forward positions, including centre, Rodrigues is probably best described as a very good bottom-six player. That said, he’s scored as many as 19 goals and 43 points in a single season and, perhaps more importantly, has notched 30 points in his last 45 playoff games.
In other words, Rodrigues is a player who can make a big-time impact without bringing a big-time salary. One could imagine him providing adequate coverage at centre for Filip Chytil’s likely injuries, and flipping back over to the wing when necessary. He’s also a player who has some history with Allvin and Jim Rutherford during his time in Pittsburgh.
The Panthers would be looking to dump Rodrigues for picks and prospects, and would hope to take back no salary in the transaction. This would necessitate the Canucks trading a winger elsewhere, but that’s easy enough to accomplish. The real question is how high of a draft pick the Panthers are asking for. The bidding could definitely get as high as a second-rounder, but the Canucks would hope that Florida’s somewhat immediate need to cut cap might drive the price a smidgen lower.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
25, 6’3”, 203lb, $4.82 million AAV until 2030
| | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Corsi |
| 2024/25 | 78 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 58.1% |
We’ve heard tell of the
Canucks being interested in Kotkaniemi before, and we imagine that hasn’t changed much, given their current search for a centre.
The Hurricanes certainly have the forward depth to give him up. But one issue at play here is that Carolina missed out on Mitch Marner in free agency, which has left them with a boatload of cap space. In other words, they don’t
really need to cut cap, and so they don’t really need to part ways with anyone, including Kotkaniemi.
If, mid-season, the Hurricanes decide to make improvements and want to clear space at that point, then maybe Kotkaniemi hits the trade block again. For now, however, we imagine they’re hanging onto him.
Ross Colton, Colorado Avalanche
28, 6’0”, 194lb, $4 million AAV until 2027 (12-team NTC)
| | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Corsi |
| 2024/25 | 61 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 53.6% |
Colton is a particularly interesting option, in that he reportedly strongly prefers the centre position, and has chafed at having to play the wing so often in Colorado. With Colorado fairly close to the cap ceiling, there is a chance that they look to swap Colton out for someone who fits their lineup a little better, and that’s where the Canucks could step in.
He has been a fairly consistent 30-point scorer since joining the NHL, and has put up as many as 40 in a season. At this age, it’s probably too late to expect a breakout, but it’s worth noting that Colton has played far down the depth chart of some pretty good hockey teams. Maybe with more opportunity in the top six, more production could be possible?
To acquire Colton, the Canucks would probably need to be willing to give up a particularly versatile winger, like a Drew O’Connor or a Nils Höglander. Is that worth their while? That depends largely on what they think of Colton’s potential to produce more.
Barret Hayton, Utah Mammoth
25, 6’1”, 200lb, $2.65 million AAV until 2026
| | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Corsi |
| 2024/25 | 82 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 57.7% |
It’s easy to see how
Hayton might be getting lost in the shuffle as the Utah Mammoth build up their roster. Technically, he’s slotted in as their 2C for the 2025/26 season, but that could change as younger forwards look to usurp his role. Hayton’s production has grown a little stagnant over his past three seasons, stuck somewhere in that 40-point range, and perhaps we’re approaching ‘change of scenery’ territory.
The Mammoth wouldn’t be looking to sell Hayton off for draft picks or cap space, as they’ve got plenty of each. Instead, they’d probably be looking to add some scoring depth to their wings. A Hayton-for-Höglander trade might make a lot of sense, though the Canucks would have to be comfortable knowing they’re dealing skill-for-position, essentially.
Cole Sillinger, Columbus Blue Jackets
22, 6’2”, 203lb, $2.25 million AAV until 2026
| | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Corsi |
| 2024/25 | 66 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 45.3% |
Another player soon to be lost in the organizational shuffle is Sillinger,
who we wrote about earlier in the offseason.
The son of a former Canuck, Mike Sillinger, Cole was drafted with high potential but has struggled to realize it at the NHL level. Now, he runs the risk of being pushed further down the Columbus depth chart by a blend of new acquisitions and younger prospects making the climb.
With his reasonable salary, there’s no direct impetus for the Blue Jackets to sell Sillinger. But if they foresee his minutes falling in the upcoming season, maybe they look to sell as high as they can.
Like with Hayton, we’d imagine the Blue Jackets are looking for more established NHL talent in any swap, and that’s probably, again, a winger-for-centre type trade. With Sillinger still only 22, however, expect the cost to be slightly higher, as is often the case when paying for potential.
Michael Rasmussen, Detroit Red Wings
25, 6’6”, 220lb, $3.2 million AAV until 2027
| | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Corsi |
| 2024/25 | 77 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 46.0% |
Another local product, and a sizeable one at that. Rasmussen’s physical dimensions get the most attention, and that’s a large part of why he was drafted ninth overall back in 2017. But there had to be some genuine skill in there, too, at least at one point.
Rasmussen hasn’t really broken out yet at the NHL level, with a career high of just 33 points. But he’s mostly played bottom-six minutes for bad teams in Detroit, and is only 25 years old, so perhaps there’s a breakout yet to be had. Obtaining bigger minutes in his hometown seems like it might be a good way to affect said breakout.
For the Red Wings’ part, they’d be looking to move Rasmussen to clear space for younger centres, like Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson. In that scenario, Detroit is probably looking for a draft pick-based return, which would necessitate the Canucks dumping some salary elsewhere.
The Still-Lingering UFA Crowd
Of course, the UFA route remains open…if largely unpopulated.
Jack Roslovic, UFA
28, 6’1”, 198lb
| | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Corsi |
| 2024/25 | 81 | 22 | 17 | 39 | 57.9% |
Roslovic is easily the most productive UFA left on the market, but the issue is that he puts up the majority of his points on the wing, not at centre. Sure, he can play the position, but perhaps not well enough to move the needle for any contender, or even a would-be contender.
We know the Canucks have been interested in Roslovic in the past. But the fact that they looked into so many other UFA targets first – including Christian Dvorak – leads us to believe they’ve already decided Roslovic is no longer the solution they are looking for. The last thing they need at this point is another winger.
Robby Fabbri, UFA
29, 5’11”, 185lb
| | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Corsi |
| 2024/25 | 44 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 42.1% |
Fabbri also falls into the same Roslovic camp as a better winger than a centre, though he has a touch more experience down the middle.
Unfortunately, Fabbri has suffered a preposterous amount of injuries in his career. But he’s typically hovered above a 0.5 PPG rate through most of his playing time, which is better than can be said for many of the names on this list. However, it should be noted that last season’s 16 points in 44 games was one of Fabbri’s worst results.
In the end, he’s probably not a better option than what the Canucks already have on hand internally, and not really worth anything more than a possible PTO.
Joe Veleno, UFA
25, 6’1”, 201lb
| | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Corsi |
| 2024/25 | 74 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 45.0% |
Speaking of PTOs…
Veleno was traded to and then bought out by the Seattle Kraken, and has yet to find a new home.
Unlike Roslovic and Fabbri, Veleno is a true centre and was once considered a centre with top-six potential, at that. So far, however, he’s topped out at 28 points in a season and has largely been unable to translate his offensive skill to any higher level than the AHL.
If the Canucks still see some potential left in Veleno at age 25, he might make an interesting camp invite. In a worst-case scenario, he’s someone who could provide veteran depth in
Abbotsford, a la
Sammy Blais.
But hanging any real hopes on him is probably a bridge too far.
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