4 Canucks players who shouldn’t return next season
The Vancouver Canucks are well within the playoff mix and Presidents’ Trophy contenders, but they could be even better next season.
While the Vancouver Canucks are well on their way to contend for the Presidents’ Trophy, it’s still never too early to talk about what they should do in the offseason. One reason is that this team has the potential to be elite from now until 2030, and even longer if general manager Patrik Allvin can think both for the present and the future.
Not only is this an exciting time for the organization, but the loyal fans in British Columbia and all over the world deserve to see the Canucks put together a string of good seasons. While they have won the Presidents’ Trophy in the past, Vancouver has yet to put together good enough of a postseason to hoist the Stanley Cup, but the foundation is at the point where they can (and hopefully will) compete for the coming seasons.
Canucks must cut ties with the right players to maximize their success
There isn’t a single roster or lineup in the NHL that will look exactly the same year after year. What Vancouver’s current group looks like for this potential run for the Stanley Cup in 2023-24 will see some (or a lot of) variation heading into 2024-25, but the key is for Allvin to make this team better off than they were this season.
How can Allvin put the Canucks in the best position to continue what they started in 2023-24? Refuse to bring back a few players who are in the final year of their agreements or players acquired earlier this year who aren’t working well in the organization.
At this time, the Canucks have nine players who are pending unrestricted free agents, and maybe just under half of them will stick around. So let’s talk about the four players who need to go elsewhere for 2024-25 and will return to Vancouver, British Columbia, only in a different uniform.
Elias Lindholm needs to be nothing more than a rental
I haven’t been shy in my criticism of Elias Lindholm, from wanting to see Allvin move him at the trade deadline to constantly talking about the long wait for the former Selke contender to give fans something even remotely close to what he played like while in Calgary.
Before his recent injury, Lindholm scored in a 4-2 win over his former team, and he logged an assist in the 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Two points in two games is great, but nine points and five goals in 22 contests since the trade in January is not. And it is unfortunate that Lindholm went down with a day-to-day injury right when it seemed like he was starting to produce.
It’s almost like this trade was never meant to work out for Vancouver, but they will luckily be off the hook following the season, and the 29-year-old could revive his game somewhere else. Teams looking for a veteran who can help them win faceoffs would be interested in Lindholm, and also those who could use help on special teams.
Lindholm has been in Vancouver for over two months, and you can still hardly argue he’s made the team any better. If the opposite were true, perhaps Allvin would try to make him more than a rental, but as of now, it shouldn’t happen.
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.
The Canucks need a 1B as opposed to a backup goaltender
To be fair, Casey DeSmith has been adequate in the net for the Canucks since Demko’s injury. So far, he’s 3-2-1 with 14 goals allowed on 135 shot attempts, good for an 0.896 save percentage. But he’s also facing just 22.5 shots on goal per game in that stretch, and it’s more of a testament to the Canucks play in the defensive zone instead of DeSmith’s heroics.
He’s also slightly below average when you look at xGA at even strength, which is 43.1. DeSmith has allowed 46 goals in that situation overall this season, and his overall 0.912 save percentage at even strength is lower than it’s been during most of his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins besides the 2022-23 campaign.
DeSmith may be a good fit for teams whose goaltenders can make it through an entire season as the starter, but that hasn’t happened with Thatcher Demko. Instead, Vancouver must find a legitimate 1B to join Demko in a timeshare role.
If the Canucks star goaltender can be held to roughly 50 starts in a season, he should stay fresh enough to remain healthy and continue to play the way he has this year. DeSmith has shown us he’s not the guy for the job, but there are a few goaltenders in free agency this summer who could fill the role.
Sam Lafferty is serviceable but as a rental only
This one came down to a pair of pending unrestricted free agents - Dakota Joshua or Sam Lafferty - and the conclusion was obvious. Despite the hand injury Joshua suffered last month, the Canucks are a better team with the winger in the lineup.
Joshua, who is close to returning at the time of this writing, should give this team a boost once he’s cleared to play in a game. This season, he’s been great, with 13 goals and 26 points in 53 games, converting shots into goals 18.8 percent of the time, and remaining physical against opponents with 195 hits.
He’s taking away pucks, logging way more ice time than he has during his young career, contributing very well when the Canucks are short-handed, and he has more than done his part in the defensive zone at 5-on-5.
Lafferty hasn’t done a bad job, as he’s a physical player who can score more than many give him credit for - especially this season - but you can find talents like Lafferty in pretty much any free agent class to fill those lower lines. As for a player that Joshua has turned into this season, it’s not the case, and he’s someone you extend while letting Lafferty fill the lower lines elsewhere.
feed
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)