Ryan Johnson and the Sedin twins get to enter the first Free Agency Period under complete authority of the Canucks organization. The trio has continued to preach patience as the Canucks enter unchartered territory: A full-on, complete, rebuild.

When asked what his ideal Canucks player looks like, Ryan Johnson mentioned 5 key traits:

• Size
• Speed
• Character
• High Compete Level
• Professional Habits

The Canucks are not only looking for a complete rebuild of the roster from a talent perspective, but from a cultural perspective as well. We saw this demonstrated yesterday, when the Canucks took their prospects to a Food Bank as a way of staying true to the 3 word motto Henrik & Daniel Sedin spoke during their introductory press conference: Connected, Committed, Purpose. Culture is something that is built from the ground up, but it is also nice to have people come in and fill in the gaps and mentor the current crop of youth. However, this cannot come at the expense of actual talent.

When the market opens at 9 AM, the Canucks are going to be looking for NHL-quality talent that can fulfill multiple roles both on and off the ice, while also keeping in mind the actual purpose of the rebuild, which is asset accumulation, whether it’s draft or prospect capital. They need to do this while also working on a strict budget.

Needless to say, Ryan Johnson and the Sedins have their work cut out for them.

With that being said, let’s take a look at a few Free Agency candidates that can fit the mold of what the new trio wants out of a Vancouver Canuck, while also potentially being valuable on the trade market come Deadline or Draft time.

1. James Van Riemsdyk – W – Detroit

It’s honestly hard for me to believe that James Van Riemsdyk is 37 years old, and heading into his 18th NHL season. The power forward has played for 5 teams across a career that spans 1154 regular season and an additional 82 playoff games. Surely, “JVR” wants to accomplish one last thing before retiring with what will be a 350 goal, 700 point career.

A Stanley Cup.

Well, that’s not going to happen here in Vancouver, but I believe Vancouver can help get there. Last season, James Van Riemsdyk had 15 goals, 16 assists for 31 points. The Red Wings only used him for 11 minutes a game, and less than 10 minutes a game at Even Strength, the lowest of any full time player on Detroit.

Where he did get minutes however, was the powerplay. On a per 60 minute basis, Van Riemsdyk put up 3.16 goals, good enough for 13th in the NHL. Over his career he has over 100 Power Play goals. He was tied for 3rd on Detroit with in PPGs, with 7, despite getting half of the ice time the person he was tied with, Star Forward Lucas Raymond.

When he was in Columbus, he was quoted as saying “I remember coming into the league who rubbed off on me, and it was guys who played a long time – how they approached their craft, how they thought about the game, how they tried to get better every single day. It’s been great; we have some guys, especially some of the younger guys, that are like sponges and are asking questions about different guys I played with or different situations in the game.”. His Head Coach at the time, Dean Evason, also preached how vocal he was on the bench and in the locker room.

At 6’3”, 220lbs, and the likely outcome of Jake DeBrusk (2nd in Power Play Goals per 60) walking out the door, could the Canucks offer a 35+, bonus-laden contract with the promise of trading him to a contender at the deadline? He likely wouldn’t add enough at Even Strength to change the Canucks regular season point totals, but with the size and power play acumen that he possesses, he could be a player that a team gives up a 2nd or 3rd round pick for, assuming he produces as a rate slightly above what he has done in extremely limited ice time for Detroit.

Brandon Duhaime – W – Washington

Size? Yep. He’s 6’2” 210 pounds.
Speed/Pace? Yep. He was in the 92nd percentile for top skating speed last season, and 91st percentile in speed bursts 22 mph or faster.
High Compete Level? He is top 50 amongst NHL Forwards in Hits, will stand up for team mates, and even fights (including 8 last season).

There’s a reason why Vancouver was so interested in Duhaime a few seasons back. He has a rare combination of size and speed that is hard to find for a bottom 6 player, and he does it while still being able to put up 20 points, and eat up minutes with heavy defensive deployment (Over the last 2 seasons only 15.12% and 21.73% of his 5v5 shifts started in the Offensive Zone, respectively) while surviving on the analytical side of things, with a 51.61 and 49.69 xGF% rate at 5v5.

Enforcer/Grit players are seeing healthy paydays in the NHL as of late. We can look at AJ Greer getting 4.25m x 4 years in Anaheim or Beck Malenstyn (perhaps a better example) getting 2.916 x 6 in Buffalo. However, the rise in these players pay also indicates that the market has shifted, and these players are now deemed as being valuable.

Could the Canucks pick up Duhaime on a 2-3 year contract at $3.5M, and after a season or a season and a half of injecting his size, speed, and hilarious locker room demeanor (he is reported to act like a literal dog in the locker room, including eating pieces of the paper in which the lineup is written on), flip him to a contender looking to add speed in their bottom 6, while also having a player that survive in the trenches of war known as NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Hockey?

With the cap ceiling and floor increasing, and a tight budget, there is room for the Canucks to (slightly) front load the deal, and by retaining 50% on his cap over the course of 1 or 2 seasons, may allow the Canucks to retain a decent cap hit while only retaining a modest amount of actual salary owed.

Mats Zuccarello – W – Minnesota

A lot of what I said about James Van Riemsdyk could be applied to Mats Zuccarello, but with a much higher production potential. Alongside Kirill Kaprizov, Zuccarello has continued to demonstrate an ability to put up points, averaging 21 goals and 49 assists for 70 points per 82 games in his age 32-38 seasons, and even over the last 2 seasons he’s still averaged 22 goals and 69 points per 82 games.

Despite his age, he has remained consistent. As a 35+ player, the Canucks could give him a bonus heavy contract that allows them to pay Zuccarello a cheap amount this year, while maintaining the ability to offload future salary commitments related to the bonus to another team, or retain them in order to stay at the cap floor in the future.

If Zuccarello were to accept a contract similar to Toews last season ($2.5M with the potential of $6m in bonuses. I would see if Zuccarello would do $2.5m + $3-4m in bonuses), this would allow a cup contending team to add him to a playoff roster at a very cheap cap hit, while having any potential bonus overages move to the 2027-28’ season, which will see the cap rise by $9.5m to $113.5m.

Another positive to a Zuccarello deal would be that his point production could also help Elias Pettersson’s production. Pettersson while having modest assist totals over the last few seasons (closer to his earlier rookie, sophomore, and year 3 seasons), his goals have tanked into the mid-teens. Part of the reason for this has been the lack of playmakers in the Canucks lineup over the last 2 seasons. DeBrusk, Boeser, Suter, Kane are all players who lean more on the goal scoring side, who happen to get assists due to high ice time, but on a per minute basis none of them can hold a candle to Zuccarello, who could help EP40 get more high-danger, controlled passes in the high slot and the circles, where he excels.

Points aside, despite being 5’8”, 181lbs, he has maintained a 52 block, and 68 hit per 82 game pace over his career, and other than the last 2 seasons, has been an expert puck management player who often had more takeaways than giveaways. He has also been top 30 in Selke voting before. This is the type of vet that can lead by example, both production wise and intangible wise. With retention, the Canucks could very well get a 2nd Round Pick & a B+ Prospect in return for Zuccarello at the trade deadline from a contender in need of a 2nd line supplementary playmaker with powerplay expertise.

He has missed 13 and 23 games the last two seasons, which is not ideal for a contender, but missing games for the Canucks (as long as it doesn’t completely tank his value), will allow young players to fill in for small periods of time in much greater roles, which will give them a sense of job enrichment and the experience needed to understand how to maintain that level of play over a longer stretch of games in the future.

Andrei Kuzmenko or Matias Maccelli

I’ll make it clear off the bat: Both of these players are reclamation projects, are large stretches considering their inconsistent performance and lack of intangibles, and the Canucks would only be able to pick one. These signings would be for the sole purpose of asset accumulation in the future.

In favour of Andrei Kuzmenko is the fact that he was with Elias Pettersson when EP40 produced at a level that placed him firmly into the top 10 of NHL centers, potentially top 5. EP40 over an 18 month stretch was 7th in points in the NHL, and showcased a chemistry with him that we haven’t seen before, or since. Also, he is a locker room personality who keeps things light in the room.

He has had issues in the past with his weight, and despite great playdriving metrics (54.46 xGF%, 57.64 HDCF%), he has never been trusted by coaches on the defensive side of the puck, nor will he throw a body or block shots. Those are negatives, but I believe in the power of friendship. Could the Canucks have Kuzmenko in the room to help Petey return to form both on and off the ice, keep the locker room vibes positive, and in turn, help the Canucks extract value from both Kuzmenko and EP40 if/when they decide to trade them both? I think the opportunity to reunite those two in particular is a very intriguing prospect. I think with the implementation of Manny Malhotra as head coach, as well as the signing of a vet like Ian Cole for example could offset any negatives that may be showcased by Kuzmenko.

With Maccelli, this could be a 2 year reclamation project. Maccelli was recently non-tendered by the Maple Leafs, which shouldn’t be a surprise given how his & the Leafs season went.

A former 57 point scorer, Maccelli has always been an assist heavy player, and even on a horrible Maple Leafs team that saw them place low enough to have the lottery balls fall in their favour and win 1st Overall, Maccelli was Toronto’s best playdriver analytically. He had the best xGF% of any forward (only full time player at or above 50%) and 2nd best HDCF% (beside former Canuck Dakota Joshua).

He will turn 26 in October, so there is runway for Maccelli to rebound and cash in later in his career, perhaps at age 28/29. Would the Canucks be willing to over Maccelli a prominent offensive role in their lineup, enough so that he could help Elias Pettersson find the back of the net more with his elite playmaking, and potentially get flipped to a playoff team in need of a younger, cost controlled rental with the ability to re-sign them at a relatively young age compared to other NHL UFA’s?

I think both Kuzmenko and Maccelli could fetch hefty prices at a trade deadline or during draft week should those respective markets appear barren, especially if they have an extra year or two (in Maccelli’s case) of control.

Ian Cole – LHD – Utah

Ian Cole has been a Canuck before. The last time fans saw him don the Blue & Green, he was struggling in a series with a broken foot against the Edmonton Oilers, where he scored multiple own goals, including Evan Bouchard’s game 2 OT Winner.

What people don’t remember however, was how much of a defensive anchor he was for that group. Playing 2nd pair and heavy PK minutes, often times with Noah Juulsen or Tyler Myers, Cole was such a stabilizing presence for the Canucks blueline. If you look at his expected goals, you’d wonder what I was talking about. With Vancouver he had a 44.1 xGF%. That’s true, but he was also playing against the toughest competition, while often playing with partners that had a tendency to be overtly aggressive, and possessed poor puck management skills.

For 78 games, Ian Cole gave Rick Tocchet and co. the confidence to be able to put him out on the ice in very difficult minutes as a way of making sure Filip Hronek and Quinn Hughes got the heavy offensive deployment needed as they carried the backend offensively to a Division Title, and within one game of a Conference Final.

He is 6’1”, 240lbs. He blocks shots, he hits hard, and he has good secondary puck moving ability. Also, fans may not know this, but it is mentioned somewhat that he was the stabilizing force in that locker room that helped manage the EP40 and JT Miller feud. He left, and it blew up. That’s not just hindsight, that’s just how the chain of events unfolded.

At his age, he will need to play less minutes, whether it’s in the form of playing less games (perhaps so DPetey and Kirill Kudryavtsev can both get into the lineup), or in the form of less minutes per game (of his top 5 seasons ice time wise, 4 have occurred in the last 5 seasons, with 2016 being the outlier in his top 5, when he won a cup with Pittsburgh).

Cole could play alongside Tom Willander and offer him a stable defensive partner, allowing Willander to take more chances offensively, assume a heavy amount of puck moving responsibility, while also learning more of the finer details defensively.

Also, players like Cole will always hold value at a trade deadline. Whether it’s for a 2nd/3rd round pick, maybe even a 2nd with a B-level prospect if the market is bare, teams across the league would kill for an Ian Cole on their D-Core, either as a 2nd pair play stopper, or a 3rd pair luxury.

Luke Schenn – RHD – Buffalo/Winnipeg

Yes, the defensive portion of this list is heavy on former Canucks defensemen, but there is something to say for both Cole and Schenn.

Both love the city, both have fantastic character traits, and offer intangibles that are key to any player in a leadership role.

What Schenn possesses however, is a story of adversity. Luke Schenn was a former 5th overall selection who after 2017-18’ looked to be a draft bust who was on his way out of the NHL. Upon getting waived by Anaheim after only playing 8 games with the Ducks, the Canucks picked him up for the last 18 games of the 2018-19’ season. There, he raised his stock by being Quinn Hughes’ d partner in Quinn’s NHL debut.

Go watch Quinn’s first NHL point. When Boeser scores, whilst everyone in celebrating, what is Luke Schenn doing? He is going after Trevor Lewis for laying Hughes out in the slot moments before. He demonstrated leadership qualities very quickly and endeared himself to the Vancouver faithful.

Then, he left. He went to Tampa Bay, and in a depth role that saw him 63 regular season and 19 playoff games across 2 seasons, won the Stanley Cup in both seasons.

After all of that, he decided to come back to Vancouver, where he proceeded to put up his best and 4th best point production seasons on a per 60 minute basis (.31 and .26) including 21 points in 55 games in 2022-23’, and adding a 117 block and 356 hit per 82 game pace.

At 6’2”, 225lbs, the Canucks wouldn’t be asking Schenn to be anything more than what he is. A leader who can play 3 of every 5 games, maybe less, while punishing opponents during play and after the whistle for even looking at the young players wrong.

Grandpa Schenn will show these kids the ropes, being an example of how to overcome adversity, how to win, and how to be a damn fine teammate.

I think bringing “Schenner” back to Vancouver would be a marvelous way for him to end his career, and perhaps even move into a player development or pro scouting role for the Canucks.

Wrap Up

July 1st isn’t an easy day for GM’s to manage. There is an expectation of players being overpaid, and as Andrew Freeman, President of Baseball Operations for the LA Dodgers said,

“If you’re always rational about every free agent, you will finish third on every free agent”

However, the Canucks have the unique combination of being able to offer opportunity for increased ice time or even just staying in the league, potentially retaining money later to open up opportunities for players to move onto contenders later in the season, and allowing players to make a difference for an organization that is desperately trying to turn over a new leaf and create something worth playing for. A team that players want to play for, and a organization that wants everyone to be Connected, Committed, and filled with Purpose.

Thank you for reading!