How did the team acquire the players it will ice next season?
After adding significant pieces via free agency on Saturday, the Vancouver Canucks now have the framework of the roster they will take to training camp in September. Of course, things can -- and very well may -- change drastically with a phone call and a trade. But for the most part, the Canucks general roster has now been formed and it will be up to the coaching staff to make difficult decisions about the 23-man opening night roster and from there the 18 skaters and two goalies that will suit up against the Edmonton Oilers on October 11th at Rogers Arena.
Among current roster players, the Canucks have just four drafted players: Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko. The club also spent draft capital on Vasily Podkolzin, Nils Höglander, Guillaume Brisebois, Jack Rathbone and Arturs Silovs although their roles on the big club for next season are all yet to be determined. So as it stands at this moment, only four cornerstone players have been added through the draft -- three of them are first rounders and the other was selected in the second round.
The team has traded for five pieces: JT Miller, Conor Garland, Anthony Beauvillier, Filip Hronek and Jack Studnicka. Three of those players were acquired in deals involving first round picks being sent away. The injured Tanner Pearson was also added via trade as was Spencer Martin who may yet earn another opportunity to hold down the back-up net minder's job.
The remainder of the roster has been added via free agency: Carson Soucy, Ian Cole, and Teddy Blueger on July 1st along with Andrei Kuzmenko, Ilya Mikheyev, Tyler Myers, Nils Aman, Dakota Joshua, Phil Di Giuseppe and Sheldon Dries. In addition to those 10 regulars the Canucks have added depth defenders Christian Wolanin, Akito Hirose, Cole McWard via free agency, as well. Tucker Poolman, whose career remains in limbo due to lingering head injury issues, was also signed as a free agent.
For a team that has qualified for the playoffs just twice over the past decade, it's somewhat startling to see how few draft picks the Canucks have been able to develop into full time NHL'ers. As such, the team has relied on free agency to continually round out the roster. That trend continued on Saturday, although unlike in past years, the Canucks demonstrated fiscal restraint and limited the term offered to free agents.
It will now be up to Rick Tocchet and the Canucks coaching staff to squeeze everything they can out of the assembled roster to help this hockey club make strides for next season.