Canucks: Giving grades for the 2021 offseason moves

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The Vancouver Canucks endured a rather tulmultous 2021 season in the Scotia North Division. A compact schedule, constant cross-country travel, an imbalanced lineup, injuries, and the NHL’s largest COVID-19 outbreak contributed to an abysmal year for the Canucks and their fans in which they finished dead last in the division.

Throughout the NHL offseason, General Manager Jim Benning and his front office staff were tasked with trying to build a lineup that can contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division. Building a winner is no quick and easy task, but it’s necessary to move fast in order to attract and keep players committed to the long-term plan of the franchise. To put it lightly, the Canucks have been very creative and active in their attempts to do so. Through the free agency market, the trade block, the draft, and the buyout market, the Canucks have re-tooled their lineup to the best of their abilities. The hope is that this new group of players will be the start of perpetual long-term success in Vancouver, ending with their eventual capture of the Stanley Cup.

Throughout this article, we’ll take a look at five major and minor moves made by Benning and the Canucks this offseason, giving them a letter grade for how we think this move benefits the team’s immediate and long-term future. Whilst it’s likely the Canucks aren’t done making acquisitions on the free agent market or done making deals with other teams, it is unlikely that these further moves will be of any major substance.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

#1: Losing Kole Lind to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft

Having the Seattle Kraken select Kole Lind in the expansion draft definitely sucks. A 2nd round pick in 2017, Lind only played seven games for the Canucks. Lind was one of the players most people thought would be on Seattle’s radar going into the expansion draft, so I assume Jim Benning and the Canucks knew losing was a real possibility.

Overall, the Canucks protected list consisted of no major shocks, so the disappointment in losing Lind from the fanbase has nothing to do with a mistake from the organization. They had to lose somebody, and unfortunately Kole Lind fell victim to the process. This may have a minimal affect on the Canucks plan for the next few years as it’s likely Lind would find a roster spot soon, however, this is far from a disastrous outcome.

Grade: B

#2: Blockbuster draft day trade to acquire Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland

The major move of the Canucks aggressive 2021 offseason came just prior to the 1st round of the NHL Entry Draft. Just hours before the draft, the Canucks traded forwards Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, the ninth overall pick in the 2021 draft, a second round pick in the 2022 draft and seventh round pick in the 2023 draft to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland.

At first glance, this trade may have seemed odd to a lot of fans. However, when you look into the repercussions it has for the Canucks now, and in the future, you begin to see the trade’s true value. Giving up the 9th overall pick is not fun, especially after you’ve just had a brutal season. However, this pick was needed as an asset to ensure the Coyotes took on the three massive contracts that Eriksson, Roussel, and Beagle have. Some people question why the Canucks didn’t just hold onto these contracts as they’re all expiring after next season, however the cap space freed from this deal is crucially needed in trying to get Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson under contract for this season, and seasons ahead.

On top of freeing the space from these contracts, the Canucks picked up two very good players in Ekman-Larsson and Garland. Ekman-Larsson does come with a large contract himself but he could find himself playing on the top defensive pairing, trying to rediscover his form from a few years back. Garland is a very versatile top-six forward, who will play a crucial role on the Canucks for the foreseeable future. The deal nets the Canucks 4.87 million dollars in cap space and two valuable NHL players. This trade is a big win for Jim Benning and the Canucks.

Grade: A

DALLAS, TEXAS – JANUARY 26: Jason Dickinson #18 of the Dallas Stars skates the puck against Vladislav Namestnikov #92 of the Detroit Red Wings in overtime at American Airlines Center on January 26, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

#3: Acquiring Jason Dickinson from the Dallas Stars

One of Jim Benning’s slickest moves this offseason came just prior to the league-wide roster freeze ahead of the expansion draft. In this move he acquired Dallas Stars centre Jason Dickinson in exchange for a third round pick (no. 73 overall) in the 2021 draft.

Whilst Dickinson may not be a household name across the NHL, he played a vital role in the Stars run to the 2020 Stanley Cup final, and will continue that role on the Canucks 3rd line this upcoming season. Dickinson is a two-way centre, a highly under-rated tool that lacks amongst players nowadays, and should get lots of ice time against opposing teams top offensive lines. He’s never excelled at being a point producer. whilst in the NHL, but being highly efficient at blanking the other teams top lines on most nights is extremely valuable.

The Canucks recently announced that they had come to terms with the centremen on a three year contract extension.

Vancouver #Canucks General Manager Jim Benning announced today that the club has signed forward Jason Dickinson to a three-year contract.

DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/2FPcgGc8ak pic.twitter.com/mHfjgAC0EG
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) August 14, 2021

The deal comes in at 7.95 million dollars over three years, meaning a 2.65 million dollar AAV per season. For a reliable, consistent third line defensive centremen who has proven himself in the playoffs, the trade and contract extension come in at good value.

Grade: A-

#4: Depth signings/re-signings in Travis Hamonic, Tucker Poolman, and Jaroslav Halak

As with any offseason for any team, depth signings to fill out the roster are necessary, however must be carefully measured before committing to them. I believe that the Canucks main crop of depth signings this summer, which includes Travis Hamonic, Tucker Poolman, and Jaroslav Halak, has some positives, but also carry some worrying negatives along with it.

Hamonic came into the last season as an experienced NHL veteran playing on a cheap one-year, 1.25 million dollar contract After achieving 10 points in 38 games, playing top-four defensive minutes, and being only a -3 on a poor Canucks team, Hamonic lived up to expectations in his first year in Vancouver. However, given he’ll be 31 going into next season, was it really necessary to bring him back on a two-year contract with a three million dollar AAV? It seemed it was unnecessary money with an unnecessary term for a depth player.

After bringing back Hamonic, the Canucks brought in another right handed defencemen in ex-Winnipeg Jet Tucker Poolman. Despite only playing in 120 career NHL regular games, and being an average 3rd pairing defencemen in Winnipeg, Poolman secured himself a four-year contract with a 2.5 million dollar contract from the Canucks. This deal rightfully received lots of criticism from Canucks nation, as both the term and money seem excessive in this situation. A large commitment to a relatively unproven player is a gamble that seems very risky for a re-tooling team.

After buying out the contract of Braden Holtby, a back-up goaltender to Thatcher Demko was of key priority for the Canucks this offseason. By completing the signing of veteran goalie Jaroslav Halak, Vancouver made one of its best signings of the summer. Halak comes into the team on a one-year, three million dollar contract, and will be a stellar stalwart in the Vancouver goal this season in relief of Demko. The 36-year-old comes into Vancouver on the back of a career .916 save percentage, a 2.48 GAA, and is showing no signs of regression. He’ll become a fan favourite in Vancouver in no time.

Grade: C+

VANCOUVER, BC – MARCH 13: Nate Schmidt #88 of the Vancouver Canucks skates with the puck during NHL action against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena on March 13, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

#5: Trading Nate Schmidt to the Winnipeg Jets

After being acquired in October of 2020 for a 3rd round pick from the Vegas Golden Knights, defencemen Nate Schmidt failed to live up to expectations in his first year with the Canucks. Coming into last year, Schmidt had five years left on his contract at a rate of 5.950 million dollars per season. Being 30-years-old meant that Schmidt would need consistent play early and often in his Canucks career in order to live up to his standards set by his contract. Unfortunately, Schmidt displayed the opposite of that. The defencemen looked lethargic, was turnover prone, and overall, looked like a shell of the player he was in Vegas for a few years. Schmidt racked up only 15 points in 54 games, and a -7 rating whilst averaging north of 20 minutes a night on the blue line.

Schmidt’s albatross contract was an issue coming into the offseason for a cap-tight team like the Canucks, and dealing it was a necessity. To give up on player like Schmidt after just one season when you know he has the talent was probably difficult, but props must be given to the Canucks for swallowing their pride and doing what was best for the future of the organization. The work of Benning to quickly deal his contract on the day before the first day of free agency, to make sure no salary was retained and to recuperate the 3rd round pick they dealt for him 10 months prior was exceptional work that was overlooked by the fans.

Grade: A+

Next. Canucks sign Jason Dickinson to a three-year contract. dark

What are your thoughts on the grades handed out to the Canucks moves this offseason? How do you think the Canucks did this offseason? Did they get better? Did they get worse? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comment section!

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