Now that the 2026 Stanley Cup has been handed out, the focus around the NHL now shifts to the draft and the upcoming offseason. All 31 other NHL teams will be looking at the Carolina Hurricanes and trying to emulate some of their strategies in hopes of reaching the top of the hockey mountain.

The Vancouver Canucks are far, far away from being able to even be in the same conversation as the Hurricanes. However, they can begin building the foundation this offseason to set themselves up for future success. And there are lots of ways of going about it.

Teams have rebuilt through the draft, nailing most of their picks that become contributors at the NHL level. Other teams do most of their work via free agency and the trade market. Those players acquired through free agency or trades can be impact players right away, or struggling players who need a change of scenery. Those players are presented with an opportunity to see increased minutes on developing teams to rebuild their value, with the purpose of being shipped off to a contender — an NHL version of quid pro quo. The player establishes his league value again, while the team gets assets in return to help with their rebuild.

That’s a strategy we would like to see the Canucks use this offseason with their nearly $22 million in available cap space. They have already been linked to Brendan Gallagher, who would fit that category. He has one year remaining at $6.5 million AAV, so he would come cheap to acquire if he doesn’t come as a free asset. Now, he may want to stay in Vancouver, as he has ties to the city. But there are other examples out there, say, a Patrik Laine? He played just five games last year and picked up one assist.

Regardless of who that player may be, there’s just one issue that the Canucks face in order to orchestrate that plan. As of today, there just isn’t any room for the Canucks to add.

Let’s take a look at the Canucks’ current roster:

The Canucks have 12 forwards, six defencemen, and three goalies all under contract heading into next season – all of whom played games for them last season. That doesn’t even factor in Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger, Curtis Douglas, Derek Forbort, or PO Joseph, who remain unsigned. There hasn’t been any indication that this new regime wants to retain any of those players. And even if they let them all walk, there are a few extra players that might work into the mix.

What if Braeden Cootes pops at training camp again? Manny Malhotra leaned heavily on a trio of Abbotsford Canucks, Ty Mueller, Arshdeep Bains, and Kirill Kudryavtsev. Could they play themselves into a promotion next season? What about the freshly signed Ilya Safonov? He has a European out in his contract if he doesn’t make the NHL squad next season.

Now, of course, all of those extras won’t be in the NHL next season. We are just highlighting that the club will need to be prepared for potential internal promotion. As of now, they wouldn’t have the space. Who would they take out of the lineup? Max Sasson, Aatu Räty and Jonathan Lekkerimäki are ones they likely want to give a fair runway of games to see what they have in them.

It has been rumoured that Jake DeBrusk does not want to be a part of the rebuild moving forward. So more likely than not, his spot will open up for next season. Still, that’s just one spot open. Filip Chytil has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, but barring another injury, he’ll be available on opening night. The options are scarce at the moment.

The Canucks will need to get creative to free up roster spots. Would Nils Höglander be better suited with a change of scenery? He hasn’t had the easiest path to ice time in Vancouver. Does Drew O’Connor’s size, speed, and one year remaining on a cheap contract garner interest around the league?

It’s been reported that the Canucks want to bring in some extra physicality up front this offseason. So if they want to accomplish that, while bringing in players that they can later flip for future assets at the trade deadline and also giving the young players on the roster ample opportunity to thrive and develop, then the Canucks will need to subtract from their lineup before they can add.