The NHL offseason has begun and once again, it should be an interesting one for the Vancouver Canucks.
After a 2024-25 season marked by numerous setbacks, the team is looking to turn the page. With Rick Tocchet leaving and taking the Philadelphia Flyers job, Adam Foote was promoted to head coach.
So general manager Patrik Allvin and his staff have their work cut out for them. Last season was painful for Canucks fans. They obviously don’t want a repeat of that. So, moves are going to have to be made. And fans may not like all of them.
So, the only place to go after a season like that is up, right? Yes, but they have to be smart.
A lesson to learn from the Panthers: Finding diamonds in the rough
The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers for their second straight Stanley Cup. The Panthers have been to the last three finals and won the last two. It is safe to say they are built differently.
How did they get there? Well, they did take some big swings. For starters, they signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to a seven-year deal worth 10 million dollars per season in 2019. At the time, it looked like an overpay and Bobrovsky did struggle in the first few years with the Panthers. But after coming off back-to-back Stanley Cups, the risk paid off.
Then there is Matthew Tkachuk. Florida traded fan favourite winger Jonathan Huberdeau, defenceman MacKenize Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a 2025 first-round pick to get him from the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2022. Fast forward three years later and Tkachuk is a big reason why the Panthers have been to three straight Stanley Cup Finals.
But going after the flashy guys wasn’t the only way Florida built their dynasty. (If you can call them that.) Let’s look at their roster, starting with this year’s Conn Smythe winner. Sam Bennett was seen as a bust with the Calgary Flames. The 2014 fourth-overall pick never seemed to live up to his potential in Calgary and was mismanaged. His best season there was a 36-point campaign in 2015-16, his rookie year. In April of 2021, Bennett was traded to Florida for prospect Emil Heinemen and a 2022 second-round pick. While Bennett never became the star he was touted to be, he improved his game with the Panthers and is seen as a solid middle-six forward and playoff performer.
Then there is the other Sam, who was drafted in 2014. Sam Reinhart. He was drafted second overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2014. He was a decent top-six forward in Buffalo, hitting the 20-goal mark in five out of his seasons there. But it was clear Reinhart needed a change of scenery as the Sabres were going nowhere. In the summer of 2021, the Sabres shipped off Reinhart to the Panthers for goaltending prospect Devon Levi and a 2022 first-round pick. Reinhart has blossomed in the Sunshine State scoring at least 30 goals and has gotten over 60 points in three out of his four seasons there. Most notably, Reinhart has scored the winning goal in both the Panthers Stanley Cup victories, including a four-goal output this year.
What’s the point here? The Panthers took risks and found value in both Reinhart and Bennett. They were both needing a change of scenery. Reinhart did not see the playoffs with the Sabres and Bennett struggled to live up to his potential with the Flames. Now, both are vital pieces to the Panthers.
There are other examples too. Seth Jones was seen as a liability with the Blackhawks and one of the worst contracts in NHL history. Yet, the Panthers traded for him in February and he excelled in the playoffs. Gustav Forsling is now seen as one of the league’s best defencemen, but he bounced around different organizations and struggled to make the NHL and Florida got him off waivers in 2021. The Panthers also took a chance on signing Niko Mikkola and trading for Carter Verhaegae. Both have done well in Sunrise.
Nobody expected these players to do well, but Florida took a chance on them and turned them into gold. Think of it as them buying a stock for a low share price and then over time watching it rise to great heights on the market.
The Canucks need to take risks
What does all this have to do with the Canucks? Well, they can learn from Florida. The Panthers took chances on players and found value in them. Vancouver should do the same.
While signing Sam Bennett in free agency would help, it is not worth the risk of overpaying a guy whose career high is 51 points. And it seems Bennett could be off the free agent list too, as he hinted that he is staying in Florida, Jordan Belfort style.
Whether that is through free agency or trade, the Canucks need to find value. They don’t need to get the flashy guys, as there is risk there. However, the Panthers took risks by signing or trading players that were not living up to their potential, in poor form and/or needed a change of scenery.
Now, did the Panthers nail all of them? No. They took their chances on former Canucks first-rounder Olli Juolevi and current Canuck Noah Juulsen and they didn’t work out. Plus, neither of those players cost much anyway.
The Canucks need to take the risk of finding players who are question marks and could potentially take their games to the next level in Vancouver. One example on the Canucks right now is Kiefer Sherwood. After years of going up and down between the NHL and AHL and a full season with the Nashville Predators, Sherwood became a fan favourite with a 19-goal and 40-point season after signing a two-year deal worth 1.5 million dollars per season last summer.
A more notable example is JT Miller. Canucks fans were not happy when they traded a first-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for him. Before coming to Vancouver, Miller’s career high in points was 56. While his exit was controversial and his legacy as a Canuck is complicated, Miller became a star in Vancouver.
Who are some players the Canucks could potentially find value in?
It is no secret that Vancouver needs to bolster their top six. The biggest name circling the rumour mill right now in Canucks land is Marco Rossi.
The Minnesota Wild centre has reportedly been on the block and the Canucks are already in on him. According to Ben Kuzma of The Province, and Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Canucks offered their 2025 first-rounder (15th overall) and an unnamed player for Rossi, but the Wild rejected the deal. Whether they try again remains to be seen.
Rossi is coming off a 60-point season with the Wild. However, he is a pending RFA and the contract situation isn’t going well. And it seems Minnesota is concerned about his size, as he stands at 5’9″. The 2020 ninth-overall pick is a player with skill, high hockey IQ and isn’t afraid to go in the dirty areas.
If Rossi was a few inches taller, he probably would’ve gone for a haul. His size is likely a huge reason why a package for him won’t be monstrous. His size is a concern for sure, but the potential of him being a reward outweighs the risk. He is 24 years old and entering his prime and last season looked like a breakout season. The Canucks would benefit from having him being one of the centres of their top six.
There are a few other players that the Canucks could take a flyer on that need a change of scenery. Trevor Zegras has struggled with injuries and inconsistency the last two seasons with the Anaheim Ducks and a fresh start could rejuvenate him. If not Zegras, his Anaheim teammate Troy Terry could be a potential option. With the cap rising, his seven million dollar AAV with five years left may not be a bad idea. Terry could blossom on a better team and the 27-year-old has reached the 20-goal and 50-point plateau each of the last four seasons. Then there is Alexis Lafreniere who could look for a new beginning after everything went wrong for the Rangers. Since Brock Boeser is likely to leave in free agency, it wouldn’t hurt if the Canucks at least inquire about the 2020 first-overall pick.
The Canucks and Sabres have been rumoured to be trade partners for months. They are currently linked to winger JJ Peterka. Peterka reportedly is not happy in Buffalo and coming off a 27-goal and 68-point season. With his scoring touch, the Canucks top-six would definitely be better. However, he also would cost quite a bit as he is a pending RFA.
Some of these listed players would cost more than others but are worth taking a chance on. Out of all these names, Rossi and Peterka make sense.
There is value in these names and potentially others not listed here. If the Canucks want to have any hope of becoming a cup contender and keep Quinn Hughes happy, they must be ready to take risks for team improvement this offseason.
