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[Vancouver Canucks]

5 Canucks whose trade protection changes as of July 1, 2025

The date of July 1 is typically a very important one on the NHL calendar, and one especially important for the Vancouver Canucks. It’s Canada Day, of course. More hockey-specifically, it’s also the opening day of the Free Agent Frenzy, when expiring UFA contracts formally expire and new ones are signed – usually at a very expensive rate.

But something also happens on July 1 each year that doesn’t get as much attention, and that’s the official transition from the previous contractual season to the next one. For all those contracts that don’t expire this offseason, July 1, 2025, will mark the point at which they switch over from the 2024/25 season to the 2025/26 season.

This could mean a change in salary, in bonus structure, or – as you’ve probably guessed from the content of the headline – in trade protection clauses.

Now, one trade-protection-related change has drawn a lot of attention already, and we’ll be covering that one first. But Elias Pettersson Sr. is not the only Canuck who will be gaining a protective clause as of July 1, 2025. So, too, will four others.

Definitions: A no-movement clause, or NMC, prevents a player from being traded, waived, or assigned to the minors without the player’s approval. A no-trade clause, or NTC, only prevents a player from being traded without their approval (meaning they can still be waived and/or reassigned). Some NTCs only grant a player a list of a certain amount of teams that they can block a trade to, and those are listed as an ‘X-team NTC.’

Elias Pettersson​

Pettersson gains a full no-movement clause for the remaining seven seasons of his latest contract. The reason he’s getting it now, and not in the first year of this extension, is his age – only seasons in which a player would have reached UFA status are eligible to include protective clauses.

This is the one we alluded to in the intro, because it’s received by far the most attention in the media and fanbase. The general thrust of that discussion has been a notion that, if the Canucks were to trade Pettersson, they’d want to do so before the NMC kicked in, so as to keep their full array of options open. There’s also a touch of ‘now-or-never’ to it, as once the NMC is in effect, it remains so until the year 2032.

Most times, it’s considered a bit unethical to sign someone to an extension and then trade them right before their trade protection takes effect. However, one could also argue that Pettersson’s situation is unique, given how he has performed since signing the extension.

In any case, for our money, a Pettersson trade is still highly unlikely, and the odds are best that he’ll remain with the Canucks past July 1 and the start of this clause.

Drew O’Connor​

Sticking with the forward corps for now, O’Connor begins the two-year extension he signed not terribly long after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins as a pending UFA. O’Connor had no form of protective clause on his previous deal, but he gains a 12-team no-trade clause with this new contract for both of its seasons.

As you’ll see later on in the article, the ’12-team NTC’ seems to be the ‘C-tier’ trade protection package that the Canucks prefer, with the scale sliding from NMC to 15-team NTC to 12-team NTC. It’s not a particularly restrictive clause, but it does give O’Connor a little extra security, something that was no doubt valuable for him after switching addresses and being asked to commit to his new home so quickly.

From a team perspective, some might be lightly chagrined at the idea of a clear-cut bottom-sixer receiving trade protection of any sort, but that was a standard the Canucks set themselves with a couple of their previous contracts. In the end, they were probably able to save a few bucks in salary in exchange for this clause, and made the calculation that it’d ultimately be worth it. Two years ain’t that long, after all.

Filip Hronek​

Pettersson is getting all the headlines, but he’s not the only Canuck to go from no protection to full protection on July 1. Hronek, too, gains a full NMC in year two of his ongoing extension. Unlike Pettersson, however, Hronek’s NMC only runs for three seasons, then switches to a 15-team NTC in the summer of 2028 for the final four seasons of the contract.

There has been some chatter about this, and it’s similar to the Pettersson chatter – meaning, if the Canucks were going to trade Hronek, they’d be wisest to do for before the NMC kicks in, not after. But with Tom Willander and Victor Mancini still such unknown qualities, we don’t think that’s particularly likely, either.

Keeping him longer won’t impact the market for a top-pairing RD in his prime. It will just, naturally, affect the market of teams Hronek is willing to go to.

Marcus Pettersson​

Heck, Pettersson isn’t even the only Pettersson to be gaining a NMC this summer. Marcus Pettersson gets one, too, though his story is a little more complicated. Pettersson had an eight-team NTC on his previous contract, signed with the Penguins. That means that, when the Canucks traded for him, they either weren’t one of the eight teams on his no-trade list, or he specifically chose to waive it for them.

Either way, shortly after being acquired by Vancouver, Pettersson signed a six-year extension. The first three years of that deal, which begins on July 1, 2025, contain a full NMC. As of 2028, that switches to a 15-team NTC, which we’re quickly learning is the Canucks’ ‘B-tier’ trade protection package.

With Pettersson having just arrived and been extended, he wasn’t going anywhere, anyway.

Kevin Lankinen​

The lack of trade protection on Thatcher Demko’s contract has received plenty of attention this offseason. But the Canucks’ crease will not be entirely devoid of clauses after July 1. Lankinen signed a five-year extension mid-season, and that extension begins with a full NMC for two seasons, before switching to the standard 15-team NTC in 2027 for the next and final three seasons of the contract.

For the most immediate future, this might just be the most impactful clause-change for the Canucks. Lankinen is coming off a cheap, one-year, prove-it contract. And prove it, he did. For the Canucks to give Lankinen a new contract extension with trade protection off the back of that performance, only to turn around and trade him before that trade protection kicked in, would be considered dirty pool, and is something best avoided. Not that a Lankinen trade was particularly likely in the first place.

Who Already Had One?​

There are few enough players with existing trade protection on the Canucks roster that we might as well just mention them briefly here.

Jake DeBrusk has a NMC in the first three seasons of his current contract, and a 15-team NTC for the remaining four. He’s about to begin the second year of the deal.

Dakota Joshua has a 12-team NTC in all four seasons of his current contract. He is about to begin the second year of the deal.

Teddy Blueger has a 12-team NTC in both seasons of his current contract and is about to begin the second and final year of the deal.

Tyler Myers has a full NMC in the first two seasons of his current contract, then a 12-team NTC in the third and final season. He is about to begin the second year of the deal.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/5-vancouver-canucks-whose-trade-protection-changes-july-1-2025

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

A difficult season for Canucks Dakota Joshua on and off the ice: 2024-25 Year in Review

Without question, the 2024-25 National Hockey League season was a challenging one for Vancouver Canuck forward Dakota Joshua.

It started with a testicular cancer diagnosis on the eve of training camp in September and, understandably, that put hockey in perspective for the big winger who battled valiantly to rejoin his team in mid-November. On many levels, the fact that Joshua was able to resume his NHL career so quickly after the life-changing medical scare was a victory in itself. However, anyone who had watched the 29-year-old score 18 goals the previous season and four more in two rounds of playoff hockey knew Joshua wasn’t close to the best version of himself when he returned to game action.

With no training camp, preseason or first month of games that counted, Joshua was playing catch-up from the outset. And, looking back now, it’s clear he never really caught up.

If anyone deserves some grace for a subpar season, it’s the personable Joshua, who just never seemed to fully harness his natural tools of speed and size and use them to his advantage. He made his season debut on November 10th against the New York Islanders, but didn’t score his first goal until December 10th against St. Louis. And he managed to put just one puck in the net through the end of January.

Part of the issue was a mid-season leg injury suffered when he collided awkwardly with Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi in a January 3rd game at Rogers Arena. While the offence still wasn’t flowing for Joshua, he was rediscovering the physical side of his game when his season was interrupted and he was forced to miss 11 games. He returned for six, and then the season was halted for the 4 Nations Face-Off. That kind of summed up the 2024-25 campaign for Joshua. It was a series of stops and starts, and never allowed him to get into any kind of groove.

The bottom line through all the adversity was just seven goals and seven assists in 57 games. In 600 minutes at 5-on-5, the Canucks controlled 45.5% of all shot attempts and were outscored 27-18 with Joshua on the ice. This was the first year of a four-year contract that paid the Dearborn, Michigan native $3.25M per season. Based solely on money paid versus production, the Canucks did not extract value from Joshua’s new deal. Again, the reasons for that were obvious from the start.

If there were bright spots to Joshua’s season, they came later in the year. He stayed healthy and played in the team’s final 33 games of the season, with five of his goals and 10 of his points coming during that stretch. Joshua finished the year on a line with Aatu Räty and Kiefer Sherwood that showed both promise and production and perhaps provided a glimpse at a legitimate third line for next season.

And while he wasn’t a sharp as he wanted to be and despite missing 25 games, Joshua still managed to finish second on the hockey club in hits with 193. It was nowhere close to Sherwood’s league-leading total of 493, but it was still 89 more than Teddy Blueger, who was third on the list.

For pushing through a trying set of circumstances all season, Joshua was recognized by the Vancouver chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and was named the Canucks nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy. The award is presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game. Dakota Joshua demonstrated all of those traits by remaining positive while life dealt him a difficult hand.

He is a much better player than he showed in 2024-25. For obvious reasons, no one should hold his counting statistics against him. The hope is that with a clean bill of health and a full summer to train, the real Dakota Joshua will arrive at training camp looking to assert himself once again. Whether he wants one or not, he gets a pass for this past season. But with a new head coach in place – albeit one familiar with what he can offer – Joshua will have to re-establish himself and get his career moving in the right direction again.

Oh, and on a much lighter note, Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland did a nice job of working the drive-thru at a local Tim Horton’s.

It's a @TimHortons drive-through takeover!

Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland learn what it takes to work the drive-through to celebrate Tim Hortons 10th Edition Trading Cards!

Collect #Canucks player cards today and complete your set at an upcoming Trade Night in your… pic.twitter.com/r0tAogWrV3

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 7, 2024

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/diffic...-dakota-joshua-on-off-ice-2024-25-year-review

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

On flawed players, Marco Rossi, and the Canucks’ big offseason

So the Vancouver Canucks are “very interested” in trading for Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi. That, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, one of the most plugged-in beat reporters in the business.

I’ll come clean right off the hop. As soon as the idea of the Canucks trading for Rossi was brought up about a month ago — the Canucks need a top six centre, and the Wild made it clear they’re willing to part ways with Rossi — my first reaction was a negative one.

At 5’9, a 1-2 punch down the middle of Rossi and Elias Pettersson isn’t striking fear into any opponent. Rossi’s size is believed to be one of the core reasons that Wild GM Bill Guerin is open to dealing him in the first place. And of course, Rossi is an RFA, and is reportedly looking for a big pay day — another thing believed to be driving Minnesota away.

Which is what got me thinking a little bit harder about the Canucks’ big offseason ahead. More specifically, it made me come to the conclusion that the exercise the Canucks really have to go through this summer is looking at a pile of partially flawed players and choosing the ones that carry the least amount of risk but highest amount of upside.

Essentially that, if a player is reportedly available via trade, there’s likely a reason. Perfect players don’t typically hit the trade market in the offseason. Now, sometimes you get cases of players refusing to sign with a team and the team wanting to get some value back for the player they know they’re going to lose anyway.

An example: JJ Peterka out of Buffalo. The 23-year-old Peterka is likely the least flawed player currently on the NHL trade block, but as a result, he’s also probably going to cost the most to acquire.

But in cases like Rossi’s, there are clear as day reasons why his current team is open to moving him, and thus, equally clear as day reasons why an acquiring team would pause and think about it before pulling the trigger on a trade. It’s not just Rossi, either. For most of the other names out there in trade rumours, this is the case. For example, we talked about Jonathan Marchessault last week. The obvious negative there is his age and term remaining on his contract. But as we argued in that piece, as a buy-low candidate and a potential replacement for Brock Boeser at $5.5 million, the Canucks at least have to explore it.

Just like they have to explore the chance to acquire a 23-year-old centre who potted 20+ goals the past two seasons (21 in 2023-24 and 24 in 2024-25) and hit 60 points this past year. Yes, we’re back to talking about Marco Rossi.

We’ve already written a full trade targets piece on Rossi, so if you don’t know much about the player, go ahead and read that, because we’re not going to rehash all that here.

The Canucks’ big offseason

To have the kind of offseason the Canucks hope to have — one that sees them back to being a fringe Stanley Cup contender like they were in 2023-24 instead of just a hit or miss wild card team — they’re going to need a lot of things to go right. And yes, as Jim Rutherford said at his end of season media availability, they’re going to need some luck.

And to get lucky, you’ve got to take some swings, and you’ve got to play the game.

A big offseason for the Canucks? That might look like taking a swing on a slightly flawed player in Rossi who might have 80+ point upside. Plus adding another top six player with a different flaw or too. And then another one. And maybe even another one.

This is all to say that before you say “No! Don’t trade for this player!”, understand that to have the offseason they hope to have, the Canucks are going to need to get more than just one player.

And chances are, at least one of those players is going to have some pretty noticeable flaws.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/flawed-players-marco-rossi-vancouver-canucks-big-offseason

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Canucks: What is Thatcher Demko’s maximum trade value this offseason?

There once was a time when the Vancouver Canucks seemed to be forever on the hunt for a quality goaltender. Most refer to those as the ‘Dan Cloutier Days.’ But ever since then, the issue has almost always been that of too many quality goaltenders, and that may be the case yet again as of the 2025 offseason.

We wrote about this recently. In short, the situation is this: the Canucks need to either be prepared to carry all three of Thatcher Demko, Kevin Lankinen, and Arturs Silovs on their roster next season, or be prepared to make a difficult decision on one of them this summer.

Lankinen was, of course, just extended on a five year, $4.5 million AAV contract that includes a full no-movement clause in the first two years. He’s not going anywhere.

Silovs, meanwhile, has brought the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup Finals with an MVP-worthy performance, solidifying himself as a summer month specialist. More relevant to this discussion, however, is the fact that Silovs will run out of waiver exemption time as of July 1, 2025. That means that he’s either playing in the NHL next season or being exposed to waivers, where he could be snatched up by another team.

Which brings us to Demko, the goaltender that seems by far the most likely to be traded. Demko is entering the last year of a $5 million AAV contract that, notably, contains no trade protection clauses of any kind.

And if Demko is going to be dealt, the obvious question left to ask is that of who might want to trade for him, and what they might be willing to give up in return.

The Player

Demko’s most recent season doesn’t exactly make him look like a prize catch. He missed massive swaths of the 2024/25 season with various injuries, including an ongoing ailment to his popliteus muscle that will reportedly never fully rebound.

In the end, Demko played just 23 games for the Canucks last season, with a record of 10-8-3, a goals-against-average of 2.90, and a save percentage of .889. Pick a statistical category, any category, and you’re likely to find among the worst results in Demko’s eight-year NHL career.

But with all that being said, Demko is just one year removed from a Vezina-nominated performance in 2023/24, in which he had a record of 35-14-2, a GAA of 2.45, and a save percentage of .918. Even better, that year’s Demko achieved some 22 goals-saved-above-expected, according to MoneyPuck, the best such result of any goalie in the league that year save for Vezina-winner Connor Hellebuyck.

Where exactly Demko’s value lies as a player depends on which version of Demko one believes he’ll be closest to when he returns to play in 2025/26. But NHL GMS do have a reputation of having long memories that are occasionally slow to update, so we’d bet on at least a few of them being able to convince themselves he’s still the Demko of a year ago – whether that’s actually true or not.

The Market

Nothing speaks more strongly to Demko’s current value than the state of the goaltending market around him.

If we were to take a casual swing at which teams might be looking for a new or upgraded starting goalie this offseason, we’d wind up with a list that includes the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Utah Mammoth. Other teams could enter that picture if they can manage to shift a current goalie to one of the teams looking, but that’s already a third of the league on the lookout.

And what does that third of the league have to choose from? Not much, as it turns out.

The list of top UFA goalies includes Jake Allen, Ville Husso, Vitek Vanecek, Alexandar Georgiev, Dan Vladar, Ilya Samsonov, and Anton Forsberg.

It’s arguable that there’s not a genuine starting goaltender in the bunch. It’s borderline inarguable that Demko wouldn’t represent a significantly better option for any team with any hope of competing, even with all his injury history considered.

If we flip our lens over to those goalies who might be traded this offseason, like Demko, we find an even shorter list. We’ve got maybe one big name in Anaheim’s John Gibson – who has just as many, if not more, questions about injuries and consistent performance as Demko – and that’s about it. Stuart Skinner, Karel Vejmelka, Joel Hofer, Linus Ullmark, or Cam Talbot could move. And maybe a team might value the consistency of someone like Vejmelka or Talbot, or the youth of Hofer, over what Demko brings. But not every team, and, in any case, there are still far more teams looking for good goalies than the amount of good goalies available.

There’s an argument to be made that Demko is the best goalie available to be acquired this offseason, and if we’re talking solely about a goalie for the 2025/26 season, that argument becomes iron-clad. And being the top goalie available on a market this thirsty must mean that some meaningful trade return is possible for the Canucks.

But what would it be?

The Potential Return

Looking for comparables can be tough, as goalie trades are relatively rare and don’t wind up setting much of a precedent for each other due to their infrequency.

Last year, the biggest goalie-related trade involved Yaroslav Askarov going to the San Jose Sharks for a first round pick, a recent first round selection, and a minor league goalie. But Askarov’s youth makes him a very poor comparable for Demko.

We could look at the previous summer’s trade of Logan Thompson to Washington in exchange for two third round picks, and worry about what that says about Demko’s value, especially given how Thompson has starred for the Capitals since. But there was some off-ice drama at play there, and that created a situation where Vegas was looking to ditch Thompson, allowing Washington to swoop in and snatch him for a bargain price. One has to hope Demko retains more value than a couple mid-round picks.

Demko’s old crease partner Jacob Markstrom went from Calgary to New Jersey last summer for a first round pick and Kevin Bahl. That’s a heavy return, and it came with Markstrom only having two years left on his contract – not far off from Demko’s one. Markstrom’s value was juiced a little bit by Calgary retaining a third of his contract, but that might not be necessary with Demko only clocking in at $5 million.

Markstrom doesn’t share the same level of injury concerns as Demko, and that increases his value. But this trade at least puts Demko in the ballpark of a return that could include a first round pick, which is definitely what many would be hoping for.

The best comparable we can offer is a trade that happened four summers ago, in July of 2021. That trade sent Darcy Kuemper from the Arizona Coyotes to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a first round pick, a conditional third round pick, and Conor Timmins.

There are a lot of parallels here. Kuemper was coming off a season in which multiple lower body injuries limited him to 27 games for the Coyotes. On top of that, Kuemper was a pending UFA, just as Demko is now.

Those two factors should have conspired to limit Kuemper’s trade value, but they didn’t. The Colorado Avalanche still identified him as their best chance at winning a Stanley Cup in 2022 and paid accordingly – and they were right. Kuemper won the Cup for Colorado, and then signed in Washington as a free agent the following summer.

Like we said, these trades are so few and far between that they don’t necessarily lay down any precedent for one another. But at least with this comparable, we see that there is a chance that a team could put together a sizeable package in exchange for a goalie that has injury concerns and a dwindling contract, sure, but one that also gives them a concrete chance to win.

Demko is the only goalie who fits this mould this offseason. There is hope that means that a first round pick is, indeed, a fair starting point in any Demko-related trade discussions (or, perhaps a more NHL-ready prospect of equivalent value, if that’s what the Canucks prefer.)

And, who knows, maybe even a little bit more on top of that?

READ NEXT: 5 Canucks whose trade protection changes as of July 1, 2025​

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-thatcher-demko-maximum-trade-value-offseason

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

NHL Notebook: Rangers trade Chris Kreider to Ducks, Oilers make lineup changes ahead of Game 4, and more

Welcome back to NHL Notebook — the series here at CanucksArmy where we deliver you news and notes from around the National Hockey League — oftentimes through a Vancouver Canucks-tinted lens.

We are just one day away from the Abbotsford Canucks kicking off their Calder Cup Final series against the Charlotte Checkers. The Checkers are the Florida Panthers’ AHL affiliate, who are also enjoying a 2-1 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers.

While outside of a few updates on the team looking into a practice facility, and some trade rumours, of course, there really isn’t much noise coming out about Vancouver – which, after the year they had, is nice. But we will likely have to wait until after Abbotsford’s run before we see any dominoes fall on how upper management will better this team.

As we wait for that to happen, other NHL teams are getting busy:

Ducks acquire Chris Kreider from Rangers​

After reports came out earlier in the week about the potential of this trade, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli confirmed on Thursday morning that the trade was finalized. The Anaheim Ducks acquired Chris Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for forward prospect Carey Terrance and Toronto’s 2025 third-round pick.

Trade details, per sources:

To #NHLDucks:
Chris Kreider
ANA 2025 4th Round Pick

To #NYR:
Carey Terrance
TOR 2025 3rd Round Pick

Rangers move up 15 spots in the #NHLDraft in the swap.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 12, 2025

The Rangers had been trying to offload Kreider and his contract since November of last season, when they sent a league-wide email to the 31 other teams informing them that he was available. In-season trades of a guy who has a $6.5 million cap hit aren’t always easy, so the Rangers had to wait until the offseason to get this one across the finish line.

Kreider has spent his entire 13-year NHL career in New York, scoring 326 goals and 582 points. His numbers are good for 10th all-time in points and third in goals – 10 goals shy of second with Hockey Hall of Famer Jean Ratelle.

Last season was his worst in the NHL, scoring 22 goals but just eight assists. Kreider found himself up and down the lineup all season, seeing his ice time dip to 16:45, his lowest average since the 2017-2018 campaign. Not only did his offensive production drop off, but his defensive play struggled as well, finishing with his lowest plus/minus rating of his career (minus-5).

The American winger had a 15-team no-trade clause and had the Ducks on his no-trade list. But he waived to join his former Captain, Jacob Trouba, and former teammate Ryan Strome in Southern California. It was also reported that Kreider had an interest in joining the Ducks to play for new head coach Joel Quenneville.

This marks the third time Rangers GM Chris Drury has managed to pull off a trade to shed salary with a California team without having to retain any money on the deal. First Barclay Goodrow to the San Jose Sharks, and then Trouba last season.

With this move, the Ducks are fully bought into improving the team to burst through their rebuild and make the postseason for the first time since 2017-2018. The Ducks have $32 million left in cap space to use this postseason to continue and better the team. And after a 21-point improvement in the standings last season, they will only be a more difficult opponent for the Canucks to battle with in the Pacific Division.

Oilers make lineup changes ahead of Game 4​

After an embarrassing 6-1 loss in Game 3, the Edmonton Oilers will be making some lineup changes ahead of what feels like a do-or-die Game 4.

According to Daily Faceoff, Jeff Skinner will replace Viktor Arvidsson up front, while former Canuck Troy Stecher will come in for John Klingberg.

Expected #LetsGoOilers changes for Game 4:

IN ▲ Jeff Skinner
IN ▲ Troy Stecher
OUT ▽ Viktor Arvidsson
OUT ▽ John Klingberg https://t.co/VonUbACCNJ

— Daily Faceoff – Fantasy (@DFOFantasy) June 12, 2025

Coming into Game 3 riding a three-game point streak, Arvidsson will be sitting up in the press box tonight. Arvidsson’s ice time dipped to under 10 minutes for the first time since Game 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Skinner draws into the lineup for only the third time this postseason. However, when he does get into the lineup, he makes a difference, registering points in both games. The Oilers need an offensive boost after just the one-goal outing, and Skinner’s shot will be a weapon in the lineup. Skinner took line rushes with Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic at morning skate.

After Klingberg drank from the fountain of youth during this postseason run. The way he was skating through the offensive zone and his ability to move the puck up the ice gave the Oilers something they didn’t have coming from their bottom pairing. However, after a team-worst minus-3, the Oilers are choosing to sit him for Stecher.

The former Canuck fit in nicely and seemed to calm things down for Darnell Nurse. Through six games this postseason, Stecher is averaging 15:56 minutes per game, recording six shots on goal and a plus-3 rating.

The Oilers made a few line changes as well. Connor Brown switches places on the top line, with Corey Perry:

EDM lines – Thursday Morning Skate:

RNH – McDavid – Brown
Kane – Draisaitl – Kapanen
Skinner – Henrique – Frederic
Podkolzin – Janmark – Perry

• Arvidsson, Ryan, Jones

Ekholm – Walman
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Bouchard

• Klingberg, Emberson, Dineen#Oilers

— Tony Brar (@TonyBrarOTV) June 12, 2025

Anze Kopitar wins Lady Byng​

In the final special announcement before tonight’s NHL Award show, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

And the "Nicest NHL Player" award goes to…

Anze Kopitar's kids surprised him with his third Lady Byng Memorial Trophy during a day of family golf in Slovenia.

Catch the 2025 #NHLAwards before Game 4 of the #StanleyCup Final TONIGHT at 6p ET on @NHL_On_TNT and… pic.twitter.com/yoLqTKXgdk

— NHL (@NHL) June 12, 2025

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is presented to the player who has exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.

The tenured King finished the season with 21 goals and 67 points with a plus-14 rating in 81 games. What earned him the award was strong play in both ends of the ice and his four penalty minutes.

This is the third time Kopitar has won the award, his first back in 2015-2016 and another in 2022-2023. This was his fourth nomination, finishing in third in 2014-2015, the year before he won the award.

Kopitar beat out Tampa Bay Lightning centre Brayden Point and Vegas Golden Knights assistant captain Jack Eichel. Last season, Canucks forward Elias Pettersson finished as the runner up to Carolina Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin. This season, another Canuck received votes as Captain Quinn Hughes earned a fourth and fifth place vote.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/nhl-no...dmonton-oilers-line-changes-ahead-game-4-more

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Canucks’ Quinn Hughes picks up Hart Trophy votes; Hellebuyck takes home the award

The National Hockey League released their final two awards ahead of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, awarding both the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy to Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck.

Hellebuyck had one of the best seasons for a goaltender in recent memory. In the 63 regular season games he appeared in, Hellebuyck finished with a 47-12-3 record, a 2.00 goals against average and a .925 save percentage, with eight shutouts. He led all NHL goaltenders in wins, goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts of netminders who played at least 50 games.

Historically, Hellebuyck’s season ranked third in wins, 25th in goals against average and 41st in save percentage in NHL history.

It was just the ninth time in NHL history that a goaltender won the Hart Trophy, with Hellebuyck becoming the eighth different netminder to do so – Dominik Hasek won the award twice, in 1996-1997 and 1997-1998.

This marks Hellebuyck’s third Vezina Trophy, winning now in back-to-back seasons and three of the last six years. The American netminder is the first goalie to win back-to-back Vezina Trophies since Martin Brodeur did it in 2002-2003 and 2003-2004.

Hellebuyck was just one vote shy of being a unanimous winner. Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy earned a lone first-place vote, with Darcy Kuemper finishing third.

Final voting results for the 2024-25 Vezina Trophy: pic.twitter.com/aZbys1X0B8

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 12, 2025

The Hart Trophy voting was a lot closer than the Vezina. Hellebuyck narrowly edged out Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, earning 137 more points than the German forward. After taking home the Ted Lindsay Trophy, voted on by the players, Nikita Kucherov finishes third in voting, beat Colorado Avalanche centreman Nathan MacKinnon by just one point.

Final voting results for the 2024-25 Hart Trophy: pic.twitter.com/ATn5o24Z8g

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 12, 2025

By looking at the ballot, Canucks fans should notice that Quinn Hughes earned himself a pair of third-placed votes, along with six fifth place votes. This coming just one season after the Canucks Captain took home the Norris Trophy as the leagues top defenceman.

Hughes was also named to the NHL Second All-Star team.

Shining brightest across the league

Congrats to Captain Quinn Hughes on being named to the 2024.25 NHL Second All-Star Team! pic.twitter.com/bWmYfz9Pqh

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 12, 2025

Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar and Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski were the two defencemen named to the first team, with Hughes joining Lightning captain Victor Hedman on the second team. Brandon Hagel, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak and Vasilevskiy round out the second team.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancou...hart-trophy-votes-hellebuyck-takes-home-award

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Canucks offseason centre trade target: Trevor Zegras

As the Vancouver Canucks and their fans look around the league with envy at various other forward corps, they’ve got to keep something in mind – Zegras is always greener on the other side.

Sorry. But we knew this particular offseason centre trade target might prove controversial, so we wanted to lighten the mood up front with a terrible pun.

Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks is a mercurial player, both in terms of the consistency of his play and in the opinions of others regarding that play. He’s gone from EA Sports cover boy to someone without a clear-cut future with the club that drafted him, and in short order.

All that being said, he remains one of the most talented forwards available on the NHL trade market this summer.

In fact, Zegras may have just become a little more available. The Ducks acquired Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers on Thursday, loading up their burgeoning forward roster a little further. Kreider ostensibly joins an Anaheim group that already includes the youth of Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Cutter Gauthier and the more veteran presence of Troy Terry, Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano, and Alex Killorn.

With prospects like Bennett Sennecke and Sam Colangelo on the way, too, it’s all starting to look a little overstuffed.

And then there’s Zegras. He’s gone from seasons of 61 and 65 points in his first two full NHL campaigns to seasons of just 15 (in 31 games) and 32 points (in 57 games) with no gap in between. It might seem like Zegras has been around for longer, but he’s about to enter his sixth NHL season, and nobody really knows what to make of him yet.

It’s the kind of situation where we typically use the phrase ‘change of scenery.’ Anaheim is stocked up well enough that Zegras is in danger of losing further opportunity, which only reduces his value further and decreases the odds of him turning it around. Combine that truth with a general perception that Zegras’ attitude and commitment levels have got in the way of his progress, and you end up with a player that the Ducks could be looking to cash in on, now, before it’s potentially too late to garner a return based on Zegras’ one-time potential.

But are the Canucks the right buyer for this distressed asset?

The Player​

The most important thing to keep in mind with Zegras is that he’s just 24 years old and will remain so for the majority of the 2025/26 season.

Zegras was drafted out of the USHL at 9th overall in 2019 and spent a single season with Boston University in 2019/20 before moving on to the pros.

He split the 2020/21 season between Anaheim and San Diego of the AHL. With the Gulls, he managed 21 points in 17 games, an impressive stat line for a teenage rookie pro. He managed 24 games in Anaheim that year as well, scoring 13 points in 24 games while retaining his Calder eligibility for the following season.

The 2021/22 season was Zegras’s first full season with the Ducks, and he came out gangbusters. An end result of 23 goals and 61 points in 75 games definitely made Zegras stand out. He was nominated for the Calder Trophy, but lost out to Moritz Seider of Detroit. But that offseason, Zegras received a different honour in the form of the NHL 23 cover, shared with the newest PWHL Vancouver star, Sarah Nurse.

Zegras’ sophomore year might not have been a major step forward, but it at least wasn’t a step back. He maintained his health and offensive output, notching another 23 goals and 65 points, this time in 81 games.

Then came the turn.

Zegras’ 2022/23 season ended with a lower-body injury that no doubt hampered his offseason plans, but not the Ducks’ plans to sign him to a three-year, $5.75 million AAV bridge deal. Unfortunately for both sides, it wasn’t too long into the 2023/24 season that Zegras suffered another LBI that kept him out of the lineup a little longer than a month – his first major injury. Then, he was only back on the ice for a few weeks before a broken ankle took him out again, this time for longer than two months.

In the end, Zegras would play just 31 games this year, with six goals and 15 points.

His most recent 2024/25 could be considered a rebound of sorts, but not a complete rebound. Once again, a lower-body injury, this time to his knee, kept Zegras out for almost two months. He managed 57 games, but just 12 goals and 32 points – both a far cry from his rookie and sophomore numbers, and definitely not the kind of statline to get EA Sports’ attention.

And that’s where we find ourselves in the present moment.

Zegras is about to begin the final year of that $5.75 million extension. He’s still young enough to be an RFA when it expires next summer. But it’s looking less and less like he’ll still be a Duck when that time comes around.

Will he be a Canuck instead?

Despite the inconsistency at play, there’s not much mystery about what type of player Zegras is. We refer to trade targets as ‘skilled’ or ‘talented’ fairly frequently, but when we use those terms in reference to Zegras, we really mean them. This is a truly high-skill individual, in the same lane that Alex Kovalev used to occupy. If NHL hockey didn’t involve defence, it’s been said that Zegras could be one of the NHL’s greatest. It’s getting consistent results against NHL defences, which has proven tricky.

Zegras’ size is fine enough at 6’0”, though he could still stand to add some muscle. His skating is good, if not great. But Zegras’ calling card will always be that almost unparalleled creativity with the puck, which could and has translated into Zegras being a truly unique playmaker.

He’s got hands, is what we’re saying, and those hands don’t go away just because of a couple of LBIs and some down years. The skill remains – but then, so do all those downsides to Zegras, like his play away from the puck and whispers of his too-casual approach to the game.

The Fit​

Usually in these articles, we talk about the cost before we talk about the fit, but we’ve switched it up this time for one simple reason: there’s a debate to be had about whether or not Zegras is worth any cost to the Canucks. No doubt some of you reading this already have him in the ‘do not acquire’ column due to his established reputation.

On the one hand, Zegras has spent as much time on the wing in the last couple of seasons as he has at centre, despite that being his natural position. If the Canucks were to trade for him, they’d almost certainly be doing so with the attention of playing him at 2C, so they’d first have to be confident about him returning to that position. For our money, we’ll note that his best NHL years came as a centre, and hope that he can get back to that.

For his part, Zegras has indicated that he does not enjoy playing on the wing, and would prefer a move back to centre – one more reason he’s probably fine being traded away from Anaheim and their abundance of pivots.

Zegras doesn’t profile as a Rick Tocchet sort of player, which raises an obvious question about how well he’d get on with Adam Foote. But at the same time, if a change of scenery trade also serves as a bit of a wake-up call and inspires Zegras to do some learning, this is a coaching staff that can definitely assist him on the defensive side of his play.

The 24-year-old would certainly make for an injection of outright scoring skill, something the Canucks are relatively short on, especially with Brock Boeser still set to depart. We worry that Zegras being more of a playmaker isn’t necessarily a fit for the wingers the Canucks have on hand, who also tend to make plays more than they directly score. But we do like the potential puck-handling combo of Zegras and Conor Garland, and we could imagine him making for a great rookie linemate for a sniper like Jonathan Lekkerimäki.

Zegras could be just what the Canucks’ anemic power play ordered, too.

The salary is definitely something the Canucks can accommodate, and unless Zegras turns it around in a major way, they don’t have to worry too much about a pay raise. If that happens, it’s a good problem.

But that’s the central issue all the same. For Zegras to be any sort of ‘fit’ in Vancouver, and especially for him to constitute any sort of upgrade on the centre depth behind Elias Pettersson, Filip Chytil, Aatu Räty, and Teddy Blueger, Zegras is going to need to bounce back – if not all the way to his rookie greatness, then at least closer to that standard than his current rate of play.

Certain past versions of Zegras would be a great fit for the Canucks. The question is which Zegras shows up.

The Cost​

Here we reach an interesting little mini-debate. Is Zegras currently worth the Canucks’ first round pick, slated at 15th overall?

The gut reaction is definitely ‘no.’ Zegras was once drafted at 9OA himself, but these last two seasons had to have depreciated his value considerably. There’s a real risk in trading an asset as good as a mid-round first for a player with this many question marks.

If there’s a real concerted belief in Zegras, especially his ability to turn it around, then it could definitely be argued that the 15OA is a fair straight-up return. But making that determination would require some due diligence, and it’s hard to imagine how the Canucks could perform that due diligence while Zegras belongs to another club.

Suffice it to say, that the first rounder is the highest price the Canucks could justify paying for Zegras, and that they’d certainly hope to land him for less.

Maybe that lesser price is a different first round pick if the Canucks can manage to acquire one for, say, Thatcher Demko or Conor Garland. Maybe it’s next year’s first with some heavy protective clauses attached.

Or maybe, just maybe, the desire for the Ducks to part with Zegras is stronger than we realize, and they’d be willing to accept a lesser package. If the Canucks could land him for something like their second-round pick and a non-top-shelf prospect, then we imagine that most would be all for it. That’s a price tag that fits the risk attached to Zegras.

Anything more than that, and we’re not sure Zegras is going to be worth it – nor do we even know how to guess, really, until we’ve seen him play a little more hockey.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-offseason-centre-trade-target-trevor-zegras

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Canucks’ draft options at 15th overall: Cole Reschny

We’re just under one month away from the NHL Entry Draft, where the Vancouver Canucks hold their first round pick for the first time since 2023.

For how long? That remains to be seen.

And yet, we continue to push forward as if they will maintain their position and select a young and hopeful prospect with the 15th pick.

With that, we give you our second potential target.

Previous targets:

• Brady Martin
• Carter Bear
• Braeden Cootes
• Justin Carbonneau
• Kashawn Aitcheson

Cole Reschny​

Team: Victoria Royals (WHL) | Age: 18 | Position: Centre | Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 187 lbs | Shoots: Left | Birthplace: Macklin, Saskatchewan, CAN

Few have enjoyed a higher jump in the rankings than the now former Victoria Royals’ centre, Cole Reschny.

Up nine spots in the Central Scouting rankings, from 34 to 25, the left-shot centre from Macklin, Saskatchewan, enjoyed one of the more potent back halves among all 2025 draftees.

Whether that be a strong playoff run, or stint at the most recent U18’s, helping Team Canada take home gold, he has solidified himself as a strong candidate to fall well within the zone of the Vancouver Canucks’ 15th overall pick.

What makes Reschny so intriguing is his blend of offensive pedigree, marked by high-end vision, with a responsible 200-foot game that should translate quite seamlessly as he climbs the ranks.

In his sophomore season with the WHL’s Victoria Royals, he exploded for 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists) in just 62 games to finish tied for ninth league-wide.

Additionally, he finished within the top 10 for plus/minus, with a career high plus-42 for the year. He followed that up with a strong playoff performance to lead the team with another 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in just 11 games, eventually falling to the high-powered Spokane Chiefs in the second round.

Once eliminated, he took that strong play and brought it to Texas, where he shone bright on the world stage. He scored five goals and eight points to earn a gold medal at the U18 World Championships.

Drawing comparisons to former WHLer Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Reschny plays a game catered to the playmaking side of things.

Equipped with one of the higher IQs in the draft, he’s constantly scanning the ice, looking for his next lane to provide a quick thread. With the pass in mind, he often jumps ahead to make the play that few see, threading quick one-touches, cross-ice tap-ins or cheeky no-looks from behind the goal line.

His ability to find the right pass is at the top of this class, and that’s evidenced by his 66 assists (sixth in the WHL). He’s patient with the puck and doesn’t force the issue when it comes to his plays. With soft hands, terrific vision and a calmness to his game, he elevates the play of his linemates.

Enjoy the string of primary assists:

Beyond the offensive tools, Reschny doesn’t skimp on his defensive responsibilities. He’s a polished and complete player and is trusted in all situations. He backchecks and breaks down rushes with an active stick and relentless pressure.

The first thing that most will write off is his size, 5-foot-10, 190 pounds. But despite his stature, Reschny doesn’t shy away from physicality, engaging in puck battles and using his strong edges to hold his own. However, adding muscle will undoubtedly help his cause as he climbs the ranks.

His new path, which will take him to the University of North Dakota, should provide a pathway to work on that strength. Whether it’s more time in the weight room or playing against more mature opponents, the NCAA is often regarded as a more professional-like environment.

Reschny compensates for that size with strong edgework and speed, which allows him to dictate the game and bring it to him. He’s slippery, he competes, and he’s as responsible as they come.

The best-case scenario for Reschny would see him thrive as a second-line centre, playing in all situations and providing a playmaking nature to a power play. The Canucks have been eyeing prospects with a mix of skill and versatility, and Reschny fits that mold perfectly.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-draft-options-15th-overall-cole-reschny

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Derek Forbort became the Canucks’ penalty killing wizard in 2024-2025: Year in Review

There was not much fanfare when the Vancouver Canucks announced that they had signed Derek Forbort to a one-year $1.5 million contract.

His signing was overshadowed by big-ticket acquisition Jake DeBrusk, local boy Danton Heinen, and playoff pest Kiefer Sherwood. He was lost in the shuffle and excitement over the Canucks’ three new forward additions.

At the time, he was viewed as a cheap replacement for Ian Cole, who signed with Utah for double what Forbort received. There was confusion later in the day when the Vincent Desharnais signing was announced. Why had the Canucks signed two big, slow, penalty killing specialists? As the season came to a close, there remained confusion over the desire to bring Desharnais into the fold, but Forbort’s merits were obvious.

Tragedy and Injury​

Three games into the 2024-25 season, the Canucks announced that Forbort had left the team due to personal reasons. Nearly two weeks later, it was revealed that his father, Keith Forbort, had passed away from colon cancer. Shortly after returning, he injured his knee in practice on an unassuming play. His knee injury kept him out of the lineup for six weeks. His season even ended with an injury.

The day before the sturdy rearguard’s season was ended, the Canucks were officially eliminated from the playoffs. Despite this, the Canucks still played with passion and were ahead by one goal into the third period.

Forbort and Minnesota Wild forward Yakov Trenin engaged in fisticuffs in front of the benches. Both participants fell with Trenin landing on top of the Canuck. As the linesman and referees jumped in to grab the players’ arms and pull them off each other, Trenin threw an unprotected punch to Forbort’s face, breaking his orbital bone.

The Wild winger was ejected from the game but faced no supplementary discipline from the NHL afterwards. Canucks’ captain Quinn Hughes classified Trenin’s actions as a “circus act” and Marcus Pettersson said it was “one of the worst things he’s seen.” The injury necessitated surgery. Forbort’s season ended much the same way it began, in pain.

Yakov Trenin gets tossed after this fight with Derek Forbort.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/oqp3XfBQOY

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 13, 2025

Eating Penalty Killing Minutes for Lunch and Dinner​

Derek Forbort is a fantastic penalty killer. To go even further, he was the best penalty killing defenceman this past season. No defenceman was on the ice with a man down for as long as he was and gave up fewer goals. Only one goal was scored for every 20 minutes of PK ice time. The next closest player was Washington Capitals defenceman Trevor van Riemsdyk, and he was on the ice for a goal against every 16 shorthanded minutes. Of the 145 qualified defencemen, Derek Forbort finished first in the league.

The raw numbers are just as good. He averaged 2:13 in PK time per game for a total of just under 120 minutes across his 54 games. He was on the ice for only six power play goals against. He was a big reason why the Canucks’ penalty kill finished third in the league.

For reference, the previous season, the Canucks were 17th in the NHL. The massive jump can’t be solely attributed to Forbort; he only played in 54 games after all, but he was a huge reason for it. When Derek Forbort was on the ice during a penalty kill, it was far more likely that the puck would not cross the goal line.

Derek Forbort finished the season with a 3.00 goals-against per 60 minutes played on the penalty kill.

No defenceman in the league had a lower GA/60 while shorthanded this season.
(Minimum 100 minutes) https://t.co/C2lWNKKY0q

— Canucks Insider (@CanucksInsider) June 3, 2025

For an in-depth look into the numbers over three quarters into the season, click here.

Offensively, he maintained what he’s shown he’s capable of for the past several seasons. In seasons where Forbort has played in over 50 games, he averages about 12 points. There’s nothing flashy or dynamic about him when the puck is on his stick. Sometimes he made a particularly deft pass in the offensive zone that could trick a viewer into thinking he was a different player. A player devoid of offensive skill wouldn’t be able to stick in today’s NHL for 500 games, which the burly defenceman passed this season.

Given his penalty killing success and respect in the lockerrom, it comes as no surprise that the Canucks re-signed the penalty killing savant to a one-year $2 million contract for the 2025-26 season. He served as a frequent on-ice partner and mentor to young defencemen Victor Mancini and Elias Pettersson. Keeping Forbort around to continue that role is important for the growth of these players. It should also be said that the addition of Kevin Dean to Adam Foote’s coaching staff was a key factor in retaining the defenceman, as their relationship stems back to his days in Boston.

His season started as badly as it could have, beginning with the death of his father and a knee injury shortly after returning to the team. Despite this, Derek Forbort persevered. He carved out a spot as the first man over the boards penalty killer and did it more effectively than any defenceman in the NHL.

As much as the results make it look like Forbort’s penalty killing work is a thing of magic, the truth is that it’s all about intelligence and effort. In a time of much strife and discord, he was a true professional. That is why Canucks’ management priotized keeping him in the fold. Most of the time, hard work pays off.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/derek-...ks-penalty-killing-wizard-2024-25-year-review

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Canucks 2025 NHL free agency target: Jack Roslovic

When it comes to publishing these sorts of articles, you may have noticed that we’re putting out a lot more Trade Targets than Free Agency Targets. That’s not without reason. While a great many players may or may not be available on the trade market this upcoming summer, we know for a fact that the UFA pool is a shallow one.

Not only is the pool shallow, but with the cap ceiling skyrocketing, one could say that the ‘water supply’ has been cranked up to firehose levels. The small handful of quality UFAs is about to get paid, and paid big, is what we’re saying, and that makes identifying reasonable targets for the not-exactly-cap-flush Vancouver Canucks all the more difficult.

There are no perfect solutions to be found in the Free Agent Frenzy for the Canucks. However, there are useful players to be found all the same, including one that the Vancouver front office has reportedly had their eyes on for some time: Jack Roslovic.

We first heard tell of the Canucks’ interest in Roslovic back when he was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were thought to be in pursuit of JT Miller, though nothing concrete ever materialized there.

Roslovic hit unrestricted free agency last summer, but the Canucks allocated most of their spending to Jake DeBrusk, which didn’t leave much left over to pursue Roslovic, even if they’d wanted to. Ultimately, he signed a one-year, $2.8 million deal with Carolina.

Then his name popped up throughout 2024/25 as talks between the Hurricanes and Canucks reportedly occurred over players like Miller, Elias Pettersson, and then, later, Brock Boeser.

Suffice it to say that there’s been enough smoke around Roslovic and the Canucks by now to suggest that there’s some genuine interest there. And with Vancouver in need of forwards and in possession of more cap space in this, Roslovic’s second consecutive summer of free agency, maybe it’s time to finally land him.

The Player​

Usually, we start with the basic biographic stuff because that just makes sense. But with Roslovic, it’s also a list of his best features, at least as far as the Canucks are concerned.

He’s 28, stands 6’0” and 200 pounds, shoots right, and can play any forward position, including centre.

That’s more or less everything the Canucks are looking for in a forward acquisition this offseason.

And while Roslovic has never delivered any eye-popping offensive totals, what he does bring to the table is incredibly consistent offence.

For the past five seasons, Roslovic has either scored or been on pace for between 40 and 45 points. Some might see that as either ‘middle-six’ or perhaps ‘bottom-end second line’ production, but it’s production that can be counted on. Roslovic also has a penchant for delivering goals and assists in roughly equal measure, scoring as many as 22 goals in a single season, including in 2024/25. It should also be noted that only one of those goals, and two of his points, came on the power play, with the rest coming at even strength. Roslovic’s 21 even-strength goals tied Sebastian Aho for the team lead and ranked 42nd in the NHL overall last year.

That consistent production even extends to the playoffs, where Roslovic has 12 points in 25 games over the past two postseasons.

Defensively speaking, Roslovic has a bit of a mixed reputation. His days in Columbus featured up-and-down results, but his analytic stats since coming to New York and then Carolina suggest that may have had more to do with the team around him.

With the Rangers and Hurricanes, Roslovic maintained a Corsi as high as 57.55% and controlled as many as 54.55% of the on-ice scoring chances. He didn’t kill penalties for the Hurricanes last year, but it’s something he’s done before. If he can’t be called a true two-way player, he’s at the very least proven he’s not a defensive liability.

The scouts say that Roslovic’s game runs through his quick skating and acceleration, traits that the Canucks have tended to look for in recent forward acquisitions. Occasionally, he’s drawn criticism for not using that speed to drive play, especially when he’s slotted into the centre position. It’s less of an issue when he’s on the wing.

One critique of Roslovic used to be that he was a little too ‘pass first,’ but those 21 even-strength goals suggest that’s something he’s gotten over since.

He may have also recently figured out faceoffs. After having never come close to a 50% rating, he ended up at 54.1% in 2024/25 – though, again, he did spend the majority of the season on the wing.

The Cost​

Roslovic isn’t exactly a top-tier UFA, but in this market, anyone has the chance to be paid like one. The Canucks will hope to strike a deal with him that’s at least swallowable, even if a little sticker shock is inevitable.

The folks at AFP Analytics have projected a three-year, $4.094 million AAV contract for Roslovic. If that’s all it takes, it’s hard to imagine the Canucks having an issue with the price. That sounds like a contract that will essentially be league-average by the time the puck drops on the 2025/26 season. It also sounds like a lot less than, say, Pius Suter will sign for, and that’s who Roslovic would ostensibly be replacing on the Canucks roster.

That being said, we would not be at all surprised to see the bidding grow well beyond those numbers. The supply of UFAs is limited, Roslovic has size, skating, and a right shot on his side, and he’s coming off a great goal-scoring season. Those factors generally add up to a salary boost, and that’s to say nothing of the bidding wars that are expected to ensue with cap space abundant league-wide.

Here, the Canucks will need to set reasonable limits on what Roslovic is worth to them, and then try to stick to those guns. Keeping either the term or the salary under ‘five’ sounds like a worthy goal, whether it’s a realistic one or not.

The Fit​

The Canucks need offence, and with Boeser departing, they specifically need goals. Even if the bidding on him gets a little out of whack, Roslovic seems to be one of the most cost-effective sources of goal-scoring available right now.

His ability to play all forward positions is definitely of specific interest to the Canucks, too. There’s been talk of moving Filip Chytil to the wing, so having a fellow wing/centre hybrid to platoon with him could be of benefit. Conversely, if the Canucks were to acquire a more definitive centre, then it’s easy enough to put Roslovic back on the wing – and maybe nice to have him there as backup to a smaller centre like, for example, Marco Rossi.

Heck, it’s maybe not even a bad idea to put someone on the wing of Elias Pettersson who can help him take faceoffs on his off-side.

In other words, there are fits all over the place for Roslovic throughout the Canucks’ potential top-nine. That says as much about the versatile Roslovic as it does the Canucks, and it may help explain why their interest in him has been so consistent over the years.

Almost as consistent as Jack Roslovic himself.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-2025-nhl-free-agency-target-jack-roslovic

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

PWHL Vancouver steals two top goalscorers in league’s Free Agent Frenzy

PWHL Vancouver’s top six just got a lot scarier.

The league had its own ‘Free Agent Frenzy’ on Monday, as players hit the market for the first time since the season’s end and the expansion draft.

After already scoring some big names, PWHL Vancouver has now added forwards Hannah Miller and Tereza Vanišová. Arguably the two highest profile free agents available, the pair were both included on CanucksArmy’s list of targets for Vancouver ahead of the expansion process.

Miller signing out West was practically a given, but it is a huge get for GM Cara Gardner Morey, regardless. Hailing from North Vancouver, the 29-year-old is coming off a huge season with the Toronto Sceptres, where she scored 10 goals and finished sixth in points with 24. As questions begin to swirl about how Vancouver has been able to stay within the salary cap with so many top players, some have speculated Miller may have taken a team-friendly deal in order to sign with her hometown group.

Meanwhile, Vanišová finally found her footing in the league in her sophomore season and smashed all expectations. She finished second in goals with 15, tied with Hillary Knight and behind only Marie-Philip Poulin’s 19, putting her right up there with two of the greats of women’s hockey. She finished tied for eighth in the league in points overall with 22, leading the Ottawa Charge.

Beyond that, she’s a physical player who packs a punch, literally. Vanišová was part of the first-ever fight in the PWHL earlier this year against the Boston Fleet’s Jill Saulnier. With a goal and an assist in the same game, she’s the only player in PWHL history to record a Gordie Howe hat trick.

The first legitimate fight in the #PWHL. @PWHL_Boston’s Jill Saulnier & @PWHL_Ottawa’s Tereza Vanišová square off. #PWHL@jill_saulnier @VanisovaTereza pic.twitter.com/L6fr5biVmv

— Melissa Burgess (@_MelissaBurgess) February 21, 2025

Adding to their offensive depth, Vancouver is also rumoured to be closing in on signing Minnesota Frost centre Michela Cava, per The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy. Cava is coming off a second consecutive Walter Cup win with Minnesota, with 13 points across 18 career playoff games. At 31 years old, the Thunder Bay native brings veteran experience, high hockey IQ, and consistent production, finishing the season with nine goals and 19 points in 30 games.

Miller, Vanišová, and Cava now join a roster that already includes Canadian star Sarah Nurse, Surrey native Jenn Gardiner, and 2025 Defender of the Year finalists Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques, just to name a few. While fans of the original six teams certainly aren’t happy, it’s clear that PWHL Vancouver has emerged as a fierce, offensive team and an early contender for next year’s Walter Cup.

The PWHL’s free agency window is open until June 27th at 11 am PST, before it reopens in early July. The league will hold its entry draft in Ottawa on June 24th at 4 pm PST.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/pwhl-vancouver-steals-two-top-goalscorers-in-leagues-free-agent-frenzy

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

NHL Notebook: Oilers keeping Frederic in the fold, Haula traded back to Nashville, and more

Welcome back to NHL Notebook — the series here at CanucksArmy where we deliver you news and notes from around the National Hockey League — oftentimes through a Vancouver Canucks-tinted lens!

Not even 24 hours after the Stanley Cup was presented, the National Hockey League’s silly season revved into high gear with a trade and a couple of signings on Wednesday – but not by the Vancouver Canucks. It signals the start of what will likely be a busy 10 days leading into the NHL Draft week on June 27th and 28th.

Frederic set to stay in Edmonton with new long-term deal​

As the Oilers pick up the pieces after a second straight Cup defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers, they were able to reach an extension with one of their pending unrestricted free agents. Reports out of the Alberta capital suggest Trent Frederic has agreed to terms on an eight-year extension worth $32 million (or $4M per season).

The 27-year-old appeared in all 22 Edmonton playoff games, scoring once and adding three assists. He was acquired by the Oilers from Boston at the trade deadline in a three-way deal that also involved New Jersey.

The former 2016 first-round draft pick had a career year in 2023-24 when he scored 18 goals and recorded 40 points for the Bruins. Those numbers dropped to just eight goals and 15 points in 57 regular season games this season.

Frederic was one of five pending UFA forwards on the Oilers roster, along with Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Jeff Skinner and Kasperi Kapanen.

Haula hauling his way back to Nashville​

Veteran forward Eric Haula is set for a second stint with the Nashville Predators after being acquired from New Jersey. The 34-year-old returns to Music City after playing 51 games for the Preds in the 2020-21 season. In return, the Devils received defenceman Jeremy Hanzel, a Coquitlam native, and a fourth-round pick in next week’s draft.

Haula scored 11 times in 69 games for New Jersey this season, but had just a lone assist in five games in a first-round playoff exit against Carolina. Haula has one year remaining on a deal that will see him earn $3.15M next season. Nashville has to be hoping Haula still has some game left. The Predators were the second-lowest scoring team in the NHL last season.

Donato gets 4 x 4 extension from the Blackhawks​

Ryan Donato is staying put in Chicago. The 29-year-old parlayed a career-high 31 goals into a four-year/$16M extension with the Blackhawks on Wednesday afternoon.

Donato led the Hawks in goals and was second to Connor Bedard with 62 points. The 16 goals and 62 points were both career highs. The new deal represents a doubling of Donato’s salary. He finished up a two-year deal worth $2M per season and looked like he might hit the open market. But he will now be staying put in the Windy City and hoping to help the Hawks take a leap forward after a 25-46-11 season that saw them finish 31st in the overall standings ahead of only San Jose.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/nhl-no...ic-haula-traded-back-nashville-predators-more

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

NHL notebook: Trades are starting to happen; McDavid says ‘no rush’ to extend with Oilers

Welcome back to NHL Notebook — the series here at CanucksArmy where we deliver you news and notes from around the National Hockey League — oftentimes through a Vancouver Canucks-tinted lens!

The Stanley Cup has been awarded, which means the NHL hot stove is officially allowed to heat up. It also means the Edmonton Oilers did their end-of-season media availability, which brought some interesting comments from captain Connor McDavid. Let’s dive into today’s notebook.

NHL trades (and transactions) are happening!

First it was the Erik Haula trade, as the New Jersey Devils sent the Nashville Predators the final year of Haula’s current contract, which takes up $3.5 million on the salary cap. In return, the Devils received Jeremy Hanzel and a fourth round pick from Nashville. This is a minor trade, but due to its cap-clearing nature, it could be setting up for the Devils to try to make a big splash as we get closer and closer to free agency. And honestly, we’ll take what we can get at this point.

Also on Wednesday, Matt Rempe inked a two-year one-way contract extension with the New York Rangers at $975,000 annually. Things. Are. Happening!

Ryan Donato signed a four year deal to remain with the Chicago Blackhawks and forego unrestricted free agency. Donato’s new deal pays him $4 million annually and illustrates a competitive market for middle of the pack players as Donato cashes in on his career-best 62 point season.

Forward Fabian Zetterlund also inked a three-year, $12.825 million ($4.25 million AAV) contract with the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

Matt Duchene signed a contract that will keep him in Dallas, as the Stars inked the veteran centre to a very team friendly four-year deal at $4.5 million annually. As we wrote this morning, it was reported that Duchene would have been high on the Canucks’ list had he hit free agency.

Finally, the Dallas Stars managed to clear up some cap space by sending Mason Marchment to the Seattle Kraken for a third and fourth round pick. Dallas is one of few cap-strapped teams around the league, and it won’t be a surprise if they look to move off of Matt Dumba’s contract next.

McDavid says “no rush” to sign extension with Oilers

Oilers captain Connor McDavid is eligible for a contract extension as of July 1st, but it certainly doesn’t sound like he’ll be signing that extension any time soon.

During today’s locker clean out interviews, McDavid was asked about signing an extension:

“Winning is the most important thing. If I feel there’s a good window here to win, then signing is no problem. I’m sure we’ll get into it over the next couple of weeks, but I’m not in a rush. Some people will look at the July 1st date (as a time to sign), but there is no rush. I will do what is best for my family,” he said.

Another interesting quote from McDavid:

Question: “Leon said he’d like you here forever, it’s not something you had to talk about, but with the July 1 window opening, when you look at just what you’ve built here with this team and how close it is, do you feel like there’s unfinished business for you?”

McDavid: “Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. This core has been together for a long time, and we’ve been building to this moment all along. The work that’s gone on behind the scenes, the conversations. The endless disappointments and some good times along the way obviously as well. Yeah, we’re all in this together, trying to get it over that finish line. With that being said, ultimately, still need to do what’s best for me and my family. That’s who you have to take care of first. But of course, there’s unfinished business here. Yeah.”

Now, while those quotes might sound like a player who is less enthusiastic about signing an extension than fans would have hoped for, Oilers fans seem to be pretty unbothered by McDavid’s quotes today.

And that’s mostly because they’re basically identical to what Leon Draisaitl said before signing his eight-year extension ($14 million AAV) to stay in Edmonton.

https://t.co/R7UnJil5zc pic.twitter.com/xDbVlnSjLq

— zach (@zjlaing) June 19, 2025

One way to read McDavid’s quotes is through the lens of a player who sees the kind of reinforcements the Florida Panthers have and is frustrated that the team behind him isn’t up to that same standard. And that for two years in a row, it hasn’t been enough to beat the Panthers.

Will McDavid sign an extension in Edmonton at some point this summer? Probably.

But you can’t really blame him for wanting to see what management does with the roster around him first.



Get ready for wall-to-wall coverage of one of the biggest days in the calendar — the Daily Faceoff Live Free Agency Special goes live on July 1st at 11 AM EST. Host Tyler Yaremchuk is joined by Carter Hutton, Matthew Barnaby, Jeff Marek, Hart Levine, Colby Cohen, Jonny Lazarus, and insiders from across the Network for three hours of in-depth analysis, live reactions, and real-time updates on every major signing and trade. From blockbuster deals to under-the-radar moves, we’re breaking it all down as it happens. Don’t miss a minute — catch the full special live on DailyFaceoff.com and Daily Faceoff’s YouTube.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/nhl-no...connor-mcdavid-no-rush-extend-edmonton-oilers

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Are there any bargain bin NHL free agents the Canucks could sign?

Kiefer Sherwood. Kevin Lankinen. Pius Suter. Dakota Joshua.

If there’s one thing the Vancouver Canucks‘ front office has done especially well under Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin, it’s hit on their bargain bin free agent pick ups. Now, there have certainly been some misses as well — Vincent Desharnais and Danton Heinen come to mind — but for the most part, the Canucks have benefited from their work signing some of the lesser talked about free agents.

Any time your signings make other NHL teams look inward and wonder how them and their pro scouts missed out on a player, you know you’ve done something right. And that thought certainly crossed multiple GMs minds when they saw Kevin Lankinen provide the Canucks with quality starting goaltending for under $1 million; seeing Kiefer Sherwood hit everything that moves while recording 40 points likely did the same.

But as we look at and preview the Canucks’ lineup and offseason work ahead, their bottom six seems pretty set. Following the trade and subsequent signing of Drew O’Connor, the Canucks have an abundance of middle six forwards. Conor Garland, Dakota Joshua, Teddy Blueger, Filip Chytil, Jake DeBrusk, Nils Höglander — in fact, it’s kind of hard to name a current Canucks forward who isn’t of the middle-bottom six variety. And we haven’t even mentioned the Abbotsford Canucks, who boast multiple players that will be challenging for full-time NHL bottom six jobs out of training camp next season.

As a result, most of the conversations being had right now are how the Canucks are going to address their needs in the top six. But are there any bargain bin NHL free agents the Canucks could sign?

Daily Faceoff put out together a team of “all value signings” earlier this week. Here are the five names featured:

Anthony Beauvillier (F)
Jonathan Drouin (F)
Eric Robinson (F)
Nick Perbix (D)
Nate Schmidt (D)
James Reimer (G)

Could any of these players be of interest for the Canucks? Potentially James Reimer if the club chooses to trade a goaltender to upgrade at forward and wants to ensure they have an appropriate plan B in the case that Arturs Silovs still isn’t ready for consistent NHL reps despite another strong playoff run? Maybe.

Could Anthony Beauvillier work again? In Bruce Boudreau’s high-octane offensive system, Beauvillier tallied 20 points through 33 games playing most of his minutes alongside Elias Pettersson. But a slow start in 2023-24 led the Canucks to moving Beauvillier to Chicago in a cap-clearing move. That likely makes Beauvillier irrelevant

Really, the greatest argument against the Canucks going out and making value signings this offseason is that they likely have enough middle six and bottom options; and true top six wingers aren’t typically found late in free agency. Further, finding a player even as good as Pius Suter — of two years ago — will be more difficult this offseason. With the cap going up, teams aren’t likely to let players they have even the slightest of inkling could help their team in any measurable way fly under the radar.

Plus, with Matt Duchene officially off the board ahead of free agency and Sam Bennett presumably soon to follow, the market for “lesser players” is only going to increase, making it even more difficult to find bargain bin signings this summer.

Even looking lower on the list of Daily Faceoff’s list of top 50 free agents, there are very few names that you look at and think “he makes sense for the Canucks”, given their current lineup.

Do you see any names on that list who could be bargain bin signings that could be anything more than bottom or middle six wingers? Perhaps the one that stands out the most Victor Olofsson, who scored 28 goals just two seasons ago.

He’s a bit of a power play specialist, and could help the Canucks in that regard, but is a 3 year deal at $3.4 million — as AFP Analytics projects he’ll get — really “bargain” territory? Perhaps if he can pot 25+ goals it is, but there’s also plenty of reason to believe that 28-goal season was a flash in the pan. There might be some upside there, but even with a somewhat intriguing name like Olofsson, it feels like the Canucks need to be making bets on more sure-fire players.

And so as the Canucks head into a pivotal two-week offseason stretch and gear up for free agency on July 1, it would appear likely their shopping in the bargain bin will be far more limited this summer than it has been in the past.

READ NEXT: 3 questions facing the Canucks heading into a pivotal two week offseason stretch​

Get ready for wall-to-wall coverage of one of the biggest days in the calendar — the Daily Faceoff Live Free Agency Special goes live on July 1st at 11 AM EST. Host Tyler Yaremchuk is joined by Carter Hutton, Matthew Barnaby, Jeff Marek, Hart Levine, Colby Cohen, Jonny Lazarus, and insiders from across the Network for three hours of in-depth analysis, live reactions, and real-time updates on every major signing and trade. From blockbuster deals to under-the-radar moves, we’re breaking it all down as it happens. Don’t miss a minute — catch the full special live on DailyFaceoff.com and Daily Faceoff’s YouTube.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/bargain-bin-nhl-free-agents-vancouver-canucks-sign

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

What NHL player could the Canucks pair with 15th overall in a Marco Rossi trade?

No one knows yet if it’s going to be a rosy summer for the Vancouver Canucks. But it is increasingly looking like it might be a Rossi summer, one way or another.

There’s so much smoke around Marco Rossi’s name right now that one might think he’s been elected Pope. Instead, he’s just a hockey player who seems very likely to be traded in the immediate future. And if the general scuttlebutt is to be believed, Rossi’s most likely destination is Vancouver. The rumours connecting the two have only grown more frequent and specific as we approach June 27 and the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

The latest round of rumours make it pretty clear that discussions are ongoing, and make it possible to make a guess at what those negotiations look like. In fact, they set us up for a compelling little game of ‘process of elimination.’

Here’s what we’ve heard:

Longtime Minnesota reporter Michael Russo of The Athletic reported this week that the Canucks had gone as far as to make an offer for Rossi, and that the offer included the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft and a player. The offer was turned down.

Whether the player attached to this offer was off the NHL roster or a prospect is as of yet unknown. But Russo makes it sound as though an NHL player – or, at least, an NHL-ready player – is GM Bill Guerin’s preference. The Wild aren’t rebuilding or retooling; they’re looking to be as competitive as possible next season.

Further reporting indicates that Guerin would also prefer to add size to his own roster. That seems to be a large part of the reason why he’s willing to part with the 5’9” Rossi, and is in keeping with Guerin’s whole general ethos.

So, there are our parameters. The trade would appear to be close, and could just be a matter of the Canucks adding the right player to their first rounder in order to seal the deal. The natural question this raises is: who might that player be?

As we said, it’s a bit of a process of elimination.

The Wild’s blueline is absolutely stacked. They’ve got Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Jacob Middleton, and Zeev Buium all signed through the next two seasons, and other names like Zach Bogosian, David Jiricek, and Declan Chisholm in the mix.

Would they consider adding someone of Quinn Hughes or Filip Hronek’s calibre? Of course they would. But those players are far too valuable to even consider as an additional piece in a Rossi trade, and everyone below them on the depth chart would be of limited interest to the Wild.

Suffice it to say that the player in question is not a defender.

Goalie-wise, Minnesota would also seem to be set with the tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt.

Chances seem very good, then, that the player in question is a forward. But which?

We can eliminate some of the biggest, most expensive names first. Elias Pettersson isn’t going anywhere at this point, and clearly isn’t an ‘extra piece’ in a trade like this. The same goes for Jake DeBrusk and his lengthy, NMC-laden contract.

A name that has cropped up in plenty of rumours is that of Jonathan Lekkerimäki. But there are some questions as to his immediate NHL readiness, and he isn’t a large fellow, so it’s probably not Lekkerimäki, either.

Guerin’s size preference almost certainly removes Nils Höglander from the discussion, too. Logically, it should also exclude Conor Garland…but we’re not actually so sure about that. If there’s a player in this league who plays bigger than their physical size, it’s Garland, and he’s a player we can see Guerin being a fan of despite his lack of height. Throw Garland on the ‘maybe’ column for now as a pending 2026 UFA and someone the Wild could talk extension with within the next couple of weeks.

The Canucks do, of course, have some genuine big bodies to offer. Filip Chytil is 6’3” and 209 pounds, though folks almost never refer to him as a ‘big guy,’ probably due to his perceived fragility. Chytil doesn’t exactly scream ‘Minnesota hockey,’ but he would offer up a centre replacement for Rossi and a high level of skill to go with that size. He’s definitely a contender here.

The next largest body is that of Dakota Joshua, also 6’3” and 205 pounds, and absolutely willing to use it. Joshua is the forward who brings the most of the good things that come with size. He’s under contract for three more years at a cap hit of $3.25 million that looks reasonable in the new cap era, even after a down season.

If we were to pick a singular name that we suspect the Wild are most interested in, it’d be Joshua. Would it be considered bad PR to trade a player a year after they overcame cancer? That’s a possibility, and you can count on some sharing that opinion via social media. But in reality, we have no idea what sorts of discussions happen behind the scenes. Joshua does have a 12-team NTC, and Minnesota isn’t too terribly far from his home state of Michigan.

Actually, if we were to pick just one name we’re sure the Wild are interested in, it’d probably be that of Kiefer Sherwood. But we barely want to write that thought into existence, and all the reasons why the Wild might want him are the exact reasons why the Canucks know trading him would be unproductive and unpopular. Let’s keep him off the list.

Beyond Chytil and Joshua, there are other big bodies to be found. Drew O’Connor, at 6’4”, is taller than either of them. The recently-acquired forward was signed to a two-year, $2.5 million AAV extension shortly after arriving with Pittsburgh, and handed his own 12-team NTC. It would seem a bit odd for the Canucks to move O’Connor after targeting him, but he’s certainly a big body who can contribute to any NHL roster. Consider him a maybe, but not someone the Wild would be tripping over themselves to acquire.

There’s also Teddy Blueger to consider. If Rossi enters the picture, and especially if Chytil sticks around, too, Blueger’s centre job is at risk. Aatu Räty should probably rightly get roster preference over him. At 6’0” and 185 pounds, Blueger isn’t exactly big, nor is he the sort of talent another team demands be added to a trade. If he’s the NHL player attached to the 15OA, one would have to imagine there’d be another piece to the deal. And the Canucks are short on additional sweeteners to offer.

One other name we’ll throw out for consideration is that of Linus Karlsson. At 6’1”, Karlsson isn’t small, and he’s increasingly finding ways to use that size to his advantage. He’s currently leading the Calder Cup Playoffs in scoring, and seems destined to find his way onto an NHL roster for 2025/26 – whether that be in Vancouver or elsewhere. We could see the Wild having some interest in Karlsson, but he probably doesn’t quite tip the scales as that extra piece they’re looking for.

All told, we really have no way of knowing what the Canucks’ initial offer was here. But we can more easily guess at what the Wild are asking for as a counter.

We think Chytil and Joshua are the two names most likely to be involved. It’s a tossup as to which Minnesota might prefer, with Chytil offering the centre position and more productivity, and Joshua offering significantly more physicality.

Would the 15th overall pick, plus either one of these players, be worth trading for Rossi? If GM Patrik Allvin and Co. think he’s the 2C they need, and are confident they can sign him to a reasonable contract off his current RFA status, we think it’s probably worth both their while and the Wild’s.

Whether or not the offer actually gets made is something we’ll have to wait up to a week to find out, however.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/what-nhl-player-vancouver-canucks-pair-15th-overall-trade-marco-rossi

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

How busy will the NHL goalie waiver wire be if and when the Canucks attempt to sneak Arturs Silovs through?

The good news is that Arturs Silovs is currently completing a historic playoff run with the Abbotsford Canucks, firmly re-establishing himself as a top goaltending prospect.

The bad news is that Silovs’ run might be forcing the Vancouver Canucks into a difficult offseason decision as it pertains to their crease.

As we’ve already written about at length, Silovs runs out of waiver-exemption as of the conclusion of the 2024/25 season. What that means is that Silovs will either start in the NHL next year, or he’ll have to go through waivers in order to be reassigned to the AHL.

Our take on this has been that Silovs wouldn’t make it through waivers, and is too valuable to risk. With Kevin Lankinen already signed to a five-year extension with a no-movement clause in the first couple of years, that leaves Thatcher Demko – with just one year left on his own deal and no trade protection – as the obvious candidate to be dealt.

But obvious doesn’t mean guaranteed. Demko has spoken openly about his desire to remain in Vancouver. New head coach Adam Foote has made a point of visiting with the Canucks’ ‘core’ throughout the early goings of the offseason, and he included Demko in that unofficial list. There are those who believe an extension for Demko is still on the table.

There are also those who believe the ‘solution’ here is to do what teams often try to do with their no-longer-waiver-exempt prospects who are not quite ready for the NHL – and just try to sneak Silovs down to Abbotsford at some point during the preseason anyway.

The risk here is that the supply side of the goalie market is low this summer, but the demand remains high. The odds are pretty much certain that not every team in need of a new goaltender will have one by the time training camps open. No one is suggesting that, in a vacuum, Silovs is not good enough to justify a waiver claim. The thinking goes that the preseason is a busy time for the waiver wire, and there’s a chance that Silovs could get lost in the shuffle, or sneak through because other waived goalies are drawing the attention instead.

Today, we want to put that thinking to the test by going through each team’s depth chart and seeing if we can figure out how many other quality netminders are likely to hit waivers during the 2025 preseason. If the number is high, then maybe attempting to waive Silovs makes some sense. If not, the risk is probably too great.

Let’s dive in, in alphabetical order.

No one stands out for the Anaheim Ducks, with all of their younger goaltenders still waiver exempt.

The Boston Bruins will have to waive whichever of former Canuck Michael Dipietro or Brandon Bussi they re-sign, but neither is a major threat to be taken on waivers.

No one for the Buffalo Sabres.

No one of note for the Calgary Flames, either.

No one for the Carolina Hurricanes, who have two expiring vets behind their NHL goalies in former Canuck Spencer Martin and Dustin Tokarski.

We hit our first interesting name with the Chicago Blackhawks. They’ve got Spencer Knight and Laurent Brossoit signed for another year each at the NHL level, and then pending RFA Arvid Soderblom at 25 years old. Soderblom was once considered a decent goaltending prospect, perhaps roughly on par with Silovs prior to Silovs’ recent run. Soderblom’s is the first name we could see theoretically being plucked from waivers ahead of and instead of Silovs. That said, we think this situation might be resolved best by the Blackhawks dealing Brossoit to a team looking for a veteran backup.

The Colorado Avalanche will have to waive two 24-year-olds in Trent Miner and Kevin Mandolese, with the former being considered the stronger prospect of the two. That being said, while Miner had a fairly great AHL season in 2024/25, he’s not quite at the same level of prospect potential as Silovs.

The Columbus Blue Jackets bring us another interesting situation, as if they keep Elvis Merzlikins for another year, they’ll likely have to waive one of 26-year-old Daniil Tarasov or 24-year-old Jet Greaves. Of the two, Greaves is considered to have the brighter future, and is the greater danger of being claimed on waivers. It seems likely that the Blue Jackets will just end up waiving Tarasov, whose star has faded in recent campaigns.

No one of note for the Dallas Stars.

The Detroit Red Wings have several young goalies of interest around, but they’re all still waiver-exempt.

Who really knows what the Edmonton Oilers are going to do with their crease, but the odds are that they’ll have to waive 24-year-old prospect and pop star soundalike Oliver Rodrigue. For his part, however, Rodrigue has had a rough year in the AHL and is unlikely to be claimed.

The Florida Panthers literally just have Sergei Bobrovsky and a waiver-exempt prospect under contract for next year.

The Los Angeles Kings might waive veteran tweener Pheonix Copley, but at 33, he’s not the same sort of potential waiver claim category as Silovs.

No one for the Minnesota Wild.

The Montreal Canadiens have an interesting name in Cayden Primeau, the 25-year-old son of Keith. If Jakub Dobes remains backup in Montreal, it will push Primeau to waivers, and he’s a prospect at least vaguely within Silovs’ own echelon. Given the difference in their playoff performances this year, Silovs has the obvious edge, but Primeau remains a solid option.

The Nashville Predators may have to waive 25-year-old Justus Annunen, but his numbers at the NHL level to this point will probably scare teams off of a claim.

The New Jersey Devils would have to waive 24-year-old Nico Daws if they sign a new backup behind Jacob Markstrom. But they’ll probably avoid the issue altogether with just rolling with

Daws, a decent prospect by most measures, as their backup for 2024/25.

The New York Islanders might have to waive 30-year-old Magnus Hogberg, but like Copley, he’s in an entirely different category of waiver goalie than Silovs.

Similarly, it’d be just 33-year-old former Canuck Louis Domingue for the New York Rangers.

If the Ottawa Senators acquire a backup for Linus Ullmark, they’d have to waive 24-year-old Mads Sogaard, but he was fairly abysmal at both the AHL and NHL level last year.

The Philadelphia Flyers don’t really have a goalie. If they add one, they’ll probably keep 25-year-old Samuel Ersson as backup and waive or otherwise discard the 28-year-old Ivan Fedotov. Neither name, regardless, is a major threat to be claimed on waivers.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have 26-year-old Filip Larsson, new to the AHL as of last season and not a major name for consideration.

The San Jose Sharks have pending RFA and 25-year-old Georgii Romanov, who did okay for the Barracuda of the AHL this past year but was relatively unheralded prior.

No waiving needed for the Seattle Kraken.

The St. Louis Blues will need to waive 24-year-old Colten Ellis, who has had multiple strong campaigns now for the Springfield Thunderbirds. He’s not a big name, but he’s a fine enough prospect to at least fit into the same rough category as Silovs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will have to waive a couple minor leaguers, but no one they’re worried about losing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have to worry about Dennis Hildeby’s waiver exemption running out quite yet, so they’re fine.

The newly-minted Utah Mammoth also have multiple minor leaguers to waive, but no one of any real note.

If the Vegas Golden Knights add a goalie behind Adin Hill, they’d likely waive 25-year-old Akira Schmid, who has been identified as an interesting prospect before and who performed well for Vegas this past year, but who has struggled to maintain consistency even at the AHL level.

The Washington Capitals will waive 26-year-old Clay Stevenson, who’s just a touch too old to draw much consideration.

And that leaves us with the Winnipeg Jets, who currently don’t look to have to waive anybody.

Now, we realize that this was an exhaustive and potentially exhausting tour through the goaltending depth charts of the NHL.

We also realize that, ahead of the bulk of the NHL offseason, it’s an incomplete picture, as many transactions have yet to be completed.
That said, we made efforts to project which teams might make those moves, and did our best to include all young goaltenders of quality who could even theoretically end up on waivers. And we still ended up with a pretty short shortlist.

We set out to name those goalie prospects who might reasonably be claimed on waivers ahead of Silovs come the 2025 preseason. In other words, the ‘shuffle’ it is hoped by some that Silovs could get lost in.

The list we’ve got is Arvid Soderblom, Trent Miner, Daniil Tarasov, maybe Jet Greaves but not likely, Cayden Primeau, Justus Annunen, Georgii Romanov, Colten Ellis, and Akira Schmid.

But the list is actually shorter than that, because not all of these goalies will end up hitting waivers – and also because, let’s be honest, some of these names are clearly not as good of goaltending prospects as is Silovs.

If we were to identify those goalies most likely to be selected ahead of Silovs on the open waiver wire, we’d probably limit the list to just Soderblom, Miner, Primeau, and maybe Ellis.

Is that a long enough list to justify attempting to sneak Silovs through waivers?

For our money, it isn’t. We’ll stick to that prediction that, if Silovs were to be placed on waivers at any point during the 2025 preseason, he’d be claimed by another NHL team. Whether the Canucks even have to try or not will depend entirely on the moves they make over the course of the next few weeks.

READ NEXT: With ‘ice in his veins’, Jonathan Lekkerimäki shines as Canucks one win away from Calder Cup title​

Tune in for The Sheet Draft Special, streaming live on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel on Friday, June 27th at 7 PM EST. Hosted by Jeff Marek, this live special will cover all the action from the 2025 Draft, including expert analysis of top prospects, team-by-team breakdowns, and real-time reactions to every pick. Whether you’re tracking your team’s future stars or just love the drama of draft night, this is your go-to destination for all things Draft.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/how-bu...r-canucks-attempt-sneak-arturs-silovs-through

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

The Farmies: Abby Canucks drop Game 5 in overtime and will head back to Charlotte with a 3-2 series lead

The table was set. The Abbotsford Centre was sold out, with not an inch to spare. The Calder Cup was in the building.

After 72 regular-season games and 22 in the postseason, the 2024-25 marathon suddenly became a 100-meter dash.

All the Canucks had to do was win one more game.

And despite allowing the game’s opening goal, the Canucks felt well on their way to doing so. Taking a 3-3 score into overtime, the Canucks were all over the ice, suffocating the visiting Checkers team in their own end in the extra frame.

But in the most “Canuck” fashion, things didn’t go as planned. After a double deflection off two players, the Checkers stole Game 5 in overtime, sending the series back to the Bojangles Coliseum.

The weather forecast is predicting a heat wave in North Carolina, so it’s the worst-case scenario for this West Coast team.

The good news is that they have two more games to close things out, and have not lost back-to-back games at any point throughout this postseason run.

Sorry to the Fraser Valley faithful, the Calder Cup parade will have to wait.

Starting lineup

With three of four wins, why change a formula that works? Manny Malhotra rode identical lines from Game 4, hoping to end this series at home.

With his 23rd consecutive start, Arturs Silovs got the call in search of his 16th victory of the postseason.

Bains – Sasson ‐ Karlsson
Di Giuseppe – Mueller – Lekkerimäki
Blais – Khaira– Smith
Nielsen – Wouters – Klimovich

Brisebois – Mancini
Wolanin – Woo
Hirose – Kudryavtsev

Silovs

First period: Linus Karlsson form his office

The initial minutes were spent with various bobbled pucks and neutral zone exchanges.

Getting his team going, Chase Wouters ignited the bench after laying the reverse hit by giving his teammates a front-row show.

That hit did its job, as Abbotsford enjoyed the next few minutes of sustained pressure, grabbing their first shots and attempts on Kaapo Kähkönen.

The top line of Arshdeep Bains, Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson have been incredible through this entire series. And they showed off why midway through the period.

Gaining entry was Sasson, who dropped the puck to Bains in the slot. Similar to the goal he scored in Game 4, he provided an incredible individual effort to test Kähkönen while falling on the ice.

Continuing their press, Sasson threaded a pass toward the slot, where Karlsson redirected to force the netminder to stick with the puck and set it aside.

Credit to the blueline, who continues to provide incredible outlets to push the forward group up the ice.

But it was the visiting team grabbing the game’s opening goal.

Charlotte goal – 1-0 – Ben Steve’s from Jack Devine and Oliver Okuliar

Off a Jujhar Khaira giveaway, the Checkers transitioned and turned things into an odd-man rush.

With Jett Woo sliding, Jake Devine managed to outwait the check and dish a cross-ice feed to Ben Steeves, who directed past a sliding Arturs Silovs.

Despite sucking the wind out of the crowd early, the Checkers gave momentum right back, grabbing two penalties to send the home team on a 5-on-3 powerplay.

And with the top unit out, they made the most of it.

Abbotsford goal – 1-1 – Linus Karlsson from Arshdeep Bains and Christian Wolanin

With the Canucks pushing the trio of penalty killers deep, Christian Wolanin sold shot before finding Bains down low.

He pushed toward the slot, attempting to slide it low on the goalie. Unsuccessful, the puck popped out directly to Linus Karlsson, who was planted in his office at the side of the net.

Making no mistake, he pointed and deposited the puck into the net to send the crowd into a frenzy.

Although they failed to capitalize on the remaining minutes of the powerplay, the goal provided the teams with momentum to make a mad dash to tie the period’s shot totals.

With all the momentum on their side, Sammy Blais took an unfortunate penalty with less than a second remaining, protecting his netminder from all of the commotion in front of him. That full two-minute stretch would be served to start the second period.

Both team had their moments, starting with the Checkers. But credit to this resilient Canucks team, who made the most of their opportunities and finished strong.

Shots: ABB 11, CHA 12 | Score: ABB 1, CHA 1

Second period: All you need is 78 seconds

The Canucks made lightwork of the penalty kill, staving off an entire two minute barrage in their zone.

But the Canucks were dealt with a terrible blow.

Charlotte goal – 2-1 – Brett Chorske from Jesse Puljujärvi

On a routine play, Victor Mancini caught an unfortunate edge while backing into his zone.

Grabbing the puck was Jesse Puljujärvi, who gave it to Brett Chorske.

On the sudden odd-man rush, he beat Silovs clean to get ahead for a second time in the game.

But hold onto your seat, because the game busted wide open over the next several moments.

Immediately following the goal, both teams were assessed two-minute minors for roughing. That 4-on-4 stretch provided an incredible run for the home team.

First, the equalizing goal.

Abbotsford goal – 2-2 – Arshdeep Bains from Max Sasson and Kirill Kudryavtsev

Kirill Kudryavtsev bumped the puck up to Max Sasson in his zone before he looked up to spot a streaking Arshdeep Bains.

Receiving the beautiful stretch pass, Bains found himself all alone with the goalie. Without overthinking anything, he confidently snapped the puck past Kähkönen to even the score for his eighth point of the series.

As the goal was being announced in the building, Kudryavtsev rushed down for another chance.

Heading down on the 3-on-1, he dropped the puck for a trailing Arshdeep Bains, but sent the puck just ahead of him.

Bains turned around and found a wide Kudryavtsev at the net front, who was robbed by the glove of the Checkers’ netminder.

But the Canucks did not let up.

Abbotsford goal – 3-2 – Linus Karlsson from Ty Mueller and Jett Woo

Just 78 seconds later, the playoffs’ leading goal scorer went to work.

Following a chance at the Canucks end, Jett Woo cleared the puck from harm, before Linus Karlsson chipped the puck past the defender to put himself off to the races.

With a sliding Checkers defender, the Swede cutback and outwaited his opponent before sending a labelled shot to the bottom corner while falling, spinning and admiring the scene he just created.

It was an incredibly hectic 4-on-4, and by this point, the Abbotsford Centre was an absolute madhouse.

But special teams continued to come into play, and after a Ty Mueller interference penalty, the Checkers pounced.

Charlotte goal – 3-3 – Rasmus Asplund from Eamon Powell and John Leonard

Working within the Canucks’ zone, Eamon Powell rushed down below the goal line.

Creeping toward the slot was Rasmus Asplund, who received the pass and fired the low one-timer past the foot of Silovs.

Sometimes, a fanned shot is just as good as a full one, and there’s a good chance that Aspplund did not get everything he wanted on this one, which took the netminder off guard.

Regardless, this game was all even at three goals aside.

After a crazy period, which included goals in 78 seconds, this period would end with a 3-3 stalemate.

But my goodness, was it a fun one.

Shots: ABB 18, CHA 26 | Score: ABB 3, CHA 3

Third period: Winding down

The third period began with some relentless pressure from the Checkers, which wasn’t incredibly surprising given the circumstances of their season being on the line.

But the Canucks quickly weathered the storm and collected themselves for rushes of their own.

After a hectic middle frame, the play slowed its pace right down, and by the midway point of the period, the shots were close to square with no grade-A chances at either side.

The way things were going, it was inching closer and closer to “next goal wins” territory.

The visiting team finally collected the period’s best chance, gunning for the odd-man rush before forcing an incredible save from Silovs.

With a labelled one-timer attempt, the Canucks netminder slid across to flash the leather for his 32nd save of the match.

But Kähkönen returned the favour.

On two separate occasions, he came up huge on chances that could have changed the course of this game.

First, Jujhar Khaira found himself all alone in the slot, receiving the pass and firing a shot that hit Kähkönen’s glove.

The home crowd went nuts, assuming a goal.

With the play continuing, Sasson drove the net before the puck popped out to Linus Karlsson all alone.

The third-period buzzer would sound, with no team solving either goalie in the third period for the third overtime of the series. The Checkers were the hungrier team in this period, with Abbotsford sitting back for most.

But the table was set for overtime, where the Abbotsford Canucks carried their own fate with a chance to secure their first Calder Cup with a golden goal.

Shots: ABB 24, CHA 35 | Score: ABB 3, CHA 3

Overtime: Double bounce

With several low-grade looks, Nate Smith nearly ended the night with a tremendous drive to the net.

The puck trickled wide, as the player, as well as his check, came crashing into the crease.

At the other end, Silovs was doing his part.

With the Checkers providing good pressure, a forward cut through the crease, testing the netminder on the blocker.

Then, with Chase Wouters, Danila Klimovich and Tristen Nielsen line out on the ice, the Canucks kicked things up a notch, enjoying a complete shift of sustained pressure.

Just as they were off to change and the Checkers were dead tired, Max Sasson took advantage.

In vintage Sasson fashion, he broke up the middle and fired a wrist shot, which beat the netminder clean…

But not the post.

But the Canucks would just not stop coming. With the top line back out, they continued to press and press, grabbing chance after chance to no avail.

Next up was Jujhar Khaira, who found himself all alone in the slot uncontested.

Spinning, he threw the backhand toward the net before getting robbed by the glove of Kähkönen.

Khaira couldn’t believe it.

After 15 minutes of incredible pressure from the home team, throwing everything they had at their opponents to close out this season, the most Canuck bounce happened.

Charlotte goal – 4-3 – Jesse Puljujärvi from Matt Kiersted and Justin Sourdif

Working from behind the net, Jesse Puljujärvi attempted to find a teammate, when the puck bounced off not just one Abby Canuck, but two.

First, it hit the shin pad of Ty Mueller before the puck bounced directly off the skate of Guillame Brisebois and into the back of the net.

It’s an incredibly tough way to close out a game, after the Canucks pounced with incredible percivrance for nearly an entire overtime period. Only to have it taken away with a double deflection.

The Canucks drop Game 5, and will head back to Charlotte in search of a Calder Cup at the Bojangles Colliseum.

Final shots: ABB 32, CHA 40 | Final score: ABB 3, CHA 4

Final thoughts

Despite concerning the game’s first goal, the Abbotsfrod Canucks played a strong game through the first 40 minutes. Although they took a backseat in the third, they came out guns a-blazing in the extra frame. There’s no solace in the way they eventually lost the game, but the good news is that there are two more games to close things out.

Linus Karlsson (8), Arshdeep Bains (5) and Max Sasson (3) combined 16 shots on net and five points. As a trio, they have now combined for 21 points in five games, quite literally putting this team’s offence on their back.

Meanwhile, Arturs Silovs made 36 saves in a losing effort and was certainly not the reason for dropping Game 5.

Hear from the coach

What’s next?

Both teams will travel back to Charlotte for Games 6 and 7 (if necessary). The next game comes Monday, June 23rd, with puck set to drop at 4:00 pm PT at the Bojangles Coliseum.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/farmies-abbotsford-canucks-lose-game-5-overtime

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Canucks: Which teams might be interested in Brock Boeser in free agency?

After eight seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, it appears that Brock Boeser’s time in the Lower Mainland is coming to an end.

The longest-tenured Canuck has scored 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games, including some of the biggest goals in recent memory. Boeser’s four-goal opening night to start their Pacific Division winning campaign in 2023-2024, followed up by his hat-trick performance in Game 4 against the Nashville Predators in the opening round of the playoffs last season, or when he walked down the right wing and fired a slap shot with two seconds remaining to breath hope into the Canucks’ 2024-2025 playoff hopes, he’s scored some big goals in the blue and green sweater.

However, he has earned the right to test the waters in free agency and chase that life-changing payday. While it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibilities that he will return, it appears all the more likely that the Brockstar will be sporting different colours in 2025-2026.

But who might be interested in Boeser’s goal-scoring services?

Carolina Hurricanes​

We start with probably the best fit for both the player and the team. The only thing the Hurricanes have truly lacked is a natural goal-scorer, and that is Boeser.

Over the past three seasons, they have only two players to reach over 30 goals (Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis) and four others to reach the 20-goal mark (Jack Roslovic, Andrei Svechnikov and two former Hurricanes, Martin Necas and Teuvo Teravainen).

This problem has been highlighted even further in the postseason, where they haven’t had that reliable sniper to light the lamp when the games matter most. Well, Boeser might be the most clutch postseason goal scorer on the market this summer.

Let’s not forget the reported trade that never happened at this past deadline. The Hurricanes reportedly were interested in acquiring the Canucks winger at the eleventh hour, due to complications with the Mikko Rantanen trade to the Dallas Stars. But now, they have $28+ million in cap space to sign him for free this offseason.

Columbus Blue Jackets​

After a massive 23-point improvement in the standings, the Blue Jackets are on the up-and-up. They have a plethora of young players who are primed for a breakout.

The Blue Jackets have the most money heading into this offseason at over $40 million, with only Dmitri Voronkov, Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbro of significance to sign. In terms of the fit for Boeser, he would pair nicely as a one-two scoring punch with Kirill Marchenko and have the opportunity to lead a young group as they grow into a playoff contender.

Detroit Red Wings​

Everybody has been wondering when the Yzer-plan was going to make a big splash in free agency. This could be their big move, finally acquiring a player of significance in their prime that matches the age of the core, rather than veterans like Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko and Justin Holl.

The Red Wings have solid offensive contributors already in the top-six, with players like Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Alex DeBrincat. This would allow Boeser to play with a similar cast as he did in Vancouver last year when he had a career year with 40 goals.

Money isn’t an issue for Detroit either, as they have over $21 million in cap space to spend on Boeser. The Red Wings have to decide whether to retain veterans Kane and Jeff Petry, with RFAs Jonathan Berggren and Elmer Soderblom also needing new deals. Another need would be to help fix the blueline, but even after finding another top-four defenceman, it would still leave Detroit with enough money to take a run on Boeser.

Los Angeles Kings​

What’s going on in Los Angeles seems a little odd. Deadline acquisition, Andrei Kuzmenko, has yet to be re-signed despite having so much success in his short time there.

Does new GM Ken Holland want to bring in a fresh top-six sniper for his group?

The only reason this may not work out is that the Kings’ highest-paid forward is Kevin Fiala, who makes $7.85 million annually. Are they really going to pay Boeser what he’s looking for and make him the highest-paid King? Especially when they are just one year away from needing to extend their current sniper, Adrian Kempe?

Regardless, the Kings are realistically one top-six forward short, and could make a splash with the new GM in town.

Minnesota Wild​

Now, this is probably everybody’s most likely landing spot for Boeser.

Minnesota were just relieved of their massive cap recapture penalties from the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, sitting with just shy of $16 million in cap space. And the beauty of it all is they don’t have anybody to re-sign, outside of Marco Rossi, who the Wild are reportedly shopping.

So, filling that second-line centre role is probably at the top of their priority list, but they could also use another top-six contributor. Who better than the Burnsville, Minnesota native, who has always been involved when Boeser’s name comes up in trade talks?

If Minnesota signed Boeser, it would leave them with a lethal set of top-six wingers: Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Mats Zuccarello, and Boeser. He would likely take a bit less to play in his home state, allowing the Wild to find that second-line centre and complete their top-six.

New York Rangers​

The Rangers might be the biggest question mark heading into this offseason, solely because of how GM Chris Drury seems to be having a fire sale. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of untouchables on this team. Chris Kreider was already traded, and K’Andre Miller is reportedly being shopped as well.

So, what are the Rangers trying to do?

They have the least amount of cap space on this list, but they seem to be trying to free up money. Would Boeser come to the Big Apple and perhaps reunite with his long-time linemate in Vancouver, JT Miller? This would give the Rangers one of the scariest top-sixes in the league, with Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere and Boeser?

The Rangers still need to sign a trio of RFAs, including Will Cuylle, Matthew Robertson, and Zach Jones. But they will also need to find somebody to replace the goal-scoring void Kreider leaves after the trade to Anaheim. Reuniting Boeser with Miller would certainly do that.

Ottawa Senators​

The Senators have another interesting offseason ahead. They have just under $11 million of available cap space after signing Fabian Zetterlund to a three-year, $4.275 million AAV extension. They are now tasked with finding a Claude Giroux replacement, as talks between the two parties have reportedly not made any progress and signing a backup goalie.

Former Canucks head coach Travis Green is now the bench boss in the Nations Capital. Could Green sell Boeser on the direction of the Senators by giving him the top line right-wing spot beside Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle? The Senators are another team that showed signs of turning into a contender.

Toronto Maple Leafs​

The Maple Leafs would only be interested in Boeser’s services if Mitch Marner moves on. According to recent reports, this seems more and more likely as we approach July 1.

Regardless of Marner’s decision, it’s going to be a busy offseason for the Maple Leafs. They have over $25 million in cap space to re-sign John Tavares and a pair of RFAs in Nicolas Robertson and Matthew Knies. Assuming Knies and Tavares would take up over $14 million in cap space, this would leave the Maple Leafs with over $11 million to spend on Marner’s replacement.

Playing in an even bigger Canadian market might not be the most attractive option for the American forward, but playing on a perennial contender with the likes of Auston Matthews and William Nylander might be enough to convince Boeser to stay playing in Canada.

Utah Mammoth​

It’s no secret that the Mammoth are going to be big players this offseason. They are reportedly one of the teams that will make a heavy push to land the biggest fish on the wing this summer in Mitch Marner, but what’s their backup plan if they can’t land him?

Boeser is the consensus next-best scoring option on the wing, and with over $20 million in cap space and only RFA Jack McBain to re-sign, the Mammoth have the money to pay him.

Like the Blue Jackets, the Mammoth have an up-and-coming young roster, who are looking for another offensive scoring winger to help bolster the team’s top-six.

Winnipeg Jets​

Like the Maple Leafs, this is all heavily contingent on Nikolaj Ehlers’ future with the club. Reports have come out that Ehlers hasn’t officially ruled out a return to Winnipeg, but the winger wants to test the market for a big payday.

This is where they might set their sights on Boeser.

The Jets are coming off a Presidents Trophy campaign, with the reigning Vezina and Hart Trophy winner between the pipes. Winnipeg isn’t the most desirable place to play, but they have a solid core that is in the prime of their competitive years. They also have the benefit of being the closest contending market on this list to his home state of Minnesota.

Honourable Mentions​

The Islanders are in honourable mentions because of the state of the team. They are one of the oldest forward cores in the entire NHL, but are heading toward a re-tool. Is that something Boeser wants to go through at this point of his career? Likely not.

However, when you have a former teammate and captain in Bo Horvat on the squad, who has the first-overall pick, a few promising prospects already coming as well as a highly regarded new GM in Mathieu Darche, who has the money to pay him and isn’t afraid to make a splash, could just be enough convincing to sway him on the Island.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers make a little sense because of their new head coach, Rick Tocchet. Boeser had a career year under Tocchet, scoring 40 goals and 73 points just one season ago. The only problem is that the Flyers are probably the furthest team away from competing on this list.

Not only do they not have much in the pipeline, but they also don’t have a starting calibre goaltender, or a centre who could help elevate his game. However, the power of a former coach might be enough to sway his decision.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Where do you think Boeser will sign if he leaves in free agency? Let us know in the comments below!

READ NEXT: 7 players the Canucks could acquire to replace Brock Boeser​

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-which-teams-might-interested-brock-boeser-free-agency

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Friedman: Canucks ‘will take another run’ at Pius Suter; will try to extend Garland

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman joined Donnie & Dhali for the final time this year and had some updates on the latest he’s hearing about one of the Vancouver Canucks‘ pending unrestricted free agent Pius Suter and what his future with the team might be:

“Rick, you were the one to report last week that the Canucks are taking another run at Suter,” Friedman said. “As you know, the Canucks weren’t comfortable with the number that was asked of him, which was about $4.5 [million]. I’ve been asking around to other people if they think Suter can get $4.5 [million] on the market, and everybody thinks ‘Yes.’

“Ultimately, I think Vancouver’s going to have a decision to make here. It’s a challenging thing for a team because you’re thinking, ‘We need something.’ And all of a sudden, you’re looking, and there’s not much out there that can fill this hole. The thing about Suter is that they know him. He had a good year for them. But if they were really sure about him at that number, they would have done it already. I think the Canucks are in that place right now where they’re sitting there saying ‘We like this player. We know this player. We don’t like the number, but we don’t see a better alternative.'”

Suter signed a two-year $1.6 million AAV contract with the Canucks late last summer. Over his two seasons in Vancouver, he developed from a bottom-six forward to a top contributor in all facets of the game, including taking over as the team’s top centre due to injuries late in the season.

The Swiss centreman made his contract year worth it, setting career highs in goals (25), assists (21), points (46), and average ice time (17:21). A year like this from Suter earned him the right to test the free agent market.

Friedman also wondered aloud about the club’s interest in extending Garland when he’s eligible for an extension on July 1.

The Canucks acquired Garland along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson from the Arizona Coyotes just hours before opening night of the 2021 draft. In exchange, the Coyotes received Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, the ninth overall pick in the 2021 draft, a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 seventh-round pick.

Garland has played the best four years of his career in Vancouver, scoring 75 goals and 195 points, while only missing seven games over those seasons. 2025-2026 will be the final year of his five-year, $4.95 million contract he signed with the Canucks shortly after being traded. But it sounds like at least the team is interested in getting something done with the American winger as early as July 1.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/friedm...nother-run-pius-suter-will-try-extend-garland

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Canucks salary cap outlook after acquiring Evander Kane

With Wednesday morning’s acquisition of Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers for a 2025 fourth-round pick (originally property of the Ottawa Senators) the Vancouver Canucks significantly decreased their available cap space.

Before this transaction, the Canucks had a projected roster of the following:

Jake DeBrusk – Elias Pettersson – Nils Höglander
Dakota Joshua – Filip Chytil – Conor Garland
Drew O’Connor – Teddy-Blueger – Kiefer Sherwood
XXX – Nils Aman – Linus Karlsson

Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson – Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort – Elias Pettersson
Victor Mancini

Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs

This roster had just over $12.22m in cap space with Aatu Räty as the only RFA expected to make the team out of training camp. AFP Analytics projects Räty to earn slightly north of $1 million on his next contract. Including him in the above roster projection would put the Canucks at $11.22 million in cap space entering July 1st.

However, with the addition of Kane, the entire equation has changed.

Evander Kane – Elias Pettersson – Nils Höglander
Jake DeBrusk – Filip Chytil – Conor Garland
Dakota Joshua – Teddy-Blueger – Drew O’Connor
Linus Karlsson – Aatu Räty – Kiefer Sherwood
Nils Aman

Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson – Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort – Elias Pettersson
Victor Mancini

Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs

Kane reduces the cap space down to $7.1 million. And with the inclusion of Räty, that is further diminished to $6.1 million on a full 23/23 roster.

If all of the players closer to the bottom of the roster and those with waiver exemption are removed from the roster (ex: Karlsson, Räty, Aman, Silovs, Pettersson, and Mancini) that allows the Canucks to once again crest $11 million in cap space. However, this would be with a 17/23 roster. It should be noted that Karlsson, Räty, Aman, and Silovs all would need to pass through waivers to be removed from the roster. So while acquiring Evander Kane has significantly reduced the Canucks available cap space, there is wiggle room to recoup some of it.

If the Canucks wish to retain flexibility to accrue cap space and handle injuries as they come up, they will need to start the season with around a $1.5 million in cap space. Earmarking that amount puts them anywhere between $4.5 million – $9.0 million in functional cap space, depending on how the roster is handled. For instance, it’s possible the Canucks choose to start the season with a 22/23 roster to further their financial flexibility for future moves.

Given the way that the offseason appears to be heading, acquiring top-six help was going to be expensive. With Kane on a one-year contract and an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, there are no long-term ramifications. His full no-movement clause turns into a 16-team no-trade clause with a no-movement (can’t be placed on waivers without his consent) on July 1st allowing for a scenario where the Canucks could recoup an asset if the season goes sideways. Although there were previous off-ice concerns with Kane, from a contract and on-ice perspective, there is minimal risk.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-salary-cap-outlook-after-acquiring-evander-kane