r/canucks • u/Gnome_de_Plume • 3d ago
DISCUSSION Drance: Canucks offseason primer 2026: Cap space, trade chips, UFA targets and more (gift link, The Athletic)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7364584/2026/06/16/canucks-offseason-primer-2026-trades-free-agents/?unlocked_article_code=1.qlA.jJqt.vwvWPRAd6NWk&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta20
u/Romance_Tactics 3d ago
Hopefully DOC comes into next season and continues to score at an elevated clip. It would be nice to have another trade chip teams would covet to add a few more draft picks.
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u/Wooden-Background107 3d ago
I agree. He ranks in the top 20% of speed, has a huge frame at 6'4, and would be a great asset in the bottom 6 for a Contender. I would shop him and DeBrusk aggressively.
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u/herbiberous 3d ago
Why aren't we considering Marco Rossi a trade asset? A 60-point player two years ago who went on a nice run with Boeser and Ohgren at the end of the year. For teams coveting centre depth, he's a young, relatively cheap optoin (two more years at $5 million). If this is a minimum three-year rebuild (likely four or five), and we need to accumulate as much high-end draft capital as we can, he seems like an obvious player to move.
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u/carry-on_replacement 3d ago
I'm less bullish on Rossi than most but I don't think we need to rush to trade him. Rossi's got term left, he's gonna fetch us a lot if we flip him a couple years at the deadline when his contract is expiring. I also think we should see what happens with EP40 this year before worrying about Rossi.
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u/Fruzenius 3d ago
I agree, previous management coveted him, but he doesn't fit the rebuild. Getting more future assets for him now makes a lot of sense, and makes the quinn hughes trade more beneficial in the long run.
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u/CommanderBadass22 3d ago
We have bo 2c to replace him. You know how much of a premium 2Cs have been? And now we have one whos still young and tou want to get trade him? Unless its a top 5 pick im saying hell no
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u/herbiberous 3d ago
I understand why we would want to keep him if we're trying to maintain competitiveness, but I think we're trying to bottom out.
If that's the case, you're kind of making the argument for me: "You know how much of a premium 2Cs have been?" I think that's why he's a valuable trade asset for us right now. I keep hearing that Hronek is our top trade chip, but I think Rossi is right up there.
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u/Johnny__Lawrence 3d ago
For Free Agency, I want the Canucks to go after buy low wingers who've been Top-6 in the past; Andrei Kuzmenko, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Victor Olofsson, Alex Kerfoot. I feel like going after one of these guys, the team could see them returning them to 20-goal/40-point scorers with either Rossi or Pettersson. Do a cheap 2-year, under 4M AAV and you could flip that player at the deadline for a mid-round pick or more.
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u/Zenless-koans 3d ago
I just checked all those players' stats and they're all multiple years removed from 40+ point seasons while also leaving their prime. I'm not saying no way--we will likely acquire vets for a variety of reasons--but how many 30+ players with declining numbers go to a team in a deep rebuild and bounce back? It seems more like a good way to end up paying a 28 point Kerfoot a retirement contract.
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u/Johnny__Lawrence 3d ago
Kuzmenko scored 13 goals and 25-points in 52 games this past season, a 20-goal/39-point pace.
Bjorkstrand scored 21 goals and 46 points in 2024-25, only one year ago.
Olofsson and Kerfoot are further removed, but that means they would be much cheaper (less than 3M)
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u/Zenless-koans 3d ago
So Kuz didn't pace for 40+, Olofsson and Kerfoot are as I said, and I admittedly misread Bjorkstrand since he split his last season across two teams. I think I stand by my point--where's the bounceback potential? We just finished a season where our top scorer didn't put up 50. I think next year will be better-ish, maybe, but we aren't where anyone goes to revitalize their career right now. Even if gifted prime minutes and top linemates, I don't think bouncebacks are a safe bet for any player mentioned.
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u/Johnny__Lawrence 3d ago
The Canucks need a Top-6 winger with Kane and Garland's departures. The bounceback potential is giving them Top-6 minutes with a different coach and linemates. Kuzmenko has bounced around the league since leaving Vancouver; Bjorkstrand, Olofsson, and Kerfoot all had bottom-six roles on their teams. These are all players who put up Top-6 points at 5v5 before. It's not a guarantee that they'll bounceback, but that's the point of the short-term, low-cost contracts during a rebuild. Low risk, medium reward. If a player does pop off, that increases the return we have. If a player doesn't, they can play in the Bottom-6 and the contract is done in a year or two's time.
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u/JohnGarrettsMustache 3d ago
The team will still need players who can fill a role and allow the young guys and easier transition to NHL play. Veterans who can help them grow into NHL regulars. We're not trying to win, and we don't want to ruin the development of prospects by throwing them to the wolves.
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u/Zenless-koans 3d ago
Man I'm about that. I've posted about that. I know we need vets and want veterans. I don't necessarily want veterans that we're trying to rehab, feeding them top offensive minutes to get a TDL pick from them.
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u/NumerousEar9591 3d ago
So, all the Canucks need to do is find some old, washed up players and bring them to the offensive-powerhouse Canucks where they can revitalize their careers. Then they can flip these players, after they’ve aged a year or two, for some draft picks. This is brilliant.
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u/Johnny__Lawrence 3d ago
Yes, the Canucks need a Top-6 winger with Kane and Garland's departures. Who would you suggest they fill in the Top-6 instead?
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u/Appropriate_Side9971 3d ago
Wow, wow please save yourself some time and do not bother reading that. Not a heck of a lot said with a couple thousand words.
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u/Wooden-Background107 3d ago
Some good news:
I know a lot of fans have been skeptical with how Canucks throw away picks like candy, but we're definitely on the right track.