The Vancouver Canucks have had a remarkable season up to this point. Currently perched atop the Pacific Division with 53 points (25-11-3) and leading the NHL with a plus-47 goal differential, they are poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013. However, for this run to last more than just this season, they will have to figure out how to keep the nucleus together beyond 2023-24.
That’s easier said than done, considering the Canucks will have eight unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and three restricted free agents (RFAs) to re-sign when the offseason begins in July. However, general manager Patrik Allvin could get a jump on things right now since players with one year remaining on their contracts were eligible for extensions the minute the clock hit midnight on Jan. 1. With that said, let’s take a look at who he should re-sign before crunch time on July 1.
Teddy Blueger
Ever since Teddy Blueger donned the Orca for the first time against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 12, he has been a staple in the Canucks’ lineup. Anchoring the “Life Line” with Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland, he has helped to build one of, if not the best third line in the entire NHL. With five goals and 15 points in 25 games, he is well on his way to shattering his career-high of 28 points set in 2021-22 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and could be garnering Selke Trophy votes like he did in 2019-20 when he got three.
Head coach Rick Tocchet relies on Blueger and his line whenever he needs a jolt of energy and recently deployed them as a second line against the New Jersey Devils. He has become one of the Canucks’ most important forwards, not only on the penalty kill and in the defensive zone – which is why he was signed in the first place – but also offensively. Lately, he has been the source of a lot of points, as he recently had a seven-game point streak snapped against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 2, and has 11 points in his last 10 games.
The Canucks have not had a dominant third-line center since Manny Malhotra was skating in the blue and green. While Blueger doesn’t have the same skillset when it comes to faceoffs (although his 51.8 face-off percentage is nothing to scoff at), he has brought back memories of the former Canuck and his exploits during the Presidents’ Trophy runs of the 2010s.
Allvin needs to keep the good times rolling and re-sign Blueger to a long-term deal for at least three years at a modest raise of $2.5 million average annual value (AAV).
Dakota Joshua
Moving over to one of Blueger’s linemates, Joshua has been a revelation ever since he joined the Canucks before the 2022-23 season. With a career-high 11 goals last season, and already 10 this season, the Dearborn, Michigan native could be considered one of the biggest bargains in the NHL right now. At only a $825,000 cap hit, he has provided not only a surprising amount of offence, but also physicality, great two-way hockey and a presence on the penalty kill. Talk about a lot for only a little bit of money.
Related: Canucks’ 3rd Line Could Be Next Great Stanley Cup-Winning Line
Joshua is a Tocchet-type of a player. That’s why the head coach was so hard on him at the beginning of the season to play his game and not waiver from it. He knows how important he can be to a winning lineup. Well, the tough love worked because, since his singular healthy scratch on Nov. 2 against the San Jose Sharks, he has never missed a game and has probably been one of the Canucks’ best players – both offensively and defensively. He has been a physical force as he currently leads the team in hits with 116 and has shown the clutch gene as well being tied for second with three game-winning goals.
“…Dakota, the way he’s been playing for us, you get a lot of loose pucks, and then Garland’s feeding off them from the hashmarks down. And then Teddy plays that safety valve for us. I think it’s a chemistry line, where hashmarks down, they’re really good. That’s where they get a lot of their chances.”
Rick Tocchet on the play of the “Life Line”
Like Blueger, Joshua has helped the “Life Line” become the lifeblood of the team. I would go as far as to say it has been the Canucks’ best and most consistent line all season. There hasn’t been a game where you can say they didn’t make a difference. Therefore, Joshua needs to be re-signed to a long-term contract to keep the trio together for next season and beyond. Obviously, the Canucks won’t get him under $1 million AAV again, but something along the lines of $2 million AAV for three years could work. Unless he hits 20 goals, that is. Then all bets are off.
Sam Lafferty
Sam Lafferty was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the beginning of the season for only a fifth-round pick, and he is now a valuable Swiss Army knife for Tocchet and the coaching staff. He has run up and down the lineup from the top line alongside Elias Pettersson to the fourth line with Nils Hoglander and Nils Aman. He plays regularly on the penalty kill and has even gotten reps on the second power play unit. His physicality and willingness to fight in the corners on the forecheck and go to net have produced nine goals already and he’s only three goals away from setting a new career high. Again, talk about crazy value for a low AAV ($1.15 million to be exact).
The Canucks have gotten offence from their entire roster this season as Lafferty’s next goal will have him join the double-digit club and bring the team total to eight. He brings a lot to the roster and Allvin would do well to re-sign him. He’s exactly what you need in a winning lineup and on a perennial playoff and Stanley Cup contender. As for what he will cost, a raise is probably in the cards to at least $2 million AAV over a two or three-year term.
Canucks Don’t Have a Lot of Money to Play With
As much as the Canucks would probably want to re-sign all of their free agents, the reality is, they will likely have to sacrifice a few of them for lower-cost rookies or utility players. Their budget-friendly options in Blueger, Joshua and Lafferty are all having great seasons, which unfortunately means more money to re-sign them. With the impending massive extensions coming to Pettersson and Filip Hronek, the salary cap will become an enemy of Allvin and the front office.
There’s only so much money to throw around. Even with the cap ceiling increasing to $87.675 million, the Canucks are projected to only have $30,853,333 to accommodate 11 free agents. While Ian Cole and Tyler Myers are expected to move on, that still leaves eight (including Hronek, Pettersson, and Nikita Zadorov) to fit in under the cap. And that’s not even including their replacements, be it from within the organization, free agency or trade. Having said that, Blueger, Joshua and Lafferty still need to be at the top of the list of pending UFAs that should be signed to extensions sooner rather than later.
