Meanwhile, in Vancouver, the Canucks recently promoted Ryan Johnson to GM. Once he names a new coach, he's expected to continue rebuilding the roster.

Ben Kuzma of The Province believes Johnson should draw lessons on how the Montreal Canadiens staged a rapid rebuild from a bottom feeder four years ago into one of this season's top-10 teams.

One of those lessons is identifying roster players with trade value who could fetch assets to accelerate the rebuilding process. Kuzma suggested left winger Jake DeBrusk and defenseman Filip Hronek as two candidates for the Canucks.

DeBrusk, 29, has indicated his reluctance to be part of a rebuilding team at this stage of his career. He reached the 20-goal plateau for the fifth time in his nine-season NHL career and the 40-point mark for the seventh time. He also carries an affordable $5.5-million cap hit for the next five years.

Hronek, 28, is a big-minute, mobile defenseman who finished with a career-high 49 points this season. He has six years left on his contract with an average annual value of $7.25 million and a full no-movement clause, but he could bring in a significant return if he agrees to be traded.

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