6 incredibly bold predictions for the Vancouver Canucks offseason

6. The team trades up at the Draft to pick Bowen Byram

A lot has been made of the potential for the Canucks to trade up in the draft for the first overall pick in order to get Quinn Hughes‘ brother, Jack Hughes. But the truth is, trading up to get Hughes is going to cost the Canucks likely far more than they’re willing to pay in order to make a deal actually happen.

However, trading up to select Vancouver Giants defenceman Bowen Byram is an avenue that the Canucks could explore. Some ranking outlets have Byram going at third, and others have him being picked at the sixth spot. I would assume that Byram is high up on the Canucks list, as well as many other team’s lists.

If Chicago passes on Byram at three, I believe that many teams will be calling the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings to see what it would cost to move up, but the likelihood of all three of those teams passing up on Byram are slim, in my opinion.

If Byram is still available after the Blackhawks take the stage at Rogers Arena on June 21st to select at third overall, then the Canucks will definitely be among the teams calling to see about moving up. So for my first bold prediction, I’ll say that the team trades up in order to select the BC boy Byram. If you think that’s bold, wait until you read my final bold prediction, which is also about a trade taking place at the draft involving a Hughes brother.

5. Anders Lee becomes the next John Tavares

Could you imagine if the New York Islanders lost another captain to free agency for the second year in a row? We all know the hatred the Islanders fan base now has for their former captain John Tavares after he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs last Summer, but what if Anders Lee did the same, only with the Canucks this time?

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The fans in Long Island showered Tavares in boos and chants of fury when he made his return to the Barclays Center on February 28th. Despite the Islanders giving Tavares a video tribute, and his former Islander teammates saying nothing but positive things about him, the fans clearly didn’t feel the same way.

Fans brought cardboard cutouts of Tavares head sporting some sort of snake hat, signs that had all sorts of kind messages on them, and my personal favourite, blue towels that had the word “Traitor” written on them, but with Tavares’ jersey number 91 replacing the letters A and I.

Islander fans didn’t handle the breakup very well, to say the least. Say what you want about it, but I can understand their frustration. Then again, we went through the whole Mark Messier debacle and we’re still standing. They’ll be alright in Long Island, they’ve got loads of young talent and a great coach.

That being said, wouldn’t the ultimate troll job be for Lee to depart the team in free agency this year? The Canucks want to add to their top six, so hey, maybe Lee becomes a member of the Canucks and becomes the second villain in Long Island in as many years.

4. The team lets Alex Edler walk

The mentorship that Alex Edler provides to the Canucks young defencemen is invaluable. With players such as Jett Woo and Olli Juolevi coming up the pipeline and last seasons two NCAA free agent defence signings likely returning to the team, don’t you want a guy like Edler on your team, there to mentor the next wave of Canucks defencemen?

The answer is yes, you do. That’s exactly why Canucks’ general manager Jim Benning has expressed so much interest in bringing Edler back. The team was trying to get something done before the trade deadline but was unable to. Now we’re less than two months away from July 1st and Edler still doesn’t have a contract.

I applaud Benning for making sure that he doesn’t just sign Edler to an outrageous contract because he’s scared of what the team would look like without him. In my honest opinion, if Edler wants a no-movement clause that would require the Canucks to protect him at the Seattle expansion draft, then the Canucks are better suited to walk away. By the time the expansion draft rolls around, it won’t be worth it for the Canucks to lose a younger top-four defenceman to Seattle while keeping Edler.

So what if the two sides can’t agree on a contract and the team’s franchise leader in games played, goals, and points by a defenceman walks in free agency? The Canucks would surely be left with a gaping hole on their blueline that would need to be filled before the start of the season, but maybe bringing Edler back is something we don’t see this offseason.

3. The team shakes up the defence via trade

It seems like every year for the past three or four years, there are tons of trade rumours surrounding Chris Tanev. The fact of the matter is, the best time to trade Tanev was years ago. His value has depleted with all of the injuries, and the guy just can’t seem to catch a break. An interesting take I read from one of the commenters on one of my articles was that the team needs to get rid of Edler and Tanev because their health problems always result in the Canucks falling out of the playoff race.

The comment said that they can’t be relied upon as a first pairing and that they need sheltered minutes. While I agree with parts of this statement, I don’t know who the Canucks would bring in to replace their top pair, but they certainly can’t walk away from both Edler and Tanev and simply toss the keys to Ben Hutton and Troy Stecher. Not if they hope to make the playoffs.

Speaking of Hutton, he may be the only defencemen on the left side that the Canucks have that holds decent trade value. The only problem is, if the team were to trade Hutton, Olli Juolevi would need to finally be ready to step in and play big minutes.

It’s a fine line because while you don’t want to walk away from a homegrown defenceman who is finally seeming to come into his own, you also don’t want to miss out on the prime time to trade him as we saw with Tanev. It would be a bold move for the Canucks to trade away either Hutton or Tanev.

2. Team signs a big name free agent

When it comes to the big fish of this year’s unrestricted free agents, the biggest fish in the pond are hands down Artemi Panarin and Erik Karlsson. When Canucks’ general manager Jim Benning has said that two of his goals this offseason are to add a true top six winger and a top four defenceman, why wouldn’t the team want to add one of these two players?

Karlsson is a right-handed defenceman, and the Canucks have been lacking on that side for quite some time now. As mentioned above, Tanev is usually injured at some point in the season, exposing a gaping hole on the right side of the blueline for the Canucks.

While I’m a little wary of the idea of signing Karlsson because of his injury history, I fully understand that any team that lands him will be a better team as a result. Karlsson is an elite defenceman, and as I mentioned in an earlier article, was practically joined at the hip with Elias Pettersson during All-Star Weekend.

Speaking of Pettersson, how about if the team is lucky enough to land Panarin in free agency? Both Pettersson and Brock Boeser would have their linemate that would instantly make them one of the best lines in hockey. Could you imagine those three on a line together?

Who would I like to see the team add more out of the two big fish free agents? Right now, I’ve got to say Panarin. That line with Pettersson and Boeser would be way too good to pass up on. But hey, I’m not complaining if they pick up Karlsson, either.

1. The team trades Quinn Hughes

And for my boldest prediction of all, the Canucks trade Quinn Hughes to the New Jersey Devils at this year’s draft. Lower your pitchforks, I hope this one doesn’t happen, either. That being said, if the Devils make an (in the words of Vito Corleone) offer that the Canucks can’t refuse, then the Canucks may have to consider it.

Believe it or not, the Canucks, and fans of the team, aren’t the only ones who have dreams of seeing the Hughes brothers play together on their team. Quinn is a dynamic skater and looks to have all the tools to be an elite defenceman. In the few games he played, he gave new life to the Canucks second power play unit, which was awful throughout the entire season.

He played outstanding in three on three overtime and both Boeser and Pettersson — the two players he was on the ice with in the extra frame — are thrilled to have a player like him on their team.  Now hold on a minute. Quinn may be great and all, but his brother Jack Hughes is something else.

If someone tries to point to a flaw in Hughes’ game, they would have to look extremely hard to find one. Jack is a complete player, and it’s no wonder that he has been the consensus first overall pick for the majority of this season. Although Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko has slipped into the consideration to be selected first overall, as of late, it will most likely be New Jersey who calls Hughes’ name on draft day.

While Benning is likely trying to get a feel of what it would take to trade up for the first overall pick, Devils general manager Ray Shero could also be interested in uniting the Hughes brothers. What are your boldest predictions for the Canucks offseason? Let me know in the comments section below!