On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal broke down the latest news surrounding the Canucks as the team finalized its roster for opening night.

A few noteworthy updates included the return of 25-year-old goaltender Jiri Patera to Abbotsford. Patera had been claimed off waivers by Boston just four days ago, but after the Bruins signed Jeremy Swayman to a new 8-year deal, Patera was placed back on waivers and subsequently re-claimed by the Canucks.

The Canucks also made a smart move by offloading Tucker Poolman’s contract to Colorado in exchange for defenceman Erik Brannstrom. Brannstrom cleared waivers and is expected to start the season in Abbotsford.

“Last year, I don’t think we fully appreciated how much creativity and maneuvering it took to land the pieces they did,” said Harm. “This season, had they been on LTIR, they wouldn’t have a Beauvillier or Kuzmenko—a player on a significant salary who’s expendable, which is obviously a good thing. But it would’ve been a more difficult dance if they’d approached the trade deadline on LTIR. For the Avs, they essentially turned a recent signing they were going to waive into a fourth-round pick, essentially creating an asset out of thin air. It was a shrewd, smart trade for both sides.”

As for Brannstrom, there’s still hope that the talent that made him the 15th overall pick by Vegas in the 2017 draft is still there.

“He’s got some speed and puck-moving abilities, especially in transition,” said Harm. “But it’s an unattractive playing style for coaches and managers who would rather have a player like Noah Juulsen. Brannstrom might be better than him, but teams prefer someone with a clear identity who can fit into the number six, seven, or eight role in the defensive depth chart. Having that depth is valuable. I see him as a Christian Wolanin upgrade. He’ll probably be the next man up if there’s a left-side defensive injury, which is notable since both Soucy and Forbort missed significant time with injuries last year.”

The discussion then turned to Nils Höglander’s new 3-year, $3 million AAV contract.

“Clearly, this is a bet by the team on Höglander’s upside. It’s a player-friendly contract because it’s guaranteed money, and it takes him right to unrestricted free agency. He’ll be able to test the market at a relatively young age, like Jake DeBrusk did. Höglander will be a UFA in 2028, at 27 years old, which is on the younger side for free agents.”

Quads asked, “If Höglander scores 20 goals this year and goes to arbitration, what would his next contract look like?”

“It definitely would’ve been higher than $3 million,” said Harm. “That’s the scenario the Canucks have now protected themselves from by signing him now. If he has another 20-goal season while eating more minutes in a top-six role, he would’ve had a very strong arbitration case. I also think that for Höglander to be worth $3 million, he doesn’t need to do a lot to live up to that deal. He just needs to be a third-line calibre forward, and I’m confident he can do that. He’s already a strong five-on-five play driver. Even if he takes a modest step towards becoming a low-end top-six player, you’re already gaining surplus value on that contract. There’s some downside risk, though—he scored on 20% of his shots last year, so his goal-scoring could taper off if his minutes don’t go up. He still needs to earn Tocchet’s trust, but I’m willing to bet on his talent. It’s a smart risk-to-reward ratio for the Canucks.”

You can watch the full Höglander segment below: