Canucks rumour roundup: Tobias Rieder, Calvin de Haan and more

Free agent frenzy is just around the corner and the Canucks are being active in their pursuits. Here are the latest rumours in Vancouver.

The rumours continue to fly as we approach Canada Day. Jim Benning and the Vancouver Canucks are trying to strike the perfect balance between making savvy signings and creating a significant change to last season’s underachieving roster.

The Canucks won’t be chasing after any marquee UFA’s, but we could see them try to duplicate last year’s approach, quantity over quality. We have promising young players that challenge at every position, but I feel it’s just as important to move away from the mediocre parts of our lineup.

The biggest offender in this case is the defence. Jeff Paterson, among many others, remind us that the Canucks can’t bring the worst defence in the league back. Yet, with Troy Stecher being the only unsigned defenceman remaining, the Canucks are poised to do just that.

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If you are bringing back the same poor lineup, why would you expect better results for next season? It isn’t logical, unless you are trying to sink the team on purpose for a special centre. You know, maybe the brother of a recent high pick by the Canucks.

Regardless, the team needs change. They can’t be so committed to such a poor roster. So, rumours are a good thing, as long as the salary cap isn’t bogged down with junk again.

Forward depth

As usual, my updates are come from Rick Dhaliwal. Give him a follow if you haven’t already. I may not enjoy most of the slanted coverage out of Sportsnet, but Dhaliwal frequently provides good updates on Canucks rumours.

First, let’s take a look at Tobias Rieder. Drafted in 2011 by the Edmonton Oilers, Rieder never played a single game for the organization. During his time in Arizona and Los Angeles, he was a suitable bottom-six forward. Rieder is quick, can defend, but doesn’t really stand out over the course of a season.

However, he plays centre and last time I checked, the Canucks are pretty shallow at that position. This free agent pool isn’t too deep at centre, but Rieder is a good depth option. The problem? Vancouver isn’t the only team in Canada interested.

Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto are speaking with him as well. Yes he provides depth, but a team like the Leafs can promise him the playoffs. The Canucks will have to offer significantly more money, which could go against the plan of spending less in the offseason.

One other forward the Canucks have called is Patrick Maroon. I already talked about him when I discussed adding toughness, but I’ll just summarize it simply. If the Canucks can get a short-term deal on the cheap (i.e. two years or less), this will be fine. Otherwise, stay away. Lastly, nothing has changed on the Darren Archibald front.

Related Story: Addressing toughness without breaking the bank

Interests on defence

I would be very interested in adding Calvin de Haan to the Canucks. However, they have too many mediocre defencemen on the left side. You say it provides competition, I say it’s wasting roster spots. Players like Michael Del Zotto will make this team no matter how poorly he plays.

And Rick is correct. The Canucks need to clear out some room to bring in de Haan. This is the biggest reason why I harp on the team for keeping the same lineup. If you want things to change, you need new faces, young or old. And this is why last year’s free agent signings are criticized because you have mediocre to terrible players occupying lineup spots.

The Canucks called another left-handed defender, Nick Holden. Jim Benning is just feeling out the price, but he’s in a tough spot to add depth with so many players already committed to the left side. Holden is an interesting option and could help keep pucks out the Canucks’ net. His underlying numbers could be better, but compared to his competition, he would fit in fine in Vancouver.

There was an opportunity to move away from Derrick Pouliot, but that was blown. Travis Green is far too attached to MDZ to see him traded. When you cling to poor players, you get poor results. Weird, isn’t it? And don’t get me started on the 220-pound waste of space on the blue line.

Next: Is Quinn Hughes ready to play in the NHL?

I want to see the Canucks make changes. Vancouver won’t make the playoffs with a couple of free agents, if that’s what you’re worried about. They have had no problem missing for the last three seasons. Benning is looking into a lot of interesting options in the free agent market. He just needs to let go of the guys he acquired first. There is no need to double down on mistakes. Unless his plan for the next three years is to repeat what happened in the last three, changes must be made.