Outlook
Having five or six players fighting for four roster spots is the definition of depth. And depth is a good thing. But a look at the Canucks’ depth chart shows that they could still have enough depth after executing a trade or two.
Sedin – Sedin – Eriksson
Baertschi – Horvat – Hansen
Rodin – Sutter – UFA
Etem – Granlund – Burrows
Extras: Dorsett, Virtanen, Gaunce
Edler – Tanev
Hutton – Gudbranson
Sbisa – Larsen
Extras: Tryamkin, Biega, Pedan, Stecher
If Jim Benning manages to sign another winger, Derek Dorsett, Jake Virtanen and Brendan Gaunce would likely be healthy scratches or start the season in Utica. Virtanen was an incredibly important player in the 2015-16 season — even if it didn’t show on the score sheet — and it would be huge to keep him in the lineup. Having both Dorsett and Burrows (and therefore $7.15 million in salary cap hits) as healthy scratches, would be terrible from a business point of view.
Trading either Dorsett or Burrows could partly solve that problem.
Of course, the Canucks also have to wait and see what they have in Anton Rodin. Is the Swedish league MVP really ready to play in the NHL? Can he be a second-line player? Because if not, Virtanen, Gaunce or Dorsett could fill his spot. The Canucks should wait until training camp before they pull the trigger.
The same goes for the blue line. Is Philip Larsen really the power-play quarterback the Canucks hoped to get in him? Do Alex Biega, Andrey Pedan or Troy Stecher maybe look good enough to jump into the starting lineup?
Next: Top 5 Remaining UFA Targets
Again, the Canucks need to wait and see what they have. That uncertainty is the reason why teams sign more players than they really need in the offseason. If Biega, Pedan, Stecher and Nikita Tryamkin look solid in training camp, though, Luca Sbisa definitely becomes expandable.
The Vancouver Canucks’ roster for the 2016-17 season is all but set — but a lot could change in the upcoming months.