The Vancouver Canucks’ quest for a third-line center
Harman Dayal of The Athletic: Vancouver’s ongoing journey for a third-line center could include some trade or free-agent targets. It all comes down to cost for the Canucks, who have the salary cap to deal with.
One of the players that stick out is Nicolas Roy, who at 24, looks on the verge of breaking out. At the very least, he has upside and is cheap at least for next season. Yes, Roy will cost a bit more but this may be worth it.
Then there are players like Mikael Granlund and Toronto’s Alex Kerfoot among others. Granlund is not a bad idea but again the dollars become an issue.
Also, players like Nolan Patrick and Logan Brown are out there. Does a change of scenery work out? Think of how Tyson Jost has carved a nice role for himself in Colorado as a third-line center.
Some offseason questions to consider
Dan Rosen of NHL.com: There are many things to ponder as July rolls along. What will Seattle look like by the end of next weekend? Will teams deal with them directly? It will be intriguing to see what teams learned from the last time around with Vegas.
Will Jack Eichel get traded? The spin machines are working overtime here. Keep in mind, a move does not have to happen right away. Stay tuned.
For now, Vegas will carry both Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner. They have other issues to address like a number-one center.
Tampa Bay will not have the LTIR umbrella to help them. Who will stay and who will go? Boston has to decide on a goalie for the first half of next season with Tuukka Rask out till January. Oh, Rask is a pending UFA as well. Will Jaroslav Halak be in Boston?
There are other questions but maybe the most pressing one could be the Colorado Avalanche core. How does Joe Sakic extend the window for his team? There are lots of decisions including Gabriel Landeskog, his captain. Then, Colorado has Philipp Grubauer and Cale Makar. No pressure.
Finally, Nathan MacKinnon has just one year left on his contract. Yes, Joe Sakic may want to invest in some Pepto Bismol.