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Sabres trade potential Canucks trade target JJ Peterka to Utah Mammoth

The Buffalo Sabres are sending forward JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth, as first reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.

Breaking: Sources say #Sabres have agreed in principle to trade forward JJ Peterka to @utahmammoth. BUT there is apparently a contingency holding up deal.

If completed, and still a big if, would be a big get for #TusksUp adding another 23-year-old top line forward to the mix.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 26, 2025

The trade sees the 23-year-old Peterka go to Utah in exchange for defenceman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan. According to Seravalli, Peterka — who is a restricted free agent — is signing a five-year extension with the Mammoth. The deal will carry an annual average value of $7.7 million.

Peterka was a player many Canucks fans hoped would be coming to Vancouver this offseason. A play-driving winger with tremendous upside, Peterka scored 28 goals in 2023-24, and tallied 27 goals and 41 assists this past season. Peterka was rumoured to be unhappy with the situation in Buffalo, and has been in NHL trade rumours for quite some time now.

While Kesselring is certainly a phenomenal player with potentially untapped upside still, the return going back to Buffalo feels a bit light. Sure, Josh Doan is a solid middle six winger with intriguing traits and undeniable tenacity,

Of course, the question almost every Canucks fan will ask when they see a trade like this is: the Canucks couldn’t match that? And unfortunately, the answer may have been no simply because there’s a solid chance Buffalo identified Kesselring specifically as the player they really wanted to acquire in this trade. The Canucks just don’t have a player with Kesselring’s pedigree or proven NHL track record, even if players like Tom Willander and Elias Pettersson the defenceman could get there one day.

It was a busy day out in Vancouver with the Canucks’ acquisition of Evander Kane, but amidst the chaos, we also wrote about Peterka as a potential trade target for the Canucks. Obviously that won’t be happening, but if you’re interested in reading that to learn more about Peterka as a player, you can do so by clicking here!

READ NEXT: Progress has been made on multi-year extension between Demko and Canucks; Silovs could be in play




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/buffal...-canucks-trade-target-jj-peterka-utah-mammoth
 
Canucks’ extension with Conor Garland could be 6 years at $6 million annually: report

The Vancouver Canucks are expected to sign forward Conor Garland to an extension that could come in at six years and $6 million annually, according to Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie and Dhali — The Team.

Sounds like the Connor Garland extension in Vancouver could be 6 years and 36 million dollars.

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 27, 2025

On Thursday afternoon, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that the Canucks had made “significant progress” on an extension with Garland.

Garland, 29, is eligible for an extension on July 1st, as he enters the final year of his current contract, which carries a cap hit of $4.95 million. A fifth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2015, Garland played three NHL seasons with the Coyotes before the Canucks traded for him alongside defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. While Ekman-Larsson’s time in Vancouver ended with the largest contract buyout in NHL history, Garland has found a home with the Canucks.

Over his four seasons with the Canucks, Garland has proven to be a solid middle six winger capable of driving play on his own. Alongside Teddy Blueger and Dakota Joshua, Garland helped form one of the most dominant third lines in the league during the 2023-24 season. Through 321 regular season games with the Canucks, Garland has tallied 75 goals and 120 assists.

Garland will be 30 years old when the extension kicks in. Here is some quick cap math on the extension with regards to how much it will take up on the Canucks’ books, percentage wise.

Currently, Garland’s $4.95 million takes up 5.21% of the cap. When the extension kicks in for the 2026-27 season, a $6 million AAV takes up 5.76% of the Canucks’ total cap space. By year two of the extension (when the upper limit rises to $113.5million), Garland’s $6 million cap hit would take up 5.28%.

Along with Garland, Thatcher Demko, Kiefer Sherwood, Teddy Blueger, and Akito Hirose will all be eligible to sign extensions with the Canucks as of July 1st. The Canucks are believed to be interested in extending Demko as well, according to multiple reports.

How do you feel about a 6×6 extension for Conor Garland? Let us know in the comments section below!



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/vancou...nor-garland-6-years-6-million-annually-report
 
Canucks acquire centre Ilya Safonov from Blackhawks for future considerations

Hours after adding to their prospect pool on the second day of the National Hockey League Draft, the Vancouver Canucks pulled off a minor trade with Chicago. The club acquired 24-year-old Russian forward Ilya Safonov from the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations.

General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have acquired forward Ilya Safonov from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations.

DETAILS | https://t.co/FJ4fxAlbnc pic.twitter.com/Gt3LufsmLI

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 28, 2025

Safonov scored seven goals and registered 22 points in 51 games for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Listed at 6’4” and 224 pounds, the left-shot centre was originally a sixth-round selection of the Hawks in the 2021 NHL Draft. The Canucks had a pair of their own selections in that sixth round. Safonov was taken after Hugo Gabrielson and before Connor Lockhart. Nobody drafted in the sixth round in 2021 has appeared in an NHL game.

Two years ago, Safonov scored 19 goals and recorded 37 points in 64 KHL games. His Ak Bars Kazan team lost the Gagarin Cup Final that season, falling in seven games to CSKA Moscow. Safonov had three goals and three assists in 24 playoff games that year. Since then, however, his point totals have plummeted.

According to Dobber’s Prospects website, Safonov is described as ‘a smart defense-first type player and an excellent penalty killer with a big frame that sees the ice well. He makes good decisions with and without the pick and tends to be in the right place at the right time; there is potential for more of a two-way player within the right situation.’

It’s unclear how the unsigned Moscow native fits into the Canucks plans. He is expected to participate in the club’s summer development camp that begins this weekend with the first on-ice session set for Monday afternoon at UBC. According to reports, Safonov has one year remaining on his KHL contract. After that, he seems like a wildcard who may want to give professional hockey a try. North America a try. At the acquisition cost, it’s about as low a risk proposition as there can be for the hockey club.

The Canucks are expected to release their full development camp roster on Sunday.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancou...onov-chicago-blackhawks-future-considerations
 
Canucks offseason trade target: Jordan Kyrou

The Vancouver Canucks were not successful in their bid for JJ Peterka of the Buffalo Sabres, though it’s not yet known how seriously they made that pursuit. Nor were the St. Louis Blues, who if reporting can be believed, offered up a package involving Jordan Kyrou.

In what could almost be deemed a classic romantic comedy trope, could two spurned teams find a fresh start with one another? In other words, could the Canucks cut out the JJ Middleman and just negotiate with the Blues for Kyrou?

And should they?

Right or wrong, the 27-year-old Kyrou was listed as the #2 target on Daily Faceoff’s Trade Targets Board earlier this week and coming off the back of those Peterka rumours. There’s a little immediacy to the discussion, too, because like the senior Elias Pettersson, Kyrou has trade protection kicking in as of July 1, 2025 – in this case, a full no-trade clause.

While trading a player right before their NTC kicks in can sometimes be considered unethical, that’s not really the case for a player like Kyrou, who is already entering Year Three of this current contract. Even with Peterka off the market, then, it’s entirely possible that Kyrou is still on it. Especially considering that the Blues are one of the few teams looking to cut cap, not burn it, this offseason.

Does that equate to the Canucks being interested?

The Player

Already having completed his seventh NHL season, Kyrou would seem to be a known quantity around big league circles. But despite fairly consistent point totals, there’s an inconsistency to Kyrou’s impact that has led to question marks about his future in St. Louis and in general.

As someone drafted in the second round, 35th overall in 2016, the road to the NHL was a little longer for Kyrou than it is for your typical high-offence forward. He played two further seasons for the Sarnia Sting of the OHL after being drafted, then split his first two professional campaigns – 2018/19 and 2019/20 – between St. Louis and San Antonio of the AHL.

The pandemic-shortened 2020/21 season was not technically Kyrou’s rookie campaign, as he’d already played 44 regular season games and five playoff games the two years prior, but it was Kyrou’s first as a full-time NHLer.

In just 55 games, Kyrou notched 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points, good for fifth in team scoring as he worked his way into the Blues’ top-six.

The next year, Kyrou broke out in a big way, putting up 27 goals and a still-career-high 75 points in 74 games. The 2021/22 season also saw Kyrou’s best playoff run – more on that later – with nine points in 12 games.

The following season, 2022/23, saw Kyrou break out in a different way, this time as a goal-scorer. A career-high 37 goals accompanied 73 points in 79 games. It should be noted here, however, that this is the point at which some real questions began to be asked about Kyrou’s play in his own end. Plus/minus isn’t a perfect stat, but a team-worst -38 does say something.

Those question marks got louder in 2023/24, especially as Kyrou got off to a slow start, and he was moved to tears at one point after hearing boos on home ice. But Kyrou rebounded nicely enough, finishing the year with 31 points and 36 assists for 67 points in 82 games.

The 2024/25 stayed relatively level from there. Kyrou’s goals were back up to 36, and his points rose to 70 in 82 games – still not quite where it was a couple of years back, but not exactly a worrying drop-off. Perhaps more importantly, he earned some praise for a growing commitment to his own end. The Blues returned to the playoffs, and Kyrou was so-so with three goals and no assists in seven games against the Winnipeg Jets.

That’s the basic gist of Kyrou – a consistent 70ish-point producer who isn’t all that consistent in how he gets there.

Kyrou’s size is fine at 6’1” and a shade under 200 pounds, though he won’t ever be confused with a power forward. He has speed and shiftiness in his feet, a lot of creativity in his hands, and an all-around array of offensive skills that allow him to succeed in a number of different forward roles.

Defensively, he’s certainly improved over the last couple of seasons. He’s not killing penalties or anything, but he’s back on the positive side of most analytic stats, and back to being on the ice for more even-strength goals for than against – lots more in 2024/25, as in 63-35.

Now, here’s the downside as it pertains to the Canucks. Though Kyrou was drafted as a centre and has definitely skated there occasionally at the NHL level, he’s settled into fairly exclusive deployment as a right wing, usually on the flank of either Rob Thomas or Brayden Schenn in recent seasons. It’s certainly fair to state that the majority of Kyrou’s production has come from the wing.

The Canucks could always acquire him with the aim of putting him back at centre and seeing how it goes, but that seems like a longshot and a risk. It’s far more reasonable to acquire Kyrou to play the same right wing position he’s mainly occupied thus far, and, yes, the Canucks could still definitely use a scorer of his calibre in the top-six on the wing.

But they could definitely use a de facto top-six centre more, and Kyrou is the kind of acquisition that would expend the bulk of the available assets and cap space.


Kyrou comes with Years Three-Eight remaining in a contract with an $8.125 million AAV and, as was mentioned, a full NTC starting on July 1 that lasts until Year Eight, and then becomes a 15-team no-trade list.

That’s a major component in the cost that has to be considered carefully, especially as it represents more cap space than the Canucks currently have on hand.

But that’s probably okay, because if the Canucks were going to acquire Kyrou, they’d almost certainly be giving up other players from their roster.

The Blues are doing a bit of a retool on-the-fly, attempting to supplement their early-to-mid-20s core of players like Kyrou, Thomas, Dylan Holloway, and Philip Broberg with an ongoing infusion of both youth and useful veterans.

In this post-draft world, we can dispense with the idea of the Canucks trading their high picks for Kyrou, and we’re not sure the Blues would be interested anyway. The Canucks’ 2026 first rounder could always be on the table, but we’d avoid that option without some heavy, heavy protections.

The Blues do have a need for a RD younger than Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk, and that does bring Filip Hronek to mind, as it did during talks surrounding Peterka. But giving up Hronek for Peterka was a tough deal to sell for many Canucks fans, and giving him up for an older wing with less offensive potential would be even tougher.

It’s also tough to imagine what the Canucks could add on top of an RD option like Victor Mancini to add up to a Kyrou, minus other prospects or picks they wouldn’t want to give up. This might be a case in which Tom Willander would have to be placed on the table, and at this point, we should be approaching not-worth-it territory for a less-than-ideal fit.

That’s sort of the story here.


The Canucks could definitely use the addition in talent represented by a Kyrou acquisition. Many have talked about the Canucks’ offseason hinging on their acquiring some forwards who are, at the very least, better than that current top-six conglomeration of Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, and, now, Evander Kane.

In other words, the Canucks need to get their hands on their new best or second-best forward, and Kyrou would definitely be that.

He definitely also brings some specific skills to the table that GM Patrik Allvin and Co. value, particularly when it comes to his ability to skate with the puck.

But that’s about where the fit ends. The Canucks can’t afford to spend all of their assets and cap space on a winger with question marks, not when they’ve got such an obvious need at centre. On top of that, the Blues would seem to be most interested in the kind of assets the Canucks can least afford to give up – namely, assets that can be used on the NHL roster in the present moment.

Then there’s the reality that any trade with the Blues needs to help them cut cap, and that the Canucks themselves aren’t exactly flush in space.

This ‘will they, won’t they’ is plainly trending toward a ‘won’t they.’



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/vancouver-canucks-offseason-trade-target-jordan-kyrou
 
Why the Canucks may have hit a home run with the Aleksei Medvedev pick

With their second selection of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Vancouver Canucks selected goaltender Aleksei Medvedev.

Now, typically we rely on Dave Hall and Daniel Gee to deliver you the goods when it comes to prospects. And while there still certainly will be plenty of that still to come, I’m one of our resident goaltending guys here at CA. Sure, it’s been a few years since I’ve gotten to write about the Canucks drafting a prospect goaltender thanks to the fact that the last time the club selected one was back in 2022 with Ty Young.

So for a team that has followed a pretty solid rule of drafting a goalie two out of every three years, we knew almost for certain that they wouldn’t go three straight drafts without selecting one. What we didn’t know was that they’d buck the trend of waiting for the later rounds to take their goaltender, as the Canucks drafted Medvedev at 47th overall. And oh man, I like this pick. A lot. Let’s dive in.

Why the Canucks drafted Medvedev, according to the Canucks


Across the board, scouts seemed to agree that Medvedev was a top 5 or even top 3 goalie in this draft. Most boards had him going somewhere around 55-65, and the Canucks, who didn’t pick again until pick 65, didn’t want to risk him not being there in round three.

Here is what Canucks Director of Scouting Todd Harvey had to say about Medvedev and why the Canucks selected him.

“He’s a calm, calm kid, big kid, moves well in the net and does, never seems to get rattled. He has that presence in there that makes the team in front of you play a little calmer. We thought he was our guy. We kind of targeted that, and that was a good pick.

“This guy’s a good goalie. We’re pretty happy with him. I think that he’s going to show next year that he’s ready to take workload. For him to take the net in London next year and run with it is going to be big for him and his development.”

“Well, I mean, obviously Ian [Clark] has a lot to say on [who the Canucks decided to pick]. We looked at the draft, and he wanted this pick, and we thought it was the right time. And Clarky will be in touch with the goalies. I think we have a real good staff here for development and bringing him [Medvedev] along; he’s going to have the net next year in London. And you never know, London, they always have a good team. So maybe they get back to a Memorial Cup.”

What I saw, and how I evaluate draft-eligible goalies


If you think goalies are voodoo, try draft-eligible goalies! Some of the biggest busts in team’s histories are highly-touted goaltenders, and some of the game’s greatest netminders of all time were late-round diamonds in the rough. The way I look at young goalies is with a scale of sorts. One end is all about their raw talents and intangibles like size, length, natural mobility, and things of that nature; while the other end of the scale is all about technique. Their footwork, positioning, movements, and more.

Back when he was the Canucks’ director of goaltending and we were discussing the raw abilities of newly-drafted Canucks prospect Aku Koskenvuo, Ian Clark once told me that he and his staff “can teach technique in a weekend.” While there’s some hyperbole there, the point is that an important thing not to overlook when evaluating young goaltenders is what intangible abilities they possess, even if the results aren’t there just yet, thanks to some bad technique.

How do they deal with broken plays? How quickly and efficiently can they push off to move laterally while already down in the butterfly? When the chips are down and they need to make split-second adjustments and decisions, what do they do? How competitive are they? How much natural mobility do they possess? How much length do they have to work with?

In the case of goaltenders like Arturs Silovs, Aku Koskenvuo, and Ty Young, the Canucks drafted these players later in the draft in part because they were missing the advanced technical abilities that would lead to more success with their draft-eligible teams, and thus, a higher overall draft ranking among NHL teams.

So as I said above, imagine a scale. One side says “Raw ability”, and the other says “Technical ability”. From my viewings of Medvedev, this goaltender lands right smack in the middle of that scale.

Medvedev has a great mix of innate talent and refined skills, and in chatting with some folks from other teams, it would seem that my evaluation seems fairly accurate, as some viewed Medvedev as a raw talent, while others viewed him as closer to a finished product.

His reactions are quick, his feet are quiet, and he’s already well on his way to establishing himself as one of the game’s top goaltending prospects. Below is a great video that focused on Medvedev and was a very valuable resource for scouting Medvedev. If you watch it — focus on Medvedev’s puck tracking ability. His movements are calculated, balanced, and he rarely loses sight of the puck while he’s moving. Note that his movements aren’t body first either, with his eyes leading the way. That, along with how easy he makes most saves look, hints at the fact he’s more refined than some of the goalies who typically go in the later rounds. But as you see in just this video, there is plenty of raw athletic ability in Medvedev’s game that the Canucks are certainly itching to refine and harness into success.

A big goaltender, Medvedev is listed at 6’2, but told reporters at the draft that he’s now 6’3, and that he feels he could still grow even more. And why wouldn’t he? He’s 17, after all.

The Age Factor


Beyond Medvedev’s undeniable athleticism and structured abilities, his age might be the biggest thing that gives him certified “steal” potential for the Canucks.

Born on September 10th, 2007, Medvedev was five days away from being eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft instead of 2025. Think about what his 2025-26 season is about to look like for a second.

With Austin Elliott gone, the London Knights’ crease should belong squarely to Medvedev this upcoming season. He’ll be backstopping an always-strong Knights squad and has potential to put up some serious eye-popping numbers. Where would he go in the draft if he were coming off a season like that?

The answer is likely somewhere in the middle of the first round. But instead, the Canucks got him at 17 years old during the 2025 Draft. It will certainly be a fun exercise to look back on Medvedev’s 2025-26 season and wonder where he would be rated if he were eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.

Dave Hall and I talked about Medvedev on yesterday’s draft recap edition of Canucks Conversation, and you can watch that segment below!

READ NEXT: Vancouver Canucks 2025 NHL Draft letter grades


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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/why-vancouver-canucks-hit-home-run-aleksei-medvedev-pick
 
NHL free agency came early, so who’s left for the Canucks?

Well, the fun of free agency kind of got sucked out within the span of an hour on Monday afternoon when all the big fish on the market seemed to re-sign with their teams.

As we covered in our latest NHL Notebook, Mitch Marner was traded and subsequently extended by the Vegas Golden Knights. Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad re-signed with the Florida Panthers, while Ivan Provorov re-upped with the Columbus Blue Jackets. But none of these guys were realistic targets for the Vancouver Canucks.

There were a handful of moves and re-signings that occurred on Monday that the Canucks could have pursued.

Ex-Canuck Andrei Kuzmenko could have been an option if he hadn’t re-signed with the Los Angeles Kings on a one-year deal. A playmaking winger in Mattias Maccelli and a scoring winger in Vladimir Tarasenko were traded, one for cheap and one for future considerations.

So, with free agency just a few hours away, who’s left out there for the Canucks?

Who’s left in free agency?​


Heading into tomorrow, the Canucks don’t have a ton of cap space to work with. With just $7,031,667 million, they sit with the ninth-least cap space in the league heading into free agency, with a few holes on this roster.

Here is how the Canucks stack up with the players currently under contract:

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

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

Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen

Extras: Max Sasson, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Victor Mancini

Realistically, to be a contender in the Western Conference, they’re likely a top-six scoring forward and a second-line centre away. However, with just over $7 million of cap space, they won’t be able to fix both of those issues, potentially not even one.

Examining the current free agent market, it appears bleak for high-end talent. Five unrestricted free agent forwards scored 40 or more points last season – sadly, two of which are Canucks.

Mikael Granlund, Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser, Pius Suter and Evgenii Dadonov are those five players.

Barring a last-minute miracle, Boeser and Suter are heading to market and looking for a new home. At 36 years old, Dadonov doesn’t move the needle for what the Canucks are looking for right now. Ehlers comes with a hefty price tag that will likely price him out of Vancouver.

That leaves Granlund.

He fits the second-line centre void the Canucks ar looking for. But coming off his best season since 2017-2018 with the Minnesota Wild, the 33-year-old Finn will likely look to cash in while the iron’s hot. Granlund finished the 2024-2025 campaign with 22 goals and 66 points (45 points in San Jose and 21 points in Dallas), not to mention his outstanding performance on the international stage at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

AFP Analytics have Granlund at a reasonable $4,975,550 cap hit on a two-year deal. However, with him now being the top centre available, that number will likely creep into the $6 – $7 million range on a three- to four-year deal. The Canucks are reportedly expected to pursue Granlund on July 1, so if they’re going to be competitive with their offer, they’ll have to shoot high like this.

Outside of the top point-scoring forwards, Jack Roslovic, Christian Dvorak, Anthony Mantha, Nick Bjugstad, Gustav Nyquist, and Radek Faksa could provide surplus value as secondary options. None of these guys really fit the mould of the type of game-changing player the Canucks seek, but really, there isn’t much out there that does.

Roslovic and Nyquist are players the Canucks have had interest in in the past, Roslovic being the more desire name of the two. After tying his career high in goals (22) with the Carolina Hurricanes this year, the 28-year-old could be primed for an elevated role in a lineup. He does have history playing centre, but he’s done his best work on the wing.

Will he be the 2C answer? Likely not. But could he be a decent middle-six centre tandem to pair with Filip Chytil? Probably.

AFP Analytics has Roslovic projected to earn $4,094,562 on a three-year contract. As a perennial 40-point producer, it’s a fine projection with the salary cap rising. This might be a better long-term option than overpaying for Mikael Granlund.

Some lower-end, younger, offensively talented forwards stick out on the list that could be intriguing as a reclamation project.

Philip Tomasino and Michael Eyssimont have all shown upside at the NHL level, while Jakob Pelletier, a former first-round pick, could be worth a flier. However, my favourite forward who fits this bill and could provide some scoring help, potentially in the top six, is Victor Olofsson.

With the Golden Knights’ cap trouble after acquiring and signing Mitch Marner earlier, they don’t have the money to retain Olofsson’s services. Olofsson is a Swedish winger, known for his goal-scoring ability. Through his first six seasons in the NHL, Olofsson has scored at a 20-goal pace in five of those years, scoring a career-high 28 goals in 2022-2023 with the Buffalo Sabres.

AFP Analytics have him projected at a $3,410,543 cap hit over a three-year deal. That price seems a little high, but with the Canucks needing to find goal-scoring help, a player with the upside to play in a second-line role alongside Chytil could be an interesting pivot option if the Canucks strike out aiming higher.

To a lesser extent, Philip Tomasino is another player whom we wouldn’t mind the Canucks taking a shot on. However, does that just cloud the already crowded bottom six heading into next year?

Regardless of the players available, Canucks management will attempt to utilize their cap space to improve this team. However, the options are bland and may not move the needle that gets this team over the hump to conteder status. Unless we see a trade, it will be challenging for the Canucks to make a significant move on July 1 that will leave fans excited about the upcoming 2025-2026 season, given their expected option on the free agent market.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/nhl-free-agency-came-early-whos-left-for-vancouver-canucks
 
Canucks re-signing forward Brock Boeser to seven year deal at $7.25 million annually

The Vancouver Canucks are re-signing forward Brock Boeser, according to multiple reports. The deal is seven years long at $7.25 million annually, according to Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy.

7.25 x 7 for Boeser in VAN

— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) July 1, 2025

Boeser, 28, scored 25 goals this past season and added 25 assists through 75 games played this past season. The year before that, Boeser enjoyed a career year, scoring 40 goals and adding 33 assists through 81 games.

The Canucks’ option to sign Boeser to an eight-year deal expired at midnight eastern last night, hence why this one comes in at seven years. The deal will see Boeser earn $50.75 million, and his agent Ben Hankinson tweeted about the deal moments after it was announced:

Congrats Brock Boeser & #Canucks on 7yrs x $7.25M = $50.75M with Vancouver @Canucks …. in the final minutes, really, did you expect him to sign anywhere else? https://t.co/cTAMtCOCNq

— Ben Hankinson (@BenHankinson) July 1, 2025

With the salary cap going up, Boeser’s new deal will quickly take up an even lower percentage of the Canucks’ salary cap than his old deal did. Here’s some quick cap math:

This past season at a $6.65 million cap hit (with an upper limit of $88 million), Boeser took up 7.5% on the Canucks’ books.

In 2025-26 at his new $7.25 million cap hit, Boeser will take up 7.6%. In 2026-27, that number goes down to 7%. In 2027-28 when the cap rises to $113.5 million, that number drops all the way down to 6.4%, with four more years left on the deal. Thus, this isn’t much of a “raise” for Boeser, as he gets the term he was looking for to remain with the team he never really wanted to leave.

The Canucks originally drafted Boeser 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. Boeser has registered 204 goals and 230 assists through 554 regular season games played. Boeser was a point per game player during the Canucks 2023-24 playoff run, tallying seven goals and five assists through 12 games.

This is the Canucks’ third piece of business of the day, as they signed goaltender Thatcher Demko and Conor Garland to contract extensions to kick off the day early Tuesday morning. After signing Boeser, the Canucks are tight on cap space, so it will be interesting to see what else they try to accomplish today.

How do you feel about the Boeser deal? Let us know in the comments section below!

Check out our 2025 NHL Free Agency live blog by clicking here, and be sure to tune into the Daily Faceoff Free Agency Special below!

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancou...-boeser-seven-year-deal-7-25-million-annually
 
Canucks’ Demko says he would have signed in Vancouver for 20 years if he could have

Thatcher Demko left nothing to the imagination when describing how much he likes living and playing in the City of Vancouver. Speaking for the first time since signing a three-year $25.5M extension with the Canucks on Tuesday, Demko made it abundantly clear that he would have been willing to sign long term with the hockey club. Like, really long term.

“I would sign 20 years in Vancouver if I could have,” he told TSN 1050 radio in Toronto on Wednesday afternoon. “I have always wanted to be there my whole career. I’m a guy that I think there’s a dying breed that guys that get drafted somewhere and want to see it through no matter what adversity hits. I would have signed for a longer time, but I know the team is in a position with a little bit of uncertainty with my health last year. We felt confident that I was going to get back to the position I was in two years ago. At the end of the day, if I have to sign for three and get to the end of that one and sign another one, so be it. I think my priority was getting something done and getting more years in Vancouver.”

Demko has one year remaining on his current $5M contract before the new deal kicks in for the 2026-27 season. Limited to just 23 appearances due to three separate injuries last season, the hope is that with a full summer to train, the San Diego native can start next season with full health and return to the heights he did in 2023-24 when he started 51 games, won 35 of them and was the runner up to Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebucyck for the Vezina Trophy.

“The injury stuff for me really took effect 12 or 13 months ago, but before that I had a Vezina calibre season and I don’t feel like I’m that far off from doing that again,” he said. “I feel really good coming out of last year healthy and finally having a more normal summer and having to deal with all the rehab stuff I did last summer. It’s great for my body and for my mind. Things are going in a great direction for me and I’m feeling happy and obviously excited to be back in Vancouver next season.”

Demko has already returned to the ice to begin his summer training and has begun working with a trainer who has focussed his efforts on biomechanics specific to the position. The 29-year-old feels he’s already reaping the benefits and is excited about what the future holds.

“It’s been great, it’s really opened my eyes and educated me first and foremost about different things I can do in the gym,” Demko explained. “Again, it’s very goaltending specific. It’s really cool to see the core relation off the ice and then obviously transitioning into some of those specific on-ice positions as well.”

While Demko tended to the business of getting his own deal done with the Canucks, he was thrilled to see both Brock Boeser and Conor Garland commit long term to the program as well. Demko expects to see a highly motivated group when the team reassembles in September.

“We had a meeting with our leadership group and it was really up to us to say ‘hey, are we going to stick around?’” Demko revealed. “I think having these guys come back shows the league, it shows the media that we are all in and things aren’t as bad as they seemed last year for us. We’re two years out from winning our division and last year we were probably a handful of points shy of making the playoffs. Getting the gang back together and having guys stick around proves that we’re really excited to prove to the outside world that things aren’t as bad as they seem in Vancouver.”

Next season will be Demko’s seventh full season with the Canucks after breaking into the NHL in 2018. He is 14 starts shy of 250 for his NHL career and needs 24 wins to reach the 150 mark. His next victory will move him past Richard Brodeur into solo-third on the Canucks all-time wins list with 127. And if he ends up playing 20 years in Vancouver as he said he’d like to, then there’s every reason to believe he will hold all the franchise records for goaltenders. But after an injury plagued campaign last season, he’s probably best to simply approach things year by year. And although it’s only early July and training camp is still months away, Demko certainly sounds like he’s in a good frame of mind heading into next season.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/canucks-thatcher-demko-would-signed-vancouver-20-years-could-have
 
Long term deal and trade protection finally gives Canucks Boeser peace of mind and chance to put down roots in Vancouver

The $50.75 million dollars is nice, to be sure. But the peace of mind of having a seven-year deal with full trade protection in the first four seasons likely means even more to Brock Boeser. After a couple of seasons where the 28-year-old winger’s name had been on the trade block for a variety of reasons, Boeser and the Vancouver Canucks surprised many in the hockey world with the announcement of a long term contract extension on Tuesday morning.

A day later, Boeser revealed he’s ready to fully plant roots in the only National Hockey League city he’s ever called home.

“I’ve said many times, Vancouver feels like my second home,” the Burnsville, MN native said on a Zoom call with Canucks media. “It’s just so comfortable and I love it there. Maybe I can get a house there now.”

As realtors around Metro Vancouver line up to get Boeser’s business, the winger knows he won’t have to deal with trade talk and speculation that comes with the territory of playing in a market like this one.

A few seasons back, Boeser’s contract made him virtually untradeable. This past season as the two sides struggled to find common ground on an extension, the trade talk ramped up again.

Boeser admitted it was a lot to deal with. But holding the cards as a pending unrestricted free agent, he was able to command a full no movement clause in the first four years of his new contract with a modified 15-team no trade list in each of the final three years of the deal.

“I think that was a big part of coming to terms, just structuring it that way,” he explained. “I think it’s important. Now I don’t really have to worry about that for a bit. I can just focus and play hockey and be the best I can be. Just looking at the deal, I think it was a deal that was fair for both sides at least for me I thought so. With the cap continuing to go up over these years I thought it would be fair enough for both sides.”

A first round pick in 2015, Boeser has now been part of the Canucks organization for more than a decade. He has grown up in Canucks colours and currently sits fifth in games played and fourth in points among players that have only ever worn a Canucks uniform.

A rookie of the year finalist, a two-time NHL All Star game participant and a 40-goal scorer in 2023-24, Boeser has clearly developed a special bond with the Canucks fan base.

And it’s one of the biggest reasons he’s thrilled to be back in the fold with the potential of playing his entire career in Vancouver.

“They’ve been so supportive of me not just with hockey but away from the rink and that means the world to me,” he said. “Everyone is so kind when you’re out and about and people say hi. People are so kind and respectful. That means a lot to me. I’m just happy personally that I don’t have to deal with another bridge deal and deal with that. I’m just happy I got the seven years and I can focus on playing hockey and helping our team win games now.”

Ultimately, the fan base wants to see Brock Boeser and his teammates become Stanley Cup contenders. And for all he’s done in his 10 years in the organization, Boeser hasn’t had many cracks at the Cup. He has appeared in the playoffs twice, first in the bubble in 2020 and then again when he excelled with seven goals and 12 points in 12 playoff games a year ago.

This past season was a step backward and Boeser knows it. But he doesn’t think this team is as far off as some suggest.

“I have so much faith in our team,” he said. “You look at our D corps and the goalies and it’s so good. Everyone talks about the centres and stuff and we need another centre, but us forwards know that we need to be better.”

Boeser and his teammates will get that chance starting in October. A lot will have to go right for the Canucks to return to the playoffs next season. But as this past week has shown, Brock Boeser is proof that things in the NHL can change in a hurry. And as it turned out, it was a long and winding road that led him right back to where he wanted to be.

READ NEXT: Canucks: Boeser’s new contract already looks great with the context of others handed out in NHL Free Agency


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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/long-t...brock-boeser-peace-mind-chance-put-down-roots
 
Which NHL teams did each Canucks free agent end up signing with?

NHL Free Agency has come and gone, and as was the case for many teams, there weren’t a ton of fireworks for the Vancouver Canucks.

The club managed to re-sign Brock Boeser in the 11th hour thanks to a last-minute call from general manager Patrik Allvin. They also extended two key pieces in Thatcher Demko and Conor Garland. Later, they added depth defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Like we said, not a ton of fireworks.

While the Canucks kept some familiar faces around, they also lost a couple of players as well. Without further ado, here is our annual look at where each Canucks free agent ended up landing and what exactly they signed for.

Pius Suter – 2 years, $4.125 million AAV with the St. Louis Blues

Pius Suter proved to be one of the best value signings the Canucks have made in years. Signed late into the 2023 offseason to a two-year deal at just $1.6 million annually, Suter put up 29 points in his first season as a Canuck before exploding for a career-high 25 goals and 46 points this past season. Of course, Suter brings value in areas outside of just point production, as his ability to play the wing and centre made him extremely valuable for the Canucks.

But when it came time to pay Suter in free agency, the Canucks elected to say thanks, but no thanks. Suter signed a two-year deal with the St. Louis Blues on day two of free agency that will see him be paid $4.125 million annually.

Noah Juulsen – 1 year, $900,000 with the Philadelphia Flyers

Rick Tocchet loves him some Noah Juulsen. Juulsen, who enjoyed the best years of his career while Tocchet was behind the Canucks’ bench, signed on with Tocchet’s Flyers on a one-year, one-way deal that will see him be paid $900,000. A native of Surrey, BC, Juulsen came to Vancouver after the Canucks traded Olli Juolevi to the Florida Panthers in October 2021. Over his Canucks tenure, Juulsen played in 99 games for the AHL Abbotsford Canucks and 109 games for the big club. He also appeared in two playoff games during the Canucks’ 2023-24 playoff run.

Sammy Blais – 1 year, $775,000 with the Montreal Canadiens

This is a really nice contract to see for Sammy Blais. Under a year ago, he was on a pro-tryout contract with the Canucks and couldn’t earn an NHL contract with the Canucks in the end. So off to work he went in the AHL, where he put together a strong regular season with the Abbotsford Canucks (40 points in 51 games) before exploding for 19 points in 23 games during the Canucks’ Calder Cup Championship victory and becoming a major story of the AHL playoffs.

Blais was rewarded for his efforts with a one-way contract with his hometown Montreal Canadiens, meaning he’ll be paid the same amount of money whether he’s in the NHL or AHL.

Cole McWard – 1 year, $775,000 with the New York Islanders

Originally signed by the Canucks at the tail end of the 2022-23 season as a college free agent out of Ohio State University, the club chose not to extend a qualifying offer to right-shot defenceman Cole McWard, making him an unrestricted free agent. McWard signed a two-way contract with the New York Islanders on day one of free agency.

After appearing in 67 regular season games for the Abbotsford Canucks, McWard appeared in just 12 playoff games for the team and was a healthy scratch for the final half of the Canucks’ march to the Calder Cup.

Phil Di Giuseppe – 1 year, $775,000 with the Winnipeg Jets

Finally — and this one hurts the most since Phil became a real friend of the show during his hits on Canucks Conversation during the Calder Cup playoffs — Phil Di Giuseppe signed on with the Winnipeg Jets.

Di Giuseppe spent the past three seasons in the Canucks’ organization, spending time in both the AHL and the NHL. After appearing in 11 playoff games for Vancouver during the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Di Giuseppe leaves the organization having played a crucial role in Abbotsford’s Calder Cup championship, both on and off the ice. According to Puck Pedia, the deal for Di Giuseppe is a two-way deal, meaning he’ll be paid $775,000 if he’s in the NHL, and $450,000 if he’s playing in the AHL.

READ NEXT: Brock Boeser details last minute call from Patrik Allvin that kept him with the Canucks


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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/which-nhl-teams-vancouver-canucks-free-agent-signing
 
Are the Canucks done adding for the offseason?: Canucks Conversation

On Thursday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal discussed where the Vancouver Canucks stand after a flurry of early offseason moves – and whether fans should expect anything else to come before training camp.

“The preference as of now is to add that centre they’re still looking for,” Harm said. “Maybe it’s not a top-two guy, but it can be someone who gives you insurance at the 3C role. Their worry is, they’re one bad Filip Chytil hit away from Teddy Blueger or Aatu Räty being in that spot. You don’t want to be in that position for weeks at a time if you’ve got ambitions on a playoff spot.”

He pointed to how Pius Suter played a critical insurance role last season, stepping up when J.T. Miller was out, Pettersson was battling injury, and even Chytil missed time. “The Canucks never had their top two centres available the entire year and that’s where Suter was so valuable,” he said. “Obviously, they don’t have him anymore, so can somebody competently fill in those shoes? Unless Aatu Räty takes a huge step forward, the answer is probably not.”

The main issue, Harm noted, is cap space. “They need to first clear cap space before they can add anyone. Even if someone shakes loose on the trade market- whether it’s a second-line, third-line or depth guy- there’s no guarantee the Canucks win the sweepstakes for that player because so many teams are looking for help down the middle.”

Quads brought up how the front office’s original plan may have shifted. “I believe the plan has changed for the Canucks,” he said. “If they knew they were going to sign Brock Boeser, I don’t think they make the trade for Evander Kane. I also think they would’ve happily re-signed Pius Suter at two years and $4.125 million.”

Harm agreed. “Re-signing Boeser wasn’t plan A. If it was, you would’ve gotten it done way earlier than waiting until July 1. The Canucks, along with many other buyers around the NHL, have realized it’s way harder to acquire top-of-the-lineup difference-makers than anyone could’ve forecasted. They’ve had to pivot, including Vancouver, which threw the timing and sync of things off. So I can understand why they first acquired Kane knowing they’d possibly lose Boeser. As they continued to make calls and realized they probably couldn’t get the targets they wanted, they circled back to Boeser. Now they didn’t have the cap space to keep Suter.”

The conversation then turned to how difficult it might be for the Canucks to free up money via trade.

“If we’re talking about trading Teddy Blueger or Dakota Joshua,” Quads said, “the Canucks are going to have a tough time getting surplus value for those players. When you see deals where teams have to attach an asset to offload a contract, you don’t want to be on the wrong end of that.”

He added: “If a team is going to acquire Dakota Joshua, it’s probably going to cost the Canucks something to get a team to take on that contract. At that point, I’d rather roll the dice on Joshua having a bounce-back year. The value you’re going to get from Joshua in your lineup next season is going to trump what you’re able to get for him right now on the trade market.”

Quads made the case for patience. “Then you’d have to give up more assets to bring in that centre in a trade. So you’re giving up assets to get off of Joshua’s money, then giving up assets to improve at centre? I’d just wait to make a trade in-season if this team warrants it. If a key contributor for the Canucks sustains a long-term injury next year that results in the team losing a lot of games, well, you’ve already spent your assets and now you’ve got nothing left to do in-season or at the draft.”

You can catch the full conversation on the CanucksArmy YouTube channel.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/are-vancouver-canucks-done-adding-offseason-canucks-conversation
 
One year out, what does a reasonable Quinn Hughes extension look like for the Canucks?

July 1, 2025 was an important day for the Vancouver Canucks, and in a few different ways.

Eschewing the typical pattern of the Free Agent Frenzy, GM Patrik Allvin and Co. focused on retaining assets, not adding them. The Canucks signed Brock Boeser to a new seven-year deal mere minutes after he’d hit the open market, and also extended Thatcher Demko and Conor Garland a full year ahead of the expiry of their own contracts.

The series of signings added stability to a Vancouver roster that was looking increasingly uncertain. It could also be seen as the first major step in a multi-step process that the Canucks are hoping will culminate with the extension of captain Quinn Hughes.

Hughes’ current contract is set to expire after the 2026/27 season. Technically speaking, that gives the Canucks a full two more years of guaranteed Hughes action. But Hughes will become eligible to sign an extension on that contract in one year’s time: July 1, 2026. And the moment that date comes to pass without Hughes having signed an extension, it becomes a massively distracting headline, and he becomes a veritable lame-duck captain.

In other words, the Canucks have a year or so to convince Hughes to stick around. Who knows at this point how possible that is, or what the next season might entail?

But something we have a better idea of after July 1, 2025, is what an eventual Hughes contract extension might look like, now that the dust has settled on a brand-new round of league-wide contracts.

We won’t bother guessing much at term, because Hughes would have his choice in that matter. If he wants an eight-year extension, he’ll get one. If he wants to sign a four-year, Auston Matthews-style deal to set himself up for another big payday at age 30, he can do that, too. And if he wants to extend for only three years so that he hits UFA status at the exact same time as his brother Jack, well, who’s really going to stop him?

Hughes and his camp could aim at any of those terms and still hit them without it having an impact on their salary demands. Hughes is that unique of a player that he sets his own market value. But on that front, what is the kind of salary that Hughes might demand?

Should, for example, Hughes become the highest-paid defenseman in the game of hockey? One might say “no,” and that Cale Makar deserves that honour, with his two Norris Trophies and a Stanley Cup under his belt. But Makar signed his current six-year, $9 million AAV contract back in 2021, so it’s no longer a fresh precedent.

Makar is up for expiry at the exact same time as Hughes. If Makar signs his extension first, then he becomes the one and only comparable to Hughes, and a fair salary can be negotiated from there. If not, we’ll have to look elsewhere for lesser comparables and work our way up.

There’s an argument to be made that Hughes and Makar are in a class of their own. Others who might belong in the conversation include Zach Werenski (currently entering Year Four of a six-year, $9.58 million AAV deal) or Rasmus Dahlin (entering Year Two of an $11 million AAV deal), but both should be ranked – and probably paid – at least a clear step behind Hughes.

As of this writing, there are 11 NHL defenders set to earn a higher average salary than Makar in 2025/26. They are Erik Karlsson ($11.5M), Drew Doughty ($11M), Dahlin ($11M), Evan Bouchard ($10.5M), Werenski ($9.58M), Seth Jones ($9.5M), Charlie McAvoy ($9.5M), Adam Fox ($9.5M), Noah Dobson ($9.5M), and Darnell Nurse ($9.25M).

Base it on whatever quality you want – offensive production, importance to the team, award nominations, leadership – and it’s hard not to argue that Hughes belongs at the very top of this group.

So is that where his salary belongs, then? At least at $11.5 million, and probably higher than that?

Well, the short answer is ‘yes,’ but the longer answer leans heavily toward the ‘probably higher than that.’

Because Hughes can, and probably should, be asking for a fair amount more.

As good as all these aforementioned defenders are, minus Makar and maybe one or two others, they still don’t really belong in Hughes’ class of overall impact. He’s not just a yearly Norris contender, he’s someone who should reasonably be on the Hart Trophy shortlist on an annual basis, too – if that award was actually voted on for the basis of ‘Most Valuable.’ That means we probably have to start examining the uppermost tiers of NHL salaries to find our real answer.

If we take Karlsson and his $11.5 million as the league’s highest-paid defender and set that as our new low bar, we’ll find another eight players entering the 2025/26 season with a higher average salary. Those players are Leon Draisaitl ($14M), Matthews ($13.25M), Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6M), Connor McDavid ($12.5M), Mitch Marner ($12M), Mikko Rantanen ($12M), Artemi Panarin ($11.64M), and Elias Pettersson ($11.6M).

This is probably easiest to understand in the context of the Canucks’ own roster. Does Hughes deserve a higher salary than Pettersson? Absolutely, 100%, no doubt about it. So, he begins to move up this chart as well.

Does Hughes deserve a higher salary than McDavid? The answer there is ‘probably not.’ But McDavid is about to finish off the eighth and final year of his own current contract. That $12.5 million figure is going to be greatly increased upon for McDavid’s next deal, and whatever it ends up at could reasonably be seen as a negotiating cap on Hughes’ (and everyone else’s) next contract.

What about the rest of the list? Does Hughes, for example, deserve more than someone like Marner, Rantanen, or Panarin, each excellent players in their own right, but with none of them truly being ‘the guy’ on their own rosters? It seems pretty easy to make an argument for him to eclipse them.

What about that MacKinnon, Matthews, and Draisaitl group? Here, we might have finally found Hughes’ true peers. Each of them is and has been in the conversation for MVP awards; each is both the best player and an established leader on their own team, and each is still very much in the prime of their career.

Let’s focus on Draisaitl, who has both the highest and most recent salary among the group. There are some arguments to be made that Draisaitl deserves the higher salary of the two. Right or wrong, forwards tend to be paid more than defenders, and raw point totals are still the best predictor of salary. Draisaitl just closed out his fourth 100-plus-point season. He’s got one Hart to Hughes’ one Norris, along with an Art Ross, a Ted Lindsay, and the most recent Rocket Richard Trophy.

Then again, Draisaitl signed his deal a year ago, in September of 2024, at which point his $14 million represented 14.66% of the cap ceiling.

When Hughes signs his next deal, it’ll begin in the 2027/28 season, at which point the cap will have climbed to $113.5 million. If we cut 14.66% from that total, we end up with $16.64 million.

So, even if there’s a valid argument for Draisaitl to make more than Hughes, the existence and prevalence of leaguewide inflation should more than make up for it.

There’s one more factor at play here, and that’s taxes. Some argue that the discrepancy between a place like British Columbia and a comparatively tax-free haven like Florida is overstated, but nobody claims it is entirely fictional. The fact of the matter is that Hughes would be leaving take-home money on the table if he signed a contract with Vancouver than if he signed one with the Panthers or Lightning.

It’s not an insurmountable barrier, but it’s one more obstacle in the way of signing – and definitely in the way of achieving any form of discount.

That leaves us with a workable range of predictions. If Makar signs before Hughes, he becomes the instant and convenient comparable. If not, we’re operating between the bounds of Draisaitl’s $14 million and whatever McDavid winds up signing for on his next deal.

Of course, there’s always hope that Hughes will take less than what is fair in order to increase his team’s ability to compete. For our part, however, we’ll save such hopes and dreams just for Hughes signing an extension with the Canucks – any extension. There’s little doubt he’ll be worth whatever he earns or continue to be anything less than one of the most valuable players in hockey, regardless of cap hit.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/one-ye...-hughes-extension-look-like-vancouver-canucks
 
Video essay: How Dany Sabourin was thrust into overtime during a Canucks playoff game

On May 3, 2007, the Vancouver Canucks were fighting for their playoff lives against the powerhouse Anaheim Ducks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinal. The Ducks were up 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 held in Anaheim. The Canucks were clinging to hope, having just tied the game late in regulation.

And then, overtime started… Without Roberto Luongo.

In his place? Dany Sabourin, a little-known backup with only two career NHL wins.

In this dramatic and unforgettable video essay, we tell the story of the most unexpected goaltending moment in modern Canucks playoff history. Sure, this is the one with the infamous Luongo bathroom emergency. But behind the toilet jokes is the story of Sabourin’s three-and-a-half heroic minutes that nearly kept Vancouver’s season alive.

  • The 2006–07 Canucks had just traded away the last piece of the West Coast Express era and were riding a career-best season from Luongo, who had led them to 105 points, a division title, and a marathon first-round win over Dallas.
  • The Ducks series was brutal. Physical. Tight. Every game – except for one – was a one-goal battle.
  • Then came overtime in Game 5. Luongo wasn’t on the ice, nor was he on the bench.
  • Sabourin, who had gone winless in his first nine NHL starts, was thrust into the net against the likes of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Pronger, and Teemu Selanne.

What followed were three minutes and thirty-four seconds of the most nerve-wracking, pressure-packed goaltending you’ll ever see from a guy barely anyone remembers. He made five crucial saves, held off an Anaheim cycle, and bought enough time for Luongo to return – and for Canucks fans to finally exhale.

In this video, we also revisit:

  • The story behind how Sabourin became Luongo’s first backup
  • His career arc, from the QMJHL to the AHL to the NHL
  • Why this moment defined his entire Canucks legacy

“This is where the magic happens,” Luongo tweeted years later, alongside a photo of the Anaheim dressing room washroom.

And this is where the magic happened…… #anaheim #playoffs2007 #squirts #💩 pic.twitter.com/TZmjhnOJ

— Strombone (@strombone1) January 26, 2013

While Vancouver would ultimately fall in double OT that night – and lose the series – Sabourin’s shift remains one of the most unforgettable “blink and you missed it” playoff moments in franchise history.

Watch our full video essay on the story below:

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/video-...vertime-during-vancouver-canucks-playoff-game
 
6 notable NHL free agents who have yet to sign with a team

The Vancouver Canucks‘ offseason work may very well be complete. As we showed earlier this week, they’ve now got a full lineup and could ice a team if the season started tomorrow. But that doesn’t mean we’ve packed up for the offseason and have stopped paying attention to the league as a whole.

With that, we present you six notable NHL free agents who have yet to find their new home.

Jack Roslovic

When it comes to remaining free agents that might be a fit for the Canucks, Roslovic might be the only name on this list who fits that billing. After all, the Canucks haven’t tried to hide the fact that they’d like to add a top six centre to the mix. Is Roslovic a perfect player for them? No, not necessarily.

But he is a right-handed centre who posted a 54% success rate in the faceoff dot last season. Faceoffs are certainly an area the Canucks could use some help in. Plus, Roslovic scored 22 goals last season, the second time in his career that he’s achieved that feat. The fact that Roslovic is still available almost a week after free agency opened suggests that perhaps he hasn’t received the type of offers he was hoping for, and that he could be had at a price that would have originally be thought too low. A Pius Suter-type contract, if you will.

The Canucks have been rumoured to be interested in Roslovic in the past, so this might be one to keep an eye on.

Matt Grzelyck

It might be nice for the Canucks that Matt Grzelyck is still available if they didn’t have a defence corps that is essentially set in stone, but that’s not the reality we’re living in. Grzelyck remains without a home as we head into week two of free agency, and that’s a bit surprising, given that he tallied a career-high 40 points last season.

Where are the LA Kings when you need them?!

Victor Olofsson

A one-dimensional scorer who can be effective on the power play, Victor Olofsson has yet to find a new home after a decent season with the Vegas Golden Knights in which he potted 15 goals. The real problem with Olofsson is that he’s not scoring like he used to, and doesn’t bring much at all when he’s not scoring.

As we’re finding out, that can be a recipe for disaster when you hit free agency. That being said, it’d be downright hard to believe that a team won’t take a flyer on a 29-year-old who is two seasons removed from scoring 28 goals. Will that team be the Canucks? Almost certainly not, thanks to the glut of wingers the organization currently possesses.

Jeff Skinner

Jeff Skinner’s one-year “show me” deal with the Edmonton Oilers, which seemed to be aimed at helping him find a long term pay day and a nice pay day this free agency, went more poorly than anyone could have thought. After scoring 33, 35, and 24 goals with the Sabres over the past three seasons — not to mention a 40 goal in 2018-19 — Skinner was anticipated to pot a ton of goals playing alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

For whatever reason, that didn’t happen, and now Skinner finds himself without an NHL home of any sort. At 33, he’s not exactly “old” but he is in a bit of a tough spot, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out for him.

Michael Carcone

Believe it or not, Michael Carcone is “notable” for more reasons than just “used to be in the Canucks’ organization”. Carcone scored 21 goals as a member of the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24, and 19 points through 53 games with Utah last season. He’s presumably on the hunt for a one-way deal, and preferably one with some sort of term. Will he get it?

Tyler Motte

Tyler Motte is a fan favourite among Canucks fans, and if the Canucks didn’t have so many wingers, we might be pounding the table for the Canucks to bring him back. The 30-year-old tallied nine points in each of his last two seasons and remains unsigned.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/6-notable-nhl-free-agents-who-have-yet-sign-team
 
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