Canucks: The case for re-signing forward Josh Leivo

Since arriving via trade, Josh Leivo has made a very positive impact on the Vancouver Canucks, and Jim Benning should highly consider re-signing him.

Josh Leivo came to the Vancouver Canucks in Dec. 2018 via trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He spent six seasons with the organization, but then-head coach Mike Babcock never put him in the lineup full-time.

The Canucks took a chance on Leivo, and they’ve been  pleasantly surprised by his production.

Leivo has played 85 games in a Vancouver uniform, which already surpasses the total amount of games he played with the Leafs (84), despite the fact that he was in Toronto for six seasons. With Vancouver, he found stability that allowed him to get comfortable and into a rhythm.

His time in Toronto was in constant turmoil going from the AHL to the NHL and spending lots of time in the Leafs’ press box. All he wanted was a consistent role, and Vancouver has given him that chance. All that uncertainty has pushed him to work as hard as he can to make sure that he can finally earn himself a full-time gig in the best league in the world.

“I was in a tricky situation (in Toronto), I wanted to be out of there,” Leivo said in December, via Jim Morris of CBC Sports. “I wanted an opportunity.”

Leivo is a fast, big winger with a scoring finish. He’s strong along the boards and fits well on the second power play unit. He can play up and down the lineup and is exactly the kind of depth winger that the Canucks need.

Since joining the Canucks he has seen the most ice-time in his career and his Corsi For Percentage has been above 50 percent each season (54.4 percent in 2018-19 and 51.4 percent in 2019-20).

Vancouver has established a strong cor,  and now it’s time for the team to find cost-efficient players to fill out the roster. The Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins did a great job of establishing a solid core while finding little gems around the league to play with Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews.

Stars are important in building a competitive team, but having a strong support system is equally important. Lars Eller, Patrick Maroon, and Patric Hornqvist all played pivotal roles on their Stanley Cup-winning teams but aren’t the first names you think about when you hear the Penguins, Washington Capitals or St. Louis Blues.

Last year, Benning signed Leivo to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million. The contract was meant as a “show me” for the winger to see what his performance would be like in a full season with the team. Unfortunately, a fractured kneecap ended his season early, but Leivo put himself in a very good position and proved that he’s a quality fit with the team.

Leivo turns 27 this month, and he’ll be looking for some stability in his next contract. A long-term contract with a lower cap hit would be fair for the Canucks and the player. It would also be easier to trade if Vancouver wants to build a package for a defenceman or expose him in the expansion draft.

If re-signed, it would be an interesting project for head coach Travis Green to see if he can mold Leivo into a penalty killer. He isn’t new to the faceoff dot and won 58.8 percent of the draws he took this season.

With good size, Leivo has been able to use his stick and lower body to gain possession rather than just throwing out the hits. His explosive speed and shot would make him a scoring threat, and it would be another tool in his box. Add it all up, and it makes sense for the Canucks to extend the pending UFA this offseason.