Vancouver Canucks Should Have Claimed Jarret Stoll

With the roster freeze coming up quickly, the Vancouver Canucks had an opportunity to provide cover for Bo Horvat and Jared McCann. And they missed it.

New York Rangers forward Jarret Stoll was put on waivers yesterday, along with Anaheim Ducks third-string goaltender Anton Khudobin. Stoll carries a $800k price tag, while Khudobin is on a hefty $2.25M contract.

Yesterday, we learned that the Minnesota Wild have claimed Stoll off waivers.

This consequentially means that the Vancouver Canucks had not put a claim on Jarret Stoll. The Canucks are higher on the waiver priorities than the Minnesota Wild are, per the CBA.

"In the event that more than one Club makes a claim  for such Player, he shall: (i) be transferred to the claiming Club having earned the lowest  percentage of possible points in the League standing at the time of the request for Waivers […]."

With the Canucks at a .484 point percentage as of today, December 15th, and the Wild at .643, the Canucks obviously had the power to claim Stoll — or anyone else for that matter. Ben Kuzma from the Vancouver Province explains why the Canucks did not put a claim on Stoll.

Interesting to see Alex Friesen‘s name up there. As for Adam Cracknell, no refuting that he has done a great job anchoring the Canucks’ fourth line that is playing lights-out right now. But, as suggested, Stoll would have helped a lot on the face-offs, where the Canucks are dead-last in the league with only 46.6 percent of their draws won.

Cracknell? He sits at 39.2 percent face-off wins. Jared McCann is getting lit up on the draws, winning only 33.5 percent of all his draws — just one in three.

So here is the case for Jarret Stoll, who stands at an astounding 57.9 face-off win percentage.

Providing Cover for McCann and Trading a Veteran Winger

With Stoll in the mix, McCann could have counted on playing at the World Juniors. Of course, there is still a chance that he could follow his teammate Jake Virtanen’s foot steps in donning the Canada red-and-white, but Stoll would have been a competent replacement for McCann.

More from The Canuck Way

• Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
• What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
• Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
• Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
• 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg

Stoll is a strong option on the penalty kill, and he would carry with him the aura of a two-time Stanley Cup Champion. A good name to have in the locker room, if you ask me. His contract expires at the end of the season, so he would be easy to let go at the end of this season.

With McCann struggling so mightily, could he be moved to the wing? Logic prevails that if Stoll wins nearly twice as many draws as McCann would have, having McCann on Stoll’s wing would mean that McCann would have possession of the puck more than twice as often. That is a great thing to have, eh? Puck possession? When’s the last time the Canucks did something with that?

Also, having Stoll come in and provide depth on the forward ranks allows GM Jim Benning to move a veteran winger with more freedom, with more assurance that his lineups will be sound defensively. Ever considered trading Chris Higgins?

Nevertheless, Friesen‘s name is an intriguing one. He has been under the radar for the entire duration of his AHL career with the Canucks organization.

Next: Analytics: Jake Virtanen Carrying Teammates

The waiver is again filled with former NHL regulars. Jarret Stoll would have been a great addition for how efficiently he would free up Jared McCann and Chris Higgins. But the Canucks will not have to look for other options to fill the depleted lineup.