With everyone focused on the big fish in the UFA market, some players and their roles are likely being overlooked. Obviously at this moment, the Canucks are full of bottom 9 players but we don’t know what will happen between now and puck drop in October. It’s not crazy to think that the Canucks would be wise to add a depth winger that can help out on the penalty kill, chip in offensively and can help push the pace.

That brings us to Dallas Stars free agent Colton Sceviour, who is a player that head coach Willie Desjardins is quite familiar with.

Sceviour plays a good all around game who helps in all three zones. He isn’t a great skater but helps push the play well. He has a decent shot and playmaking abilities that allows him to create opportunities. 

If needed, he can play on the penalty kill.

He tore up the AHL before making the leap to the NHL, and although he may never continue that into the NHL, he has shown the ability to chip in here and there.

His shooting percentage (9.6%) and PDO (100.4) clearly show that he is producing exactly as expected – he isn’t getting lucky or unlucky.

We don’t know what the Canucks wild in the next few weeks or months, but if they do make a deal where a forward is sent out, they would be wise to replace them through free agency. Aside from Brendan Gaunce, there is a lack of NHL ready players who could step into the lineup if, or should I say, when injuries occur.

Sceviour could be signed to a short term deal with a cap hit around $1-$1.5 million – which is ideal for someone who would likely start the season as the 13th or 14th forward. He could get inserted into the lineup when needed and help the team in a variety of ways.

Willie Desjardins was Sceviour’s coach with the Texas Stars of the AHL during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. Sceivour posted 52 points in 12/13 and then followed that up with 63 points in 13/14 while getting cup of coffee with the big club. So, it’s clear that Desjardins had Sceviour playing a lot and he was a larger driver of the offence. That is attractive to the player and the coach, as there is already a track record of success that both would hope to capitalize on. Sceviour has also shown that he can contribute at the NHL level.

At first glance, it is hard to find a scenario that works right now but things change quickly. However it’s clear that there are few reasons why the Canucks would be interested in Sceviour and vice versa. Having just turned 27 in April, he is very young to be a UFA, so he would fit into the acceptable age range for the Canucks. He is still getting his feet wet at the NHL level and appears to have room to grow. For Sceviour, he would likely get an expanded role at some point in the season and would have a chance to seize that.

He has held his own at the NHL level (51.8% GF%), but just hasn’t been able to fully translate his AHL scoring to the NHL. That isn’t a terrible thing, as is hovering near 30 points per 82 games.

Sceviour also seems to step up his game in the playoffs – he posted 2 goals and 3 assists while sporting a CF% of 54% for Dallas this past post-season.

All of this isn’t to suggest that the Canucks should be going all in for Sceviour, but as we saw in this year’s playoffs, depth is key. So if the Canucks are wanting to get back into the playoff hunt, which they have made very clear they do. Then adding depth pieces like Sceviour to help supplement their young players would be a very wise venture. The familiarity and versatility makes him a logical addition.