The Vancouver Canucks have nine pending UFAs and RFA Filip Hronek with arbitration rights heading into the off-season, but there are expectations to upgrade as well.
The Vancouver Canucks' two-round playoff run had a disappointing finish, but it capped what was otherwise a season of significant improvement. Their 109-point performance was the third-best in franchise history.
Coach Rick Tocchet's efforts earned him the Jack Adams Award. Meanwhile, goaltender Thatcher Demko is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, defenseman Quinn Hughes is up for the Norris Trophy and center Elias Pettersson is a finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.
The Canucks showed resilience during the post-season with Demko out with a lower-body injury and Brock Boeser sidelined by a reported non-life-threatening blood clotting issue.
Team president Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin will attempt to build on this season's success. The Hockey News' Carol Schram indicated they have more salary-cap wiggle room to do so, carrying a projected cap space of $24.7 million with 15 active roster players under contract.
With July 1 barely a month away, Schram wouldn't be surprised if Rutherford and Allvin make more moves as they attempt to take the Canucks to the next level.
Before doing that, however, they must deal with in-house matters.
The Canucks have four defensemen (Tyler Myers, Nikita Zadorov, Ian Cole and Mark Friedman) and four forwards (Elias Lindholm, Dakota Joshua, Teddy Blueger and Sam Lafferty) eligible for UFA status on July 1. They must also re-sign blueliner Filip Hronek, an RFA with arbitration rights.
The Hockey News' Michael DeRosa cited Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman suggesting the Boston Bruins could target Lindholm. During a press conference on Wednesday, Bruins GM Don Sweeney indicated he'll be aggressive in his efforts to bolster his forward lines this summer.
Thomas Drance of The Athletic believes the Canucks must maintain or replace the size advantage that Zadorov, Myers and Joshua bring to their lineup. He thinks Hronek's contract talks could get tricky given his arbitration status, inconsistent post-season and what they gave up to acquire him from the Detroit Red Wings last season.
CHEK-TV's Rick Dhaliwal claims the Hronek camp seeks $8 million per season because of his arbitration rights. That's a higher salary than Hughes' $7.85 million through 2026-27 and could prompt management to shop Hronek, leaving a big hole on their blueline to fill.
The Canucks will have to rebuild their blueline again if Myers and Zadorov depart via free agency. Re-signing Lindholm could cost as much as Joshua, Blueger and Lafferty combined. ESPN.com's Ryan S. Clark also pointed out that whatever management does with their forwards will also be with an eye on new contracts for Boeser and Nils Hoglander next year.
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