With the 2019-20 NHL season on hold we are going to review where each NHL team stands at this moment until the season resumes. Here we take a look at the long-term outlook for the Vancouver Canucks.
Pending Free Agents
- Jacob Markstrom (UFA)
- Tyler Toffoli (UFA)
- Christopher Tanev (UFA)
- Jake Virtanen (RFA)
- Troy Stecher (RFA)
- Tyler Motte (RFA)
- Louis Domingue (UFA)
- Josh Leivo (UFA)
The Core
The Canucks must lock down some key players (and make important decisions) soon.
Most importantly, both Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes see their entry-level contracts expire after 2020-21. The Canucks’ long-term flexibility may hinge on how much each player costs. It will be interesting to monitor those situations. Could Vancouver convince either of them to sign extensions as early as the 2020 offseason? Either way, how much of the salary cap will each rising star take up?
While the Canucks have Brock Boeser signed to a team-friendly deal, that will also be up after 2021-22.
So, while there are core pieces in place, we haven’t fully understood the cost of many pieces.
There are some players locked down to medium term, however. Both Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller are signed through 2022-23, and quite affordable at a combined AAV of $10.75M. Tyler Myers ($6M AAV through 2023-24) seems like less of a positive, but for better or worse, he’s slated to be a part of the core.
Myers presents a neat transition to the bad news: Vancouver has some flab on its salary structure. There’s dead money devoted to the Roberto Luongo salary recapture, Ryan Spooner buyout, and to some extent, Sven Baertschi.
Yet, the brighter side is that the Canucks can transition shaky money to rising stars. Brandon Sutter’s $4.375M AAV can be put toward Pettersson and Hughes after 2020-21. A whopping $12M (Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, and Antoine Roussel) comes off the books in time to re-up Brock Boeser ... and so on.
So, it’s pretty easy to see a solid situation getting better.
[PHT Power Rankings: Where do Canucks rank among best and worst long-term outlooks?]
Long-term needs for Canucks
That said, it’s crucial for GM Jim Benning to have more success in free agency -- even if it means simply abstaining from spending.
Will the Canucks feel the urge to break the bank to make Tyler Toffoli more than a rental? Will they give 30-year-old defenseman Christopher Tanev a risky contract?
In particular, key decisions await in net. Jacob Markstrom is a pending UFA, while intriguing 24-year-old goalie Thatcher Demko is only covered through 2020-21. Should the Canucks keep one or both around?
It will be crucial to surround Pettersson, Hughes, and Boeser with supporting talent. So far, it seems more likely that Benning will find some help in the draft and via trades than in free agent spending.
Whether things worked out (Miller) or didn’t (Myers), it seems like Benning was impatient when it came to pushing this team along its winning curve. The Canucks will be without either their 2020 or 2021 first-rounder, and also don’t have their second-rounder for 2020.
The Canucks need a lot of help on defense, and are also pretty top-heavy on offense. Addressing those needs will be key to take the right step. In that regard, Benning’s mixed leaps with stumbles.
Long-term strengths for Canucks
Trading away Tyler Madden in the Toffoli deal hurts the Canucks’ prospect depth, but there’s some definite intrigue, particularly in Nils Hoglander and Vasili Podkolzin.
If any of those prospects really blossom -- Olli Juolevi, anytime now -- then the Canucks could really be onto something.
That’s because they already boast an enviable assortment of young talent. Elias Pettersson keeps setting the bar higher, and he’s only 21. Quinn Hughes is tantalizing at 20. Boeser (23) and Bo Horvat (25) both stand in the meat of their prime years. Miller isn’t ancient by any means, either, at 27.
We’ve seen a Canucks offense that can be explosive at times, and Markstrom’s hovered around elite quite a bit.
If you want to be a downer, you might focus on the Oilers boasting an even better top end with young stars in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Beyond that, though, the Canucks also seem likely to be a fixture in a Pacific Division that could feature some rough teams at the bottom.
There’s a lot to like with the Canucks. We’ll see if Benning can push the right buttons to bring them up yet another level.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.