Revisiting and reviewing our 7 predictions for the Vancouver Canucks’ 2022 offseason

Photo credit:© Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

1 year ago

We’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t write this article for our readers.

Earlier this offseason — on May 17th, to be exact — we took the leap of faith and outlined seven predictions for the Vancouver Canucks’ offseason.

And while they’re not done yet, we thought it’d be appropriate to revisit those predictions and see what we got right, what we got wrong, and what we were straight up out to lunch on.

If you haven’t already and wish to do so, you can read the original predictions article by clicking here.

Let’s do this.

Prediction one: Canucks navigate Boeser’s qualifying offer by extending him for three years

**Result + score: almost NAILED IT + 9.5/10 absolves us of being wrong about like every other prediction we made**

For our first prediction, we threw out the idea that Brock Boeser would once again delay his opportunity to cash in on a long-term NHL contract by signing another bridge deal with the Canucks.

And on July 1st, Boeser and the Canucks agreed to terms on a three-year contract that carries an annual average value of $6.65 million.

Here’s what we had in our prediction:

As such, for our first prediction, we’re saying that while the Canucks may issue Boeser a qualifying offer first, they’ll eventually come to an agreement on a two or three-year deal with him.
More specifically, we’re predicting Boeser’s contract comes in at three years, $6 million annually.

The only reason we’re missing the perfect 10 score here is because we were off a little bit on the dollar number.

Prediction two: Canucks extend Bo Horvat this offseason

Result + score: Still a good prediction + 7/10

This one hasn’t happened yet, but all indications remain that the Canucks will be extending their captain sometime this offseason.

It could get done just weeks before the regular season, but the Canucks would certainly like to get Bo Horvat locked up long term sooner rather than later.

We docked three points from a perfect 10 because obviously this one hasn’t actually happened yet.

Just to refresh your memory:

As for a projection on the exact contract, market comparables for the 30-goal scorer Horvat likely start around $7 million and only go up from there.
We assume the Canucks go long-term in locking up their captain, and that Horvat’s next deal comes in at six years at $7 million.

TBD on this one, folks.

Prediction three: Canucks lose out on Andrey Kuzmenko

Result + score: On a scale of 1 to the Joey’s in Edmonton, this one comes in at a 1.

It should be zero, really.

That’s right. We predicted that KHL free agent Andrey Kuzmenko would sign with the Edmonton Oilers and take the opportunity to play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatl over anything else.

Instead, the Canucks landed him, with help from Ilya Mikheyev and Vasily Podkolzin, of course.

Here’s what we wrote:

Edmonton has the luxury of essentially guaranteeing to Kuzmenko and his camp that he’ll get the opportunity to play on a line with either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, not to mention log loads of first power play unit time.
The Canucks have a bit more of a complicated situation, and can’t really guarantee Kuzmenko top six time in the same way Edmonton can.
But hey, who knows? Maybe the prospect of playing with Vasily Podkolzin once again is appealing enough for Kuzmenko to sign with Vancouver.
After all, there are whispers around the industry that the Canucks are currently viewed by many as the favourite to land Kuzmenko’s services.

Should have listened to those damn whispers.

In our defence, we didn’t realize the Oilers would take Kuzmenko to Joey’s to give him their grand sales pitch.

It’s just tough to compete with Elisa and Blue Water Cafe.

Prediction four and five: Canucks recoup a second-round pick, and Canucks don’t draft 15th overall.

Result + score: Didn’t happen, but maybe almost did? 3/10

We’re giving ourselves a modest three instead of a zero because in the Canucks’ all-access draft video, it was revealed that before drafting Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Canucks GM Patrik Allvin called an opposing GM to tell him that the Canucks were going to be making their pick at 15th overall.

That likely means that the Canucks had the framework of a deal in place to not only move down from 15th, which would have made prediction #5 a perfect 10/10, but also could have meant the club recouped a second-round pick as a result, which would have just been spectacular for us and our predictions.

Instead, they rushed to the stage to draft Lekkerimäki, who will represent Sweden at the World Junior Championship this week.

It was later revealed that the Canucks had Lekkerimäki ranked seventh overall on their draft board, making it a no-brainer for them not to move down from 15th overall.

Canucks reunite with an old friend to add RD depth

Result + score: Maybe one day, but not today. 1/10

Look, there was legitimate interest between the Canucks and Troy Stecher for a reunion this offseason.

He’s still close with many of his Canucks teammates, and the management regime who Stecher probably feels wronged by is no longer in town. All of the pieces of the puzzle were lining up for a reunion, except the most important of all — a contract.

Stecher signed a one-year $1.25 million contract with the Arizona Coyotes on the first day of free agency, further delaying his inevitable Canucks return by at least one more year.

Here’s what we wrote:

If Stecher, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, wants to come back to his hometown team and reunite with his old Canucks teammates — who he’s still very close with — then the Canucks would be downright foolish not to at least entertain the idea.
For a team that wants to play with more structure and improve their breakouts, Stecher makes a ton of sense when it comes to adding some depth to the right side of the Canucks’ blue line, an area where they’re a bit weak at the moment.

Canucks trade J.T. Miller at the draft, or sometime this offseason

Result + score: Didn’t happen, still time, but who knows at this point? 1/10

As you may have been able to tell, we’re quite sick of talking about J.T. Miller.

Almost as sick as our readers got of reading about him.

Arguably the most-anticipated trade chip outside of the offseason not named Alex DeBrincat has yet to be moved, and the Canucks also don’t seem like they’ll figure out a way to sign him to an extension.

The latest reporting from Satiar Shah of Sportsnet 650 is that nothing is close either way in terms of an extension or a trade.

We’ll just have to continue to wait and see if anything — and we mean anything at all — happens with Miller, because right now, it ain’t much.

Overall, our predictions for the offseason weren’t all that bad, and there’s still a chance one or two of them come to fruition.

Predicting three years on Boeser has us feeling confident enough to even throw out some more predictions in the near future!

Just kidding, of course.

Unless……

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