Outlook
Looking at the listed depth charts, it is important to note how much teams change throughout the off-seasons. There will be trades and free-agent signings. But, if the players mentioned before stay, the 2016-17 Vancouver Canucks lineup could look like this.
Sedin – Sedin – Hansen
Free Agent – Sutter – Rodin
Baertschi – Horvat – Virtanen
Burrows – Granlund – Dorsett
Extras: McCann, Etem, Vey, Higgins, Grenier
Hutton – Tanev
Edler – Free Agent
Sbisa – Larsen
Extras: Tryamkin, Pedan, Biega,
Miller
Markstrom
Some players could still get shuffled around. For example, Sutter could help out on the wing and make room for McCann, Granlund could move to the wing, Vey could play at centre, Etem and Burrows could switch sides — there are endless possibilities.
Next: Rising Salary Cap Won't Help Much
In addition, the Canucks should certainly add a player or two via free agency. Getting Lucic home to Vancouver could be huge, the same goes for a defenceman like Demers. However, Vancouver will likely be low on the wish list for high-profile free agents other than Lucic. Most players want immediate success, and that is something the Canucks cannot guarantee right now.
Whatever happens, the core looks promising, and looking at the prospects in the system, it looks promising for years to come.
*Advanced stats from stats.hockey-analysis.com