4 Canucks players who shouldn’t return next season

Ian Cole has been great defensively but he doesn’t need re-signed

Unlike Lindholm, Ian Cole is a player I would otherwise like to see Allvin bring back if it wasn’t for a few players. For one, Tyler Myers is the overall better fit in Vancouver than Cole. Myers has 24 points and four goals in 67 games, showing he’s not the offensive liability that Cole factors in as. Myers has also been more physical; he’s blocked nearly as many shots as Cole, and he’s overall been more responsible for the team’s success. 

Nikita Zadorov is another blueliner who has fit well into Vancouver’s system. While he will cost more money with a longer contract length to keep around, he makes for the best long-term investment. Cole won’t give the Canucks as many solid seasons as Zadorov, and Vancouver, even with fellow blueliner Filip Hronek raring for a contract extension, should have more than enough in cap space to ink the former Flame. 

Overall, the Canucks must find a way to keep a good core of blueliners in town. They can afford to sign Zadorov and Hronek to long-term deals, while players like Myers can take a cut as he heads into the twilight of his long NHL career. This leaves Cole as the odd man out, but the journeyman will find a spot in someone’s lineup.