June 5th, 2024
Alex Rickman
As the Canucks offseason rolls on, rumours continue to swirl about who may or may not be on the Canucks roster come next season. While many fans are concerned with the potential additions and losses of big-name players, some of the best moves made in free agency by any great team come not in the form of high-profile signings, but as smaller, depth pickups. So who could the Canucks target in smaller moves to potentially add to the roster on low-money, low-risk contracts? Let’s go through some wingers who could, much like Dakota Joshua proved to be two years ago, give the Canucks a major boost despite having little notoriety.
Brandon Duhaime
Reportedly a Canucks target around the trade deadline, Duhaime is hardly a glamorous player, and will likely never crack a strong team’s top nine. However, as far as fourth-liners go, it’s hard to beat the speedy, always-aggressive Duhaime. Forechecking is the name of the game for Duhaime, which should fit perfectly with the Canucks style of play under Rick Tocchet, and at a projected cap hit of $1.8 million from AFP Analytics, Vancouver would not be breaking the bank to bring him in. Should the Canucks decide to let Sam Lafferty walk after a spotty second half of the 2023-24 season, Duhaime appears to be about as ideal of a replacement as you could ask for.
Danton Heinen
With top nine upside, the Langley, BC product could be an intriguing addition to the Canucks forward core, and could potentially allow for Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua to move into the top six should Dak re-sign. Coming off a strong campaign with the Boston Bruins, Heinen won’t be as cheap to sign as a player like Joshua was, but could be a strong value add with the upside to outplay his contract if things go right. At the age of 28, we likely won’t see much more than we already have out of Heinen at the NHL level, but if his ceiling is that of a near 20-goal-scoring third liner with a reliable defensive game, the Canucks could do far worse than to give the local boy a chance to play for his hometown team.
Jordan Martinook
After spending his WHL career representing the Vancouver Giants, perhaps a homecoming could be in the works for the Hurricanes forward. Martinook is a strong bottom-six piece, playing a solid defensive game and being good for around 15 goals a season, and possessing the ability to play as either a centre or a winger. Martinook will be 32 at the beginning of next season, so while committing to him for more than a couple of seasons may not be in the Canucks best interest, they could do far worse than adding the Manitoban forward as a depth option who can provide some veteran leadership.
Tyler Motte
Will it happen? Probably not, but you can’t tell me that a reunion with former fan favourite Tyler Motte wouldn’t be a fun move for the Canucks to make. Motte is one of the best fourth-liners we have seen on this team in recent memory, and while he hasn’t been quite as productive as he was as a member of the so-called ‘Motto Line’ in his last season as a Canuck, he can still be a solid piece on a teams bottom line. In addition, perhaps returning to the organization where he played the best hockey of his career could spark a return to form for the Michigander, who many in Canuck nation still love from his previous stint here. Motte ultimately would not move the needle too much in his current state with where the Canucks currently are as a team, but as a player who can eat some fourth-line minutes and could potentially outplay a small contract returning to an organization where he has thrived in the past, Motter could be a worthwhile pickup with minimal risk.
Riley Tufte
A former first-round pick, the 26-year-old winger is yet to make a consistent name for himself in the NHL, bouncing between the NHL and AHL in the Stars and Avalanche organizations. So why would the Canucks be interested in him? Before signing with the Canucks, Dakota Joshua was not a consistent NHL player and was a similar age to Tufte, but has managed to become a valuable part of the Canucks roster. Joshua’s physical traits, combined with there being nearly zero risk associated with signing him, motivated the Canucks to take a chance on what has proven to be one of the best free-agency moves of the Rutherford/Allvin era. So what’s stopping Tufte from being a similar story? If the 6’6 230 lb winger were to fail to establish himself as an NHL player in Vancouver, the Canucks could simply waive him and send his likely near-league minimum salary to finish out the season in Abbotsford and just call it a loss. Tufte could continue to struggle in the NHL if the Canucks were to sign him, but the potential reward combined with almost no risk being associated with the move make Tufte a player worth strong consideration from the Canucks brass.
Free agency is always an exciting time, and this year will be no exception. But there’s a lot more for Canucks fans to be excited about than just the possibility of value additions on the wings. Check back soon to see a similar article outlining defencemen that the Canucks could target to bolster their depth ahead of the 2024-25 season.