Vancouver Canucks: Exploring offseason goalie market

There will be plenty of quality No. 1 netminders available this offseason, but the Vancouver Canucks should only explore the market if a deal is right.

Statistically speaking, the Vancouver Canucks have had extremely mediocre goaltending since former head coach Alain Vigneault was fired four years ago.

In 2012-13, the tandem of Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider combined for a .917 save percentage — tied for seventh-best in the NHL. But over the last four years, they were 22nd, 17th, 15th and 19th.

The Canucks haven’t done a whole lot right to ensure they’re icing a reliable tandem. Obviously, trading away Luongo and Schneider didn’t sit very well with many fans — and that hasn’t changed at all.

This team relied a lot on career backup Eddie Lack and a past-his-prime Ryan Miller over the last three seasons. They haven’t given Jacob Markstrom the chance to prove his worth as a No. 1, and elite prospect Thatcher Demko isn’t quite ready for the NHL yet.

Luckily for general manager Jim Benning, there will be plenty of big named goalies available this offseason — both in the trade and free-agent markets. It all starts with the biggest fish of them all in Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury. The Pens can only protect one goalie in the expansion draft, and they’ll easily choose Matt Murray over Fleury. If the Penguins can’t convince the latter to waive his no-trade clause, pure logic suggests they’ll buy him out.

Last week, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun dropped this line.

With Darling/Bishop traded, we'll see if teams in need of a G come calling on Detroit for Mrazek/Howard. Wings I think would listen on each
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 10, 2017

If the Detroit Red Wings were to trade one of their goalies, it would surely be Jimmy Howard, who is eight years older than Petr Mrazek.

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Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman talked to Calgary Sportsnet 360, to update everyone on where other goalies stand.

He expects the Dallas Stars to buy out Antti Niemi, following the signing of Ben Bishop. He mentioned Antti Raanta as a possible trade option, if the New York Rangers would comply. Boom, add two more possible goalie options to the list.

Then there are unrestricted free agents in Brian Elliott, Jonathan Bernier, Steve Mason and Ondrej Pavelec — all guys with plenty of experience as full-time starters.

Alright then, now that we’ve gone through all the top goalies available in the summer, let’s see if any of them should be on the Canucks’ radar.

Forget the trade market

Benning may look to add a goaltender in the trade market like Fleury or Howard, but don’t expect him to actually pull the trigger. The Canucks are rebuilding and can’t afford to sacrifice young roster players and prospects for goalies on the wrong side of 30. It just wouldn’t make any sense at this time.

As for Raanta? The Rangers may want to hold off on trading a guy who went 26-16-8 while 35-year-old Henrik Lundqvist was injured for significant periods of time this season. Raanta is a great insurance option for New York, and Benning would have to offer something ridiculous to make a deal with the Rangers.

Meanwhile, the Canucks shouldn’t bother to trade for Niemi. He carries a $4.5 million cap hit in 2016-17, according to CapFriendly.com, and as Friedman suggests, is a candidate to be bought out. No need to trade for him.

Going bargain shopping

With all that being said, it makes most sense for Benning to look for a new goalie in free agency if he can find one at an affordable price. It’s time to move on from the Miller project, which really disappointed these past two seasons. Miller is better suited as a backup and will be 37 years of age this offseason, not what the rebuilding Canucks need at this point.

It’s unlikely they’ll out-bid other teams for Elliott, but making a play for a guy like Bernier or Mason will make sense — should their dollar demands be affordable.

According to CapFriendly.com, the Canucks currently have just over $17 million in cap space. They should only spend a small portion of that to address the problem in goal, however.

Bernier went 21-7-0 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .915 save percentage with the Anaheim Ducks this season. But it’s unlikely he’ll get a lucrative contract, considering all the struggles he had with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

If the Canucks can get Bernier on a two-year deal worth $6-8 million, then Benning should make the move. Or perhaps Steve Mason (a six-time 20-game winner), on a one-year pact would be a low-risk, high-reward move.

Benning shouldn’t overpay for a goalie this offseason, but rather he should look to find a reliable veteran at a bargain price.

Conclusion

If the Canucks want to be more competitive in 2017-18 while sticking to the rebuild, then it doesn’t hurt to look for a new number one goalie at a reasonable price. With Demko needing more time in the AHL and Markstrom not quite ready to be an undisputed number one, it does make sense for the Canucks to add a new veteran in goal.

But this team has a tendency to overpay for players in free agency (hello, Loui Eriksson), and they can’t afford to do that in the trade or goalie market this offseason.

Next: Benning is wrong about European stereotypes

Should the Vancouver Canucks look to add a new goalie this summer, then they should look nowhere but the bargain bin.

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