Coming down to a straight choice for Canucks between Lindholm and Zadorov
The offseason is off to a tremendous start for the Canucks, but it still looks like they will have to choose between Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.
Since the season ended for the Vancouver Canucks, what they have been doing can be considered a resounding success. General manager Patrik Allvin continues to impress, showing his desire to find sustained success for the team was more than just words.
Allvin came out swinging big, as he tied the gruff Filip Hronek down to a long-term deal. He's also re-signed Mark Friedman, Teddy Blueger, Tyler Myers and Dakota Joshua to extensions, all representing team-friendly deals.
Perhaps best of all though, Allvin worked his magic in being able to find a trade partner for Ilya Mikheyev. It was imperative for the Canucks to get Mikheyev's final two years off the books, and they only had to retain 15 percent of his salary to do so.
As a result of all these moves, the Canucks find themselves in an arguably better than expected salary cap position. At the time of writing they have just four pending unrestricted free agents still to deal with, as well as one restricted.
As per Cap Friendly, the Canucks have $12,040,833 of projected cap space for the 2024-25 campaign. However, as things stand they will likely also have another $2.5 million to play with, courtesy of Tucker Poolman and the final year of his salary being on Long-Term Injured Reserve next season.
However, despite this extremely healthy position, the Canucks will still have to make a major decision. We're talking specifically about choosing between who to make a more concerted effort to re-sign, between Elias Lindholm and Nikia Zadorov.
Lindholm versus Zadorov
Beginning with Lindholm, we've written before about how we believe the Canucks gave up way too much to acquire him from the Calgary Flames at the end of January. He didn't help himself when he subsequently performed so poorly, there was actually take of moving him before the March 8 trade deadline!
Now yes, Lindholm did redeem himself with an outstanding playoffs, which included five goals, 10 overall points and a +4 rating in 13 games. In fact, it was the best postseason of his NHL career.
Regardless, you have to ask yourself how much the 2024 All-Star is worth to retain, with him wanting a significant increase on the $4.85 million he received this season. AFP Analytics projects he will receive a shade under $6.79 million per season in his next deal.
As for Zadorov, he was much more consistent for the Canucks after also arriving in a trade from Calgary, last November. He provided a physical intimidating presence on the ice along with excellent leadership, and became a firm fan favourite in Vancouver.
Along these lines, Zadorov also talked about how much he and his family loved the city of Vancouver. And yet, negotiations between his representatives and the Canucks organisation have apparently stalled.
AFP Analytics have the 2013 16th overall draft pick's next deal at an annual average of just under $5.32 million. So the question is, who should the Canucks focus on?
An easy decision ... if not already made for the Canucks
When combining their respective performances for the Canucks in 2023-24 with the projected salaries, it seems clear that Zadorov is the smarter solution. This would still leave the organisation with a decent amount of projected cap space to fill out the roster for next season.
In fairness, this decision may have already been made for the Canucks. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently indicated on the hugely popular 32 Thoughts podcast, that they were prepared to go to seven years at an annual average of $7 million to re-sign Lindholm.
However, as things stand Lindholm still hasn't agreed a deal with the Canucks, with some speculation indicating he wants as much as $8 million per season. He may well get this somewhere, but it's an outrageous amount which he's not worth, and Allvin is best-served walking away.
In any event, Allvin recently indicated he wants to upgrade the team with a quality top-six winger with speed, and the money the Canucks would have theoretically spent on Lindholm, can find someone better. Big name targets include pending free agents Jake Guentzel and Sam Reinhart, or someone such as Mitch Marner via a trade.
Now it should be clarified that even if the Canucks do pick Zadorov over Lindholm to focus on, there's no guarantee the former will actually re-sign in Vancouver. Friedman did recently put the odds of this happening at less than 50 percent.
dark. Next. Quinn Hughes deservedly wins James Norris Trophy. Quinn Hughes deservedly wins James Norris Trophy
Overall though, such has been the offseason success so far in Vancouver, combined with how much projected cap space the Canucks have, that even missing out on both Zadorov and Lindholm would no longer be a disaster. Allvin is working wonders for the organisation, and fans should feel confident about the direction he has them headed in.
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