Alex Goligoski will be forever linked to the deal that saw him moved from Pittsburgh for James Neal and Matt Niskanen. At the time, the deal was regarded as being a landslide win for Pittsburgh, as they were able to turn one player into two. But that isn’t fair to Goligoski, as he has given Dallas everything that they could’ve hoped for in his six seasons in the Lone Star State.

If, and that’s a big if, Goligoski does hit the market on July 1st, it’s fair to assume that there will be quite a few suitors for his services. Although he turns 31 this summer, players of his ilk are generally not readily available.

There’s still fair belief that he will re-sign in Dallas, as he was a big minute eating defenceman for the Central Division champions, but you never know. 

Goligoski is a left handed offensive defenceman who can run a power play extremely well. Usually paired with John Klingberg this season, they formed a very formidable pairing for the Stars. Posting a 58.4 GF% when paired together this season, it was clear why they were the Stars top pairing.

The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native has excellent mobility and puck moving ability. He uses his high end hockey sense to transition the play extremely well. He uses all of those tools on the power-play to create lanes and opportunities for his teammates. He doesn’t possess a heavy shot, but it is accurate and adequate. 

Looking purely at the hockey part of adding Goligoski, it would make sense for the Canucks to target him. They have had issues generating offence from the backend and once Edler was out of the lineup, the power play was a struggle. Goligoski would at least help in those aspects and if needed eat up a lot of minutes.

A smooth skating puck mover who posts very good possession numbers while not being a liability in the defensive zone are hard to come by.

I’ve always been a fan of his game, but as we will see in the conclusion, him coming to Vancouver isn’t likely going to happen for a variety of reasons.

With the acquisition of Erik Gudbranson last week, the Canucks have created a bit of a log jam on the backend. With Andrey Pedan requiring waivers next season, the argument could be made that they now have 9 defenceman that will be on their roster. They could lower that by demoting Alex Biega or running the risk of waiving Pedan. There is also the more likely avenue of moving one of the defenceman for picks or forwards.

If that does happen, than Goligoski is exactly the type of defenceman they should target. The age of Goligoski is of concern though – as he will be 31 before next season even begins and the Canucks would probably prefer someone a few years younger. But if they are looking to try and make the playoffs next year, adding Goligoski would go a long way to fixing what ails them on the backend. He would help on the power play, provide depth, and if/when injuries happen, he would be able soften the blow.

The Canucks will have cap space to add his services, and there is an argument to be made that adding an offensive defenceman will actually help them generate offence, more than adding a UFA winger.

However, logically the acquisition of Gudbranson likely means that they won’t be looking to add a top four defenceman and will go with Edler & Tanev, and then Hutton & Gudbranson.

There is also the possibility of Goligoski re-signing in Dallas before he hits the market and the other teams that will be in on him.

Although the thought of adding Goligoski sounds like a great addition to the Canucks, there are just too many reasons for it to not happen.