The so-called free agent frenzy came and went with minimal fanfare, especially in these parts. Oh sure, there was still some mad money thrown around the National Hockey League. But for the most part, with a rising salary cap, teams didn’t put on a display of panic purchasing on the open market.
Now, we all await the development of a secondary trade market, and we’ll see if the Vancouver Canucks are involved there. One thing you can always depend on is the Monday Mailbag here at CanucksArmy. We put out the call and, once again, you came through. Even though hockey headlines will start to slow down over the next few weeks, the questions from Canucks fans never seem to stop. So let’s dive in.
I’m a little confused by the top 32 label. Brock Boeser and Conor Garland shared the Canucks team lead among forwards with 50 points apiece last season. There were 112 forwards in the NHL with more points than either of those two. And when it comes to goals, there were 50 guys in the league with more than the 28 Jake DeBrusk scored to lead all Vancouver forwards.
The Canucks are banking on bounceback seasons for Elias Pettersson (15 goals), Nils Höglander (8) and Dakota Joshua (7). There is certainly potential for significantly more from that trio. Depending on his usage, Evander Kane could take a run at replacing the 25 goals Pius Suter scored last season. Drew O’Connor needs to be more productive than he was with just four goals after being acquired from Pittsburgh. And Filip Chytil scored in his Canucks debut and then managed just one other goal before being shut down for the season. The club needs so much more from Chytil.
Beyond that, could Linus Karlsson and Jonathan Lekkerimäki step in and bring some goal scoring with them from Abbotsford? Your question is a completely valid and fair one. Right now, this team appears to be built on solid goaltending and a stout defence corps. And that’s fine. But there will be many nights when the opposition gets three goals. Can the Canucks find a way to score four?
My hunch – and that’s all it is at this moment – is that yes, the Sedins will one day aspire to do more in hockey than player development. These are smart, driven and accomplished hockey minds who received plenty of credit for the work they did with many of the players that helped Abbotsford win the Calder Cup. Then last week they were back on the ice at summer development camp and kicking butt on the Grouse Grind, too.
As their own kids get older, perhaps the Sedins will have more time to devote to whatever path they choose to pursue. Patrik Allvin had high praise for both Daniel and Henrik on the 100 Percent Canucks podcast over the weekend calling them perfect human beings. I could easily see one or both of them working their way behind an NHL bench if they have the passion to coach at the highest level. I could also see them grow into a front office role, too. It really seems like it’s up to them to decide the path they want to travel. 
Just one? How about everything Florida has done? Okay, maybe not. The Canucks didn’t really have a shot at Sam Bennett or Brad Marchand. Is it too soon to say Pius Suter to St. Louis for two years and $8.25M total? I liked Seattle’s acquisition of Mason Marchment for the affordable price of a third and a fourth-round draft pick. But I’m not sure Vancouver was a realistic destination, as it sounds like Dallas was selective in choosing a soft landing spot for Marchment based on taxation, so that the player didn’t lose out on income as the Stars shed his salary. I liked Toronto and Carolina going long term with Matthiew Knies and Logan Stankhoven respectively, even though neither was a free agent option for the Canucks. I’m curious to see how Jonathan Drouin’s two-year deal at $4 million per year works out for the New York Islanders. But overall, based on the way the market played out, it’s hard to point to one particular signing as a guy the Canucks clearly missed out on.
You didn’t finish the question. I’m intrigued by the ‘or’ option. This one is a little difficult to figure out at this juncture. Joseph is a left-shot defender who has played the right side. So should he be slotted in on a crowded left side on the Canucks depth chart or does he find his way over to the right side? Veterans Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, Marcus Pettersson, Tyler Myers and Derek Forbort seem to occupy the top five spots on the blueline regardless of which way they shoot. Then there are the youngsters – Elias Pettersson, Tom Willander and Victor Mancini – who will all be battling for lineup slots. Is it as simple as P-O Joseph is a Noah Juulsen replacement who understands his role and can slide in when required? I guess I’m prepared to agree with your premise that Joseph is the Canucks new seventh defenceman. Now, the team just needs to figure out who is sixth on the depth chart and who sits eighth and ninth.
Who says they haven’t? Beyond that, there is the very realistic issue of cap space. Reports over the weekend had the Leafs trying to clear space so they could do a deal with the veteran free-agent centre. Roslovic’s name was certainly bandied about in connection to the Canucks ahead of July 1st, although much of that was simply spitballing and social media chatter trying to match a team that needs help at centre with a player who could fit the bill. The longer the right-handed Roslovic remains unsigned, the greater potential he’ll have to take a lesser deal than he likely imagined heading into a free agent period that lacked centre ice options. Maybe he becomes available on an affordable ticket later this summer.  
Giving that many players some degree of trade protection hardly seems ideal. But as we’ve seen numerous times through the years across the National Hockey League, trade protection merely allows the player to control the process to varying degrees. It doesn’t make the player untradeable. It seems to be the price of doing business in today’s NHL. The Canucks certainly aren’t the only team doling out trade protection on long term contracts. So I wouldn’t fret too much about the number of contracts with trade protection. Ultimately, teams are usually able to get creative, work with players and find a trade partner and a destination that is agreeable to the player in question. It may just make managers work a little harder to get a deal done, and in some cases, it may limit the return in a deal if the club only has a handful of trading partners.
This was a question that a lot of people asked in the moments after the deal went down late last month. The thinking was the Canucks helped a division rival out of a salary cap crunch without grinding them to sweeten the deal. But if reports are to be believed, it seems the Oilers had at least two other teams interested in Kane. If that’s the case, then Edmonton had options and any leverage the Canucks may have thought they had evaporated. If Vancouver wanted the player, it had to pounce with no conditions. Evidently, the Canucks felt that a fourth-round pick was a fair price to pay to meet the Oilers’ demand. It also seemed pretty clear the Oilers did not have any interest in retaining any salary in the deal. So the Canucks went ahead, pulled the trigger and landed a veteran winger who can fill a role for the price of a fourth-round draft pick. 
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