In our ongoing series centering around the 2019 offseason, we’re back for another look at the upcoming free agency market.

The Vancouver Canucks have cap space to burn in the summer of 2019—but the question of whether or not they should spend that money is another question entirely. Most Canuck fans are tired of seeing veteran role players enter the roster on bloated contracts, only to underperform—and it’s easy to understand why. Still, the Canucks lineup has some definite holes that need filling, and there are few who would argue with the addition of a true star player—no matter how they’re acquired.

The question then becomes: are there any premium players about to hit the open market?

The Canucks are currently scheduled to have more than $28 million in cap space during the 2019 offseason, though much of that is already earmarked for Brock Boeser, Alex Edler, and a handful of other important RFAs. After all is said and done, it stands to reason that GM Jim Benning will still have more than $10 million in available room to play around with—not that he’s looking to hand out any enormous contracts:

In other words, the Canucks could afford to add one premium free agent during the summer of 2019—but they might not be willing to pay the required cost. These days, star players are signing contracts well in excess of $10 million per year. If Vancouver won’t pony up for a top-tier free agent, they’ll still have ample cap space to offer some of the secondary options.

The Canucks have plenty of middle-six forwards, but their stable of true top-six players is woefully thin. Currently, only Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Bo Horvat qualify—and that leaves a gaping hole at the left wing.

Vancouver currently has a bounty of competent left wingers—including Nikolay Goldobin, Tanner Pearson, Josh Leivo, and Antoine Roussel—but no one who stands out as a de facto top-line option. Sven Baertschi probably comes the closest, but his injury issues qualify him as a question mark at best. It’s the exact type of left winger Jim Benning should be looking for in free agency—one capable of stepping directly onto the number one line and producing.

Anything less would be redundant at this point.

Panarin is the premier forward option in 2019 and—aside from Erik Karlsson—the single best free agent on the market. As such, he’ll come at an enormous price-tag and have most NHL teams after his services. Despite Panarin reportedly showing interest in Vancouver in the past, expect him to sign for somewhere north of $10 million a season—and thus price himself out of GM Jim Benning’s plans.

It’s a shame, too, because he’d look really, really good alongside Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser.

 

Skinner has cooled off considerably after a scorching hot start to the 2018/19 season, but he’s still on pace for a career year and due to cash in on free agency in a big way. Skinner’s track record isn’t as impressive as Panarin’s, yet he’s scored at least 37 goals in two of the past three seasons—and that’s nothing to sneeze at.

Like Panarin, Skinner will almost certainly price himself out of Vancouver’s plans. That’s probably for the best, however, as a pure goal scorer like Skinner isn’t the best fit for the Canucks’ top line anyway.

 

Lee is the captain of the Islanders and chances are good he’s not going anywhere—but there will be an intense bidding war for his services if he does hit the open market. Whether he signs in New York or elsewhere, Lee is due for a major raise and can be expected to double his current salary at the very least.

As a premier offensive difference-maker, Lee deserves the money he is going to get—which is probably more than Vancouver can justify giving him. He’s not the best fit for the Pettersson/Boeser unit, and it’s doubtful he’ll have much interest in leaving the east coast.

 

Long-time observers of free agency have come to be wary of players like Dzingel—those who suddenly post unprecedented offensive totals in the season before they hit free agency. The relatively low return that Ottawa got for him at the Trade Deadline suggests that league GMs are skeptical of Dzingel—but one of them is going to overpay him when he hits the open market.

The odds of Dzingel replicating his 2018/19 scoring rate in future seasons are slim, and Vancouver is not in any position to gamble. Chances are good he’ll revert back to a 0.5 point-per-game winger moving forward, and the Canucks have plenty of them on hand.

 

Who? The former “Public Enemy Number One” in Vancouver now represents the best combination of skill and physicality on the free agency market. Carolina’s decision to keep Ferland at the Trade Deadline suggests they’re planning on signing him long-term, but Ferland will almost certainly get overpaid for his physical attributes if he makes it to unrestricted status—and that’s something the Canucks should steer clear of. Ferland simply doesn’t move the needle enough offensively to warrant the contract he’s going to get.

 

Panik continuously puts up solid middle-six numbers, but at 27 years old he is what is. There’s not much reason to expect any progression in Panik’s game beyond this point, and his current quality of play would make him a redundant asset in Vancouver. The Canucks should say no to Panik even if he maintains his current salary.

 

Vanek remains one of the most productive wingers on the free agency market, but the Canucks have been there and done that. Now more than ever, Vanek is a complementary scorer—and Vancouver is crawling in complementary scorers. There’s no doubt Vanek can still put up numbers, but he’s just not enough of a genuine driver of offense to consider.

 

If the Canucks are looking for someone who can score and play physical, Maroon looks like the best option on the market. However, that still doesn’t make him a good option. Maroon is currently having his worst season in years, but he’s had plenty of opportunity to show his scoring potential in past seasons. If Connor McDavid can’t turn Maroon into a legitimate top-six winger, don’t expect Elias Pettersson to.

 

After missing much of the season following surgery, McGinn has one of the highest point-per-game averages of all free agent wingers. Unfortunately, those numbers don’t really jive with McGinn’s overall body of work—suggesting he’s on a hot streak more than anything, and should be avoided on the open market. While he brings physicality to the table, McGinn’s defensive metrics are poor.

 

Agostino is definitely the budget option on this list—but he’s not half bad as far as budget options go. After bouncing around six NHL organizations, Agostino finally caught on full-time with the Devils partway through the season. He’s scored at a 0.5 points-per-game clip ever since. Agostino could be a low-risk, high-reward type of signing—but it’s hard to argue that he brings anything to the table that Nikolay Goldobin or Josh Leivo don’t already.