The Vancouver Canucks regular season is coming to a close. With two games remaining in the regular season, the organization is preparing for an offseason in which the club will attempt to make changes.
In this edition of the Canucks News & Rumors, Quinn Hughes has emerged as a top candidate as the franchise’s next captain. Meanwhile, Elias Pettersson has one season remaining in his contract and extension talks should start this offseason. Also, former Canuck Bo Horvat commented about the New York Islanders’ recent playoff push, comparing it to his time in Vancouver, which upset most of the fan base. Lastly, Brock Boeser is nominated for the Masterton Trophy.
Is Hughes the Next Canucks Captain?
The Canucks played their final home game of the 2022-23 season and picked up a 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday. Hughes took the mic to address the crowd following the win.
“On behalf of my teammates and the organization, I just want to thank the fans for an incredible year,” Hughes said. “It’s an honour to be a Canuck. Hopefully we can come out strong for you guys next year. It’s a treat playing for you guys, and we’re looking forward to it. Thank you.”
Hughes downplayed talks of him as the team’s next captain when talking to the media. He listed a few of his teammates as great candidates, including Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Tyler Myers and even Thatcher Demko. Head coach Rick Tocchet praised Hughes for coming out of his shell over the past few months, adding he has the qualities to be the next captain.
“He’s a very competitive kid. He wants to win so bad. That’s impressed me,” said Tocchet. “He’s a hockey nerd. He loves hockey. He’ll probably go hang with his brother, he might try to skate with the black aces for New Jersey, because he wants to play so bad… He’s been a pleasure to coach. [Adam Foote] loves him.”
The Canucks traded former captain Horvat to the New York Islanders in late January. As a result, the organization named Hughes and Pettersson as alternative captains when Tocchet took over. Hughes would be the third defenceman in franchise history following Kevin McCarthy (1979-1982) and Doug Lidster (alternated with Trevor Linden and Dan Quinn in 1990-91) to serve as a captain for the team.
Pettersson’s Extension
The Athletic’s Thomas Drance discussed the Canucks’ offseason to-do list. He lists extending Pettersson as the organization’s top priority this offseason (from ‘Canucks’ offseason to-do list: It starts with extending Elias Pettersson,’ The Athletic, April 10, 2023). In the 2021 offseason, the Canucks extended the Swedish forward to a three-year, $22.050 million bridge deal. As a result, he will become a restricted free agent in the 2024-25 season. Therefore, the club should look at starting contract negotiation this offseason with one whole year to talk.
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Drance lists three reasons why locking up the star forward is crucial for the club. He notes Pettersson is irreplaceable, as the front office’s plan to contend in the next two to three years hinges around extending him. Pettersson is also due for a massive pay raise from his current $7.350 million cap hit, as among the 20 highest cap hits for the 2023-24 season, only five players have outproduced him this season. Connor McDavid ($12.5 million), Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million), David Pastrnak ($11.250 million), Matthew Tkachuk ($9.5 million) and Nikita Kucherov ($9.5 million) are those five players. Lastly, the Canucks need to avoid paying Pettersson to a point where they can’t surround him with other talent to create a contending roster.
Therefore, the Canucks are better off starting their negotiations on July 1st, which gives them enough time to negotiate a fair deal for both sides. Pettersson has set the bar high after his career season, as he is on pace to become the sixth forward in the organization’s history to hit the 100-point mark.
Horvat Apologizes for Comments
After the Islanders’ 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, Horvat commented on the excitement in the building and support from the team’s fans.
It’s been unbelievable,” Horvat said. “It’s a lot better than Vancouver. I can tell you that for free.”
As a result, the former Canucks’ captain’s comments drew a reaction from the team’s fans and other hockey fans on social media. However, Horvat apologized for his comments on Monday.
“I wasn’t obviously expecting that,” Horvat said. “It was kind of a heat of the moment thing. I didn’t mean any disrespect to the fans of Vancouver or my teammates or the city of Vancouver at all. It wasn’t directed at them at all. The (Islanders) fans were all excited, and I was excited to be in a playoff push. It was just kind of one of those things where my emotions got the best of me.
“I was just really happy to be there, to be honest with you. It might have come out the wrong way to a lot of people so I apologize for that. I’m just excited to be in the position right now, to be in a playoff push, to be right there. I really enjoyed my time in Vancouver. I’m not trying to disrespect them at all.”
Although Horvat apologized for his comments, the former Canuck isn’t entirely wrong. During his time with the organization, the team struggled to make it to the postseason and stay in the race. The club made the playoffs twice out of the eight full seasons he spent in Vancouver. Other than the 2021-22 season, the Canucks were in the bottom 10 in the league standings for the other six seasons.
Related: Canucks: Revisiting the Luongo Trade
This season, the Canucks are slated to finish between the 22nd and 25th. Meanwhile, the Islanders are still in the hunt for a playoff spot with one game remaining as they hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Therefore, Horvat is in a better position with the Islanders this season as he has a chance to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs late in the regular season.
Boeser is Vancouver’s Masterton Trophy Nominee
The NHL announced the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominees, and Brock Boeser is the Vancouver Canucks nominee. The trophy is awarded by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey. A player from each NHL team is nominated by their local chapter.
Despite facing numerous injuries and personal family issues, Boeser continues to push himself as a player. Although he had a slow start due to a hand injury, he is on pace to post a career-high in points. Boeser has 54 points in 71 games, two points off of his career-high of 56. He has two games to hit that mark.
