Vancouver Canucks Offseason Survival Guide: June Edition
By David Joun
RFA Tracker: Baertschi, Etem, Grenier, Pedan, and More
Speaking of musical chairs, the waiting game is refusing to end on some of the RFA’s the Canucks have been looking to sign. Sven Baertschi should easily get a contract, but otherwise, it is a pretty gray outlook on the others.
Emerson Etem suited up for half of a season for the Canucks. He was most visible at the tail end of the season, especially with the shootout winner that stood as the final goal of the regular season.
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Considering the price that Jim Benning paid to acquire him, the fans will be most comfortable seeing Etem back on a show-me deal. Etem should know that he is running out of time, though. A trade is unlikely for Etem, considering how he has bounced around the league with the Ducks, the Penguins, and now the Canucks.
Alex Grenier is a very interesting name. A big winger at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds is what Grenier is and also what the Canucks should be looking for. Considering how he fared at the NHL level during mid-season callups, I thought the Canucks would give the Canadian winger a new contract.
But signing Grenier, now waiver eligible, would almost certainly mean the end of Etem with the Canucks. Tough time for both, but I would pull the trigger on a Grenier deal for a mid-round pick any day of the week if I were Trader Jim.
Finally, Andrey Pedan should not be forgotten. He showed flashes of NHL readiness when playing decent minutes on the third pairing while his physicality was sure made known to the rest of the NHL:
With Benning having already indicated that Pedan will be in Vancouver next season, Pedan will need to bump a few extra bodies to get into the top eight. Especially with the acquisition of Erik Gudbranson, physicality is starting to become a bit of a surplus on the blueline.
Not to forget, however. Dan Hamhuis is still on the board. Pedan still has Philip Larsen and Alex Biega ahead of him.
Next: Free Agent Frenzy: The Big Names