The Vancouver Canucks Have A Lot Going On
Iain MacInytre of Sportsnet: New General Manager Patrik Allvin is not going to have an easy time of it the next couple months. Vancouver is a team that is not constructed well salary cap wise. One of the first players is Jaroslav Halak. Can he be convinced to waive his NMC to go to a contender?
There are some ‘the time is now’ type of deals that can be made. J.T. Miller is one such player who could fetch a nice return now as opposed to next season. Brock Boeser is another because of his $7.5 million qualifying offer. Could Conor Garland be dealt now while his value is decent? Even Tyler Motte may be on the move as depth forwards are hard to find.
Vancouver has seven weeks to set up their analytics department and assess needs and wants going forward. It is going to be a chaotic time.
The Matthew Tkachuk Question
Jeremy Rutherford and Hailey Salvian: What happens with Matthew Tkachuk? Tkachuk is on pace for a 95 point season this year and has bounced back in every way from a rough 2021. Tkachuk becomes a free agent after the 2022-23 season (if the qualifying offer is signed) so a contract extension would be a good idea.
Tkachuk’s impact as an all-around player is well documented. He is one of the best players in the league in terms of analytics. Remember with inflation and such, does an eight-year, $80 million deal get things done? It is only a $3 million AAV raise from what he makes now.
Calgary will have to maneuver a lot of things to fit everyone in but an extension is much better than the alternative of waiting and hoping.
Some things to tie in a few rumors…
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period: There have been some rumblings of Claude Giroux and moving on from the Philadelphia Flyers. It has been reiterated that this is 100% up to Giroux. Now, Calgary is trying to acquire depth in anticipation of eventually signing Matthew Tkachuk to an extension.
Finally, the Vancouver Canucks are entertaining offers on multiple fronts as they try to climb out of the salary cap purgatory they are in. Some of the moves may surprise people but their situation is that critical right now.
