Following a season of turmoil for the
Vancouver Canucks, this off-season has been relatively quiet.
The Canucks' biggest deal was re-signing Brock Boeser on the eve of his UFA
eligibility. They also signed goaltender Thatcher Demko and right winger
Conor Garland to contract extensions.
The Canucks made some moves in the
trade market. In June, they acquired right winger (and Vancouver native)
Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers. Last month, they shipped
goaltender Arturs Silovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins and sent popular left winger Dakota Joshua to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Since then, the Canucks have attempted
to bolster their depth at center, particularly on their second line.
Their current in-house options are the oft-injured Filip Chytil and
the inexperienced Aatu Raty.
They were linked to Jack Roslovic for
weeks. The versatile 28-year-old forward can play center or wing and
is considered the best player remaining in the depleted free-agent
market.
However, Thomas Drance of The Athletic
reported last week that the Canucks interest in Roslovic had cooled.
One reason could be his inconsistency, which has seen him bounce from
the Winnipeg Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and
Carolina Hurricanes since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
Drance believes the Canucks could enter
the season pinning their hopes on a healthy Chytil and Raty's
promising performance late in the 2024-25 campaign to help them
manage their situation in the short term. If they're still in need of
a center as the season goes along, he believes they'll turn to the
trade market.
However, Patrick Johnston of The
Provinceindicated that making trades for a center has been
difficult this summer. He doesn't expect they'll have much success
before the start of the season.
NHL Rumor Roundup: Are The Devils Interested In Jared McCann? Could The Kings Trade Brandt Clarke?Seattle Kraken left winger Jared McCann was the subject of trade conjecture last month. It was reported that the Kraken were open to the possibility of moving the 29-year-old McCann.
The Canucks could have Anaheim Ducks
center Mason McTavish on their radar. The 22-year-old restricted free
agent has frequently surfaced in trade rumors this summer. However,
Johnston observed that several other clubs are also keeping tabs on
McTavish.
Johnston's colleague Steve Ewen pointed
out that the Canucks had an interest in Marco Rossi before he signed
a three-year deal with the Minnesota Wild. Ewen also noted they might
be following McTavish's situation, but believed the Ducks would
re-sign him.
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