On Tuesday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal projected what Vancouver’s lineup might look like over the next few years, up to 2027.
“When we look ahead to the 2025 offseason, the first thing to note is that the Canucks are going to have roughly $5.5 million in dead cap space because OEL’s buyout cap hit is going to spike to just over $4.7 million and they’re still on the hook for 15% retention of Mikheyev’s contract,” Harm started. “Right off the bat, they’re going to have a tricky offseason.”
Harm continued: “The Canucks are at a point now with Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek’s extensions kicking in. Miller provided some surplus value last year, but he’s still paid quite a bit at $8 million. Boeser is going to get a new deal; a lot of the core players are already paid close to market value. This is where Hughes and the next two years of Demko are the prime opportunity to take advantage of. Tampa’s arc is the perfect example of why it’s not just about the pieces that you assemble but timing it right with the contracts you have.”
The 2025 offseason brings some interesting decisions regarding Vancouver’s prospect pool.
“For 2025-26, I pencilled Lekkerimaki in for a third-line role with the idea that he’s still going to be really young, but he’ll have had a full year of AHL seasoning,” said Harm. “Put him in a sheltered bottom-six scoring role, give him powerplay opportunities, a similar role as the way we’re talking about Daniel Sprong. He’s going to need some sheltering, but he’s clearly got some offensive talent, and that’s the way I think you want to work Lekkerimaki into the lineup. I definitely think that in 2025-26, if this year of development goes well, that he can be NHL-ready. The other forward I’m keeping an eye on is Aatu Raty. In 2025-26 he’s going to require waivers if he’s going to be sent down, he’ll be nearly 23 years old, that’s going to be his make-or-break season in my mind.”
“The other big name is obviously going to be Tom Willander,” he continued. “On the right side, the Canucks are still going to have Hronek, Myers, and Desharnais all under contract. They like Desharnais’ upside, Myers has a no-move clause, and Hronek is going to be on your top pair, so is there a realistic path for Willander to claim an everyday role?”
Finally, the conversation moved to 2026, as Quads emphasized the biggest factor that offseason will be making a decision on Thatcher Demko.
“The big one there is Thatcher Demko coming off the books at $5 million,” said Quads. “If Demko has two injury-free seasons, this idea of him being injury-prone will be in the rear-view mirror. On the flip side, if it’s two more injury-riddled seasons and your big X-factor in the playoffs of having this elite goaltender isn’t actually giving you any sort of advantage — and let’s remember this is the window to win a Stanley Cup if you’re this rendition of the Vancouver Canucks — then you’re not going to be rushing to re-sign Thatcher Demko. We don’t know what’s going to happen, and I just laid out the most extreme scenarios. They’re going to have options and will have to make a decision in 2026.”
“And they’re going to have to nail it, which is difficult because goaltending is one of the toughest positions to predict, it’s notoriously volatile,” Harm added. “That’s also going to be the final year of Hughes’ contract; you’re going to want to have a strong season to make sure he wants to stay, and Miller is going to be turning 34 that season, so the clock is also going to be ticking on how long he can continue operating at a star level.”
You can watch the full replay of the show below:
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