Canucks 2020 free agent targets: Defenceman Sami Vatanen

The Vancouver Canucks may lose one or two key defencemen in free agency, but  Sami Vatanen would fill the void(s).

Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning has had to reshuffle his blue line numerous times over the past three or so years, and he’ll have to do so again this coming offseason.

Veteran stay-at-home defenceman and workhorse Chris Tanev is a pending UFA, along with Oscar Fantenberg. Fan favorite Troy Stecher — who popped up aplenty in the rumor mill ahead of this year’s trade deadline — is a pending RFA.

As I’ve said numerous times on here, Benning is likely going to lose either Tanev or Stecher in free agency — especially if he manages to re-sign veteran goalie Jacob Markstrom.

And if the Canucks end up having to replace Tanev and/or Stecher in free agency, they should target Carolina Hurricanes blueliner Sami Vatanen, a pending unrestricted free agent.

Carolina acquired Vatanen from the New Jersey Devils ahead of this year’s trade deadline, but a lower-body injury prevented him from making his Hurricanes debut prior to the 2019-20 suspension.

There’s a lot to like about Vatanen’s game. He’s a right-handed shooter, like Tanev and Stecher. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound rearguard is a smooth skater with tremendous speed, making him the ideal complement to Quinn Hughes.

Vatanen has a trio of 30-point seasons on his resume. If he wasn’t stuck on a deep Anaheim Ducks blue line for six years, Vatanen could have produced even more offence. He didn’t have much to work with in New Jersey, a team that has won two of the past three draft lotteries.

The 28-year-old Vatanen also has four seasons of 100-plus blocked shots, and he’s dished out 85-plus hits in two different campaigns. He’s not big compared to the average NHL blueliner, but like Tanev, Vatanen has a physical edge and resilient effort in his game. This is the type of player you want in the postseason.

Torey Krug and Alex Pietrangelo are the top two pending UFA blueliners, and they should both earn at least $7-million annually on their next deals. While other teams are competing for their services (assuming both hit the market) Benning and the Canucks could take the opportunity to quietly work something out with Vatanen.

In fact, the Canucks might want to consider letting Tanev walk if they’re able to secure Vatanen beforehand, provided the latter’s contract demands are reasonable

He would probably cost around $5 million annually on a new deal. But that’s the price for a top-four blueliner these days. Adding Vatanen would also allow 34-year-old Alexander Edler to take a reduced role, likely on the second pairing.

Vancouver still has lots of time to figure out what to do with Tanev, Stecher and Markstrom. But if Benning is planning to do some shopping this offseason, Vatanen should be right near the top of his free agent wish list.