The Vancouver Canucks are rumored to be one of the front-runners to land top UFA Steven Stamkos, as teams are now allowed to talk to free agents.
It is not like Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning cared about NHL rules regarding who is allowed to talk with whom and when. That earned him a nice, little fine, just days before he would have been allowed to publicly comment on other teams’ free agents. That time is now, as the NHL’s unrestricted free agency speaking window has officially opened.
On Friday, Benning confirmed he was going to pursue UFA center Steven Stamkos — probably as one of 30 teams. According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Vancouver Canucks are among the front-runners for the Tampa Bay Lightning captain. In an article yesterday, LeBrun said “the Vancouver Canucks and, of course, his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs are among the other potential suitors, and some other teams might surprise.”
The other potential suitors, according to LeBrun, are the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings. Buffalo has centers Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart on the roster already, and Stamkos could take them up the standings quite a bit. The Red Wings lose long-time captain and No. 1 center Pavel Datsyuk who is going back to his native Russia, and need a replacement badly.
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Detroit dealt Datsyuk’s contract to the Arizona Coyotes on draft day and it is believed that the move was made to make room for Stamkos. Red Wings GM Ken Holland did not confirm that to LeBrun, but he said he wanted to make room for free agency, in a draft interview with NBCSN.
Chances are, Stamkos can get about any contract he demands from more than just one team. This one will not just be about money and term, but it will be about what Stamkos wants.
If he wants to win soon, the Red Wings are, as every year, his best bet. If he wants to be a foundational piece of a rebuilding team that could compete for the Stanley Cup within the next five years, the Maple Leafs and Sabres are the best options. If he wants to take a retooling team to the playoffs, expecting not to contend for a while, if ever, he should probably choose the Canucks.
It seems like Vancouver doesn’t have much to offer and, to a certain extent, that is probably true. However, with the Canucks’ current core, their prospects in the system and Stamkos on the top line, the roster could look great by 2017:
Sedin – Sedin – Stamkos
Baertschi – Horvat – Virtanen
Rodin – Sutter – Boeser
Gaunce – Granlund – Dorsett
Hutton – Gudbranson
Edler – Tanev
Tryamkin – Stecher
Markstrom
Demko
The lineup above his 100 percent composed of players currently signed by the Canucks. It could be filled up with more free agents or more prospects, and trades could change the make-up of the team as well.
Still, if the Sedin twins can keep producing for another year or two, Sven Baertschi and Jake Virtanen develop into top second-line players, Anton Rodin shows NHL scoring ability and Brock Boeser can jump right in, this will be an awesome lineup. That’s a lot of “if”s, though.
Plus, if Stamkos signs in Vancouver, we’ll be back at the good ol’ center problem that seemed somewhat resolved after trading Jared McCann. If Stamkos is to play top-line center for the Canucks, the whole lineup would need to be shaken up. It could look something like this:
Baertschi – Stamkos – Sutter
Sedin – Sedin – Virtanen
Rodin – Horvat – Boeser
Gaunce – Granlund – Dorsett
All the Sedins need is a hard worker with some scoring touch, so that is no issue. But will Stamkos work with Baertschi and Brandon Sutter on his wings? Is Bo Horvat with Rodin and Boeser a good line? Something would need to change.
Next: 5 Reasons Why UFAs Will Sign in Vancouver
If Stamkos wants to play center on a contending team, the Canucks probably aren’t his best option. If Jim Benning can somehow convince him to come to Vancouver, though, he would be a terrific addition.
And now we wait.