January 18th, 2024
Alex Rickman
Rumours have been swirling that the Canucks will look to continue adding to their roster ahead of March’s trade deadline. As possibly the most surprising team in the league this season, it comes as little surprise that Vancouver’s front office will want to capitalize on this momentum and try to push for a Stanley Cup this season, but who could they look to bring in to bolster the Canucks ranks? While defence has been the spot of the Canucks woes for several years now, the recent additions of Filip Hronek, Ian Cole, Carson Soucy, and Nikita Zadorov, as well as a career year by new captain Quinn Hughes and improved performances from Tyler Myers, have the Canucks defence humming along in a way we haven’t seen in several years. The forward core, meanwhile, has looked very solid but could be in use of one more piece in the top six to take it over the top. Let’s look at who some of the forwards that the Canucks could target may be.
Jake Guentzel
While it remains unclear whether or not Pittsburgh will be willing to part with the star winger, it’s hard not to be intrigued by the idea of adding a player as talented as Guentzel to an already strong forward core. Guentzel has been one of the best scoring wingers in the league for years now, playing a key role in the Penguins' offence and on their power play during this time. Guentzel would immediately become one of the Canucks top wingers, and should logically become a staple in the top six. However, there are some potential red flags to look out for.
Guentzel is a free agent this summer, and there is no guarantee any team he is traded to would be able to retain him past then. The risk that Guentzel could walk away in the summer if he and the Canucks are unable to reach is deal is made even worse by the high price the Pens will ask to move on from him. It’s uncertain that Pittsburgh will be willing to trade Guentzel in the first place, but if they do, they are expected to ask for a first-round pick and a top prospect in exchange, likely one of Tom Willander or Jonathan Lekkerimäki from the Canucks. Either of these prospects would be difficult for the Canucks to part with, but if the Canucks were to lose one of these players and end up being unable to re-sign Guentzel, this would be an absolute disaster for an already depleted prospect pool. It’s hard to ignore the potential that Guentzel would give this already strong forward core, but the Canucks will need to tread carefully should they decide to pull the trigger on a deal for the Omaha native.
Joel Eriksson Ek
Like Guentzel, it’s unknown if the Wild will be willing to part with Eriksson Ek, but should he be made available, this is a player the Canucks should be all over. The powerful centre could comfortably take over as the Canucks 2C should JT Miller and Elias Pettersson remain together on the lotto line, and provides a perfect profile for the style of play Rick Tocchet has been preaching. Eriksson Ek plays a hard, physical game, and has the large frame to back it up, standing at 6’2 and weighing 207lbs. The Canucks have also throughout their history shown an affinity for adding Swedish players and personnel, so Eriksson Ek could turn into a continuation of the Canucks history of successful Swedes.
The term on Eriksson Ek’s contract could prove to be something of a challenge for the Canucks, who will have to re-sign several key pieces this offseason as things stand, including Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek. Eriksson Ek is owed $5.25 million per season until 2029, so the Canucks would certainly need to move out some money in order to accommodate this addition. Should a player like Andrei Kuzmenko move as part of or in a separate deal in order to make space for Eriksson Ek, it certainly would not be impossible to see him end up playing in Vancouver. However, this may prove to be easier said than done, and could ultimately see the Canucks forced to look elsewhere for forward help.
Sean Monahan
The former Calgary Flames centre has been humming along nicely this season in Montreal, with 11 goals and 16 assists in his 44 games to date. Monahan also carries less of a cap hit than most other potential trade chips, making swinging a deal less of a chore than it could be for other players listed. Unlike the previously mentioned players, it’s difficult to see a world in which the Habs, who are currently well outside the playoff picture, would not be willing to move off of the 29-year-old centre, so perhaps a return to the Pacific Division could be on the cards for Monahan.
The main potential flaw with a move for Monahan would be his less-than-ideal defensive numbers throughout his career. Throughout his 10 NHL seasons, Monahan has only had a positive plus/minus (+/-) 3 times, and last achieved this feat during the 2018-19 season. With Rick Tocchet’s emphasis on good forechecking and smart defensive hockey, Monahan may have some issues fitting into the Canucks system. Monahan would likely cost less to acquire than some other forwards the Canucks could look into, but concerns about his fit into Tocchet’s system may be cause for some concern over a potential deal.
Chris Tanev
While adding a forward may be a bigger priority for the Canucks, it’s hard to ignore the possibility of a reunion with the rock-solid defenceman. After spending a decade in the Canucks organization, Tanev ended up signing in Calgary as part of the mass exodus of players the Canucks experienced after the success of the bubble run. Seeing Tanev leave came as a shock to many Canucks fans, and the idea of a reunion or the need to find an adequate replacement for the role has been discussed by fans ever since, so could this be the year it finally happens?
Ultimately, a trade for Tanev is hard to justify for the Canucks right now. The Canucks have the defensive depth necessary to not need to give up assets to a division rival in order to bring in Tanev on an expiring contract, so ultimately, now is not the time to make this move. However, that doesn’t mean that a reunion with Tanev can’t or shouldn’t happen in the near future. If Tanev hits free agency on July 1st, the Canucks should strongly consider offering him a chance to return to Vancouver, as his veteran presence and still sharp on-ice ability would certainly be valuable assets to have. Additionally, several Canucks defencemen are on expiring contracts, so should the Canucks be unable to bring everyone back, Tanev could be called upon to take one of their spots and hold down the right side of Vancouver’s defence once again.
Frank Vatrano and Adam Henrique
Currently in the midst of a career year, Vatrano’s strong production this year is hard to ignore. However, like others listed, he does come with some red flags. Vatrano’s 21 goals in 44 competitions this season is only 3 off of the career high he set in 2019 as a member of the Florida Panthers, but questions do have to be asked about the sustainability of his play, especially with this breakout coming at age 29. Vatrano is also not a particularly solid defensive player, which begs questions about whether Rick Tocchet would be the coach to get the best out of the winger.
A more interesting case on the Ducks roster may be centre Adam Henrique, although he does not come completely free of issue either. Henrique may not provide the offensive upside that Vatrano has been providing this season, but he does give the Canucks something that could be even more valuable to them; centre depth. Should the lotto line remain together, having both Henrique and Pius Suter would give the Canucks far more flexibility to play with their lineup, and would give the Canucks much better coverage in what has become possibly their thinnest position in the result of an injury. Henrique is however on quite a large contract, making $5.85 million this season, so some cap gymnastics would be required to make a deal work.
So, having gone over a few options, who would fit the needs of the Canucks the best? In my opinion, if I could just add any of these players to the Canucks roster free of charge, it would be Joel Eriksson Ek. From his high level production to his hard style of play to the contractual certainty he gives you as opposed to others, Eriksson Ek has everything going for him to be the best possible addition to the Canucks forward group. However, these and other factors make him likely to be one of the most expensive additions discussed, possibly only beaten by Jake Guentzel. The Canucks would have to be prepared to part with some prime assets to bring in the big Swedish centre, and the Canucks front office has shown themselves in their time in Vancouver to be a little more risk-averse than this, or a Guentzel trade would likely require them to be.
If the Canucks front office are unwilling to part with the premium assets that would be required to bring Eriksson Ek to Vancouver, Sean Monahan provides an interesting case to be the Canucks next addition. His low cap hit and solid production, as well as the likelihood that he would be considerably more affordable than others on this list to acquire, make him an appealing Plan B if nothing else. While he wouldn’t move the needle as much as a player like Eriksson Ek or Guentzel would, the added depth down the middle that Monahan would provide could prove to be massive for the Canucks down the stretch. Whether he be deployed as a 2C playing behind the lotto line or in a different role, Monahan should be able to provide the Canucks with cheap flexibility.
At the end of the day, we won’t know who the Canucks could add at the deadline until Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin make anything official. However, knowing Jim Rutherford and his aggressive tendencies, it would be hard to imagine a scenario in which we don’t see the Canucks push hard to add another piece to help push this team over the top into contention. It’s been some time since Canucks fans could last enter a trade deadline wondering who may be added to the roster as opposed to who may be sent out of town, so strap in and enjoy the ride. Maybe this could be the deadline that gives the Canucks the piece they need to finally bring home a Stanley Cup.