If Jake Guentzel and Chris Tanev were plan A for the Vancouver Canucks, they better have a plan B.
The signing rights for both pending free agents were traded ahead of July 1 and both have reportedly signed with their new teams — or at least agreed to terms with official contracts to come.
The Tampa Bay Lightning traded a third-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes to acquire Guentzel, while the Toronto Maple Leafs sent AHL forward Max Ellis and a seventh-round pick to the Dallas Stars for Tanev. That gave each team a little bit of extra time to exclusively negotiate a contract and also sent a signal to each player that they were serious in their pursuit. It's always nice to be wanted.
In addition, Sam Reinhart reportedly agreed to an eight-year contract extension with the Florida Panthers ahead of free agency, so he's off the board as well. The list of potential difference-makers is growing ever shorter.
So, what will the Canucks do on July 1 as free agency opens?
The Canucks have approximately $15.5 million in cap space with 18 players on the roster. They have several distinct needs, starting with a top-six winger to partner with Elias Pettersson, though they could use another top-six winger to skate with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. They also need at least two more defencemen, with one of them hopefully a legitimate top-four option on the right side to bump Tyler Myers to the third pairing. Don't be surprised if they also sign a veteran goaltender to battle with Arturs Silovs for the backup role.
How many of those needs will the Canucks address on the first day of free agency? We'll find out. Follow along with the liveblog below and the comments section is open to share your thoughts as the day progresses.
8:15 a.m. | Welcome, Canucks fans!
While free agency doesn't officially open until 9 a.m., there's already been some news on potential plan B targets for the Canucks.
Tyler Toffoli is expected to sign with the San Jose Sharks, of all teams. Brendan Dillon and Brett Pesce are signing with the New Jersey Devils. If Canucks fans had any hope of landing Brandon Montour, those hopes have been dashed as he's heading to the Seattle Kraken.
What will the Canucks do? I don't know but I do know that I need a whole bunch of caffeine.
8:30 a.m. | 34-year-old Chris Tanev gets a six-year deal worth $4.5 million per year. Jake Guentzel gets a seven-year deal worth $9 million per year. Sam Reinhart gets a Florida discount at $8.625 million per year for eight years.
Brett Pesce's new contract pays him $5.5 million per year on a six-year deal. Brandon Montour gets $7.14 million for seven years from the Kraken.
It sounds like both Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm could end up in Boston.
As for other potential Canucks targets, it sounds like the Nashville Predators could end up with Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. Tyler Bertuzzi is going to the Chicago Blackhawks and so is Teuvo Teravainen.
It's been a wild free agent frenzy and it technically hasn't even started yet.
8:45 a.m. | The big names are disappearing fast and we're still 15 minutes from the official start of free agency.
It sounds like Stamkos and Marchessault are indeed going to the Predators at a combined $13.5 million cap hit.
Toffoli is getting $6 million per year from the Sharks to presumably play with Macklin Celebrini.
The Canucks freed up all this cap space and the expectation is they would go big-game hunting to find an elite winger to play with Elias Pettersson. Is it a failure if they end up bargain hunting instead?
Or is it to the Canucks' benefit to avoid overspending on aging veterans as huge contracts get thrown around on July 1?
8:55 a.m. | Former Canuck Sam Lafferty is heading to the Buffalo Sabres on a two-year deal with a $2 million cap hit.
That's a lot for a fourth-liner, even if Lafferty scored a little more than your typical fourth-liner.
It's kind of surprising to see him end up with the Sabres after the Chicago Blackhawks traded for his rights in the Ilya Mikheyev cap dump. Seems like Lafferty had no interest in being a Blackhawk.
9:05 a.m. | Free agency is officially open and the signings are going to start coming quickly now.
Anthony Mantha gets a one-year deal from the Calgary Flames for $3.5 million.
Veteran defenceman Alec Martinez gets $4 million on a one-year deal from the Blackhawks.
The Washington Capitals traded for Jacob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators for Nick Jensen and a third-round pick, which is a wild trade. They're also signing Matt Roy, a defenceman I would have liked to see the Canucks sign, to a six-year deal worth $5.75 million per year.
Meanwhile, former Canuck Oliver Ekman-Larsson gets a four-year deal at $3.5 million per year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I know he just won the Cup but I would have been very hesitant to sign OEL to a multi-year deal.
And it's confirmed: both Zadorov and Lindholm are going to the Bruins.
9:10 a.m. | Another former Canuck is off the board.
Ian Cole is heading to the Utah Hockey Club, where they're building a pretty intriguing blue line.
Meanwhile, Steven Stamkos is officially leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's kind of shocking how the Lightning treated him on the way out.
He goes to the Nashville Predators along with Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei.
When I look at these contracts, I have to wonder if the term has been the issue for the Canucks more than the cap hits. A $5.5 million cap hit for Marchessault would have made sense in Vancouver but he turns 34 in December and five years is hard to swallow. He'll be 39 by the end of that deal.
9:20 a.m. | The Canucks are making a signing but it's a budget target on defence rather than a big name.
31-year-old defenceman Derek Forbort, who had 4 points in 35 games for the Boston Bruins last season, is reportedly coming to Vancouver.
Viktor Arvidsson could have been a budget target as a top-six winger for the Canucks. Instead, he's heading to Edmonton.
Another potential Canucks target, Jason Zucker, gets a one-year contract from the Buffalo Sabres for $5 million.
Meanwhile, Nikita Zadorov gets the $5 million deal on a long-term contract that he was looking for from the Bruins...
...and Elias Lindholm gets $7.75 million per year on a seven-year deal from the Bruins.
9:30 a.m. | A major Canucks signing!
Out of the blue, the Canucks announce a seven-year deal for Jake DeBrusk at a cap hit of $5.5 million.
That's presumably Elias Pettersson's new linemate. What do you think, Canucks fans?
And another signing! The Canucks are scooping the insiders on July 1. They're adding Kiefer Sherwood on a two-year deal worth $1.5 million per year.
9:40 a.m. | The Canucks' signings are coming fast and furious now after a quiet start to the morning.
28-year-old winger Danton Heinen is joining the Canucks after 17 goals and 36 points in 74 games for the Boston Bruins. He's from Langley, so it's a local boy coming home.
10:00 a.m. | There's an awful lot to like about the Jake DeBrusk signing, as he heavily tilts the ice at 5-on-5.
I provided my thoughts on the deal in a separate article. Generally speaking, I like it.
Meanwhile, Derek Forbort to the Canucks is confirmed. He's had injury issues of late but a one-year deal worth $1.5 million is perfectly reasonable and won't hurt the Canucks long-term if he gets hurt again.
10:10 a.m. | A message from Nikita Zadorov to Vancouver on Instagram.
"The Canadian market can be challenging and demanding, but when you embrace it and enjoy it, it becomes the best time of your life. Your passion is what makes this city a fantastic place to play."
10:30 a.m. | Things are slowing down a little and nothing more from the Canucks so far.
Some Canucks fans talked about wanting Chandler Stephenson but he gets a huge contract from the Seattle Kraken.
Meanwhile, really good point from Jeff Paterson here: the Canucks managed to avoid getting all that much older despite four signings so far in free agency. Derek Forbort is their oldest signing, while their three forward signings are all under 30.
11:05 a.m. | There's so much happening that my computer crashed.
Now that I'm back, I can update you on a couple more Canucks signings, as they added some depth at goaltending and forward. They signed goaltender Jiří Patera and forward Nate Smith to two-way deals.
The 25-year-old Patera has 8 games of NHL experience with a .902 save percentage and has been pretty decent in the AHL. Unless the Canucks sign another veteran goaltender, he'll presumably battle with Arturs Silovs for the backup role behind Thatcher Demko.
Nate Smith is also 25 years old. He's a right-shot centre with 14 games of NHL experience. He had 31 points in 60 games in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners last season. He's AHL depth but could get into NHL games as he's got good speed.
Also, I wrote an article to collect my thoughts on the signings of Derek Forbort, Danton Heinen, and Kiefer Sherwood.
11:25 a.m. | There are no right-shot defencemen remaining in free agency who are solid bets to play a top-four role. The last one left is Sean Walker and he's expected to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes.
That leaves the Canucks with a few options. They could sign a left-shot defenceman who can play on his off-side like Shayne Gostisbehere but there are some defensive concerns with Gostisbehere that undercut his offensive contributions.
The Canucks could go with a player that is more of a third-pairing guy who can play in a tandem role with Tyler Myers, like Justin Schultz, Jani Hakanpää, or Colin Miller.
Another option would be the trade market, though the Canucks have few assets available to make a deal. There were rumours that the Toronto Maple Leafs might trade Timothy Liljegren but then re-signed the restricted free agent, so he's presumably staying put, but maybe there's another young right-shot defenceman out there.
The Canucks could hope that Cole McWard takes a major step next season, but the odds that he's ready to play top-four minutes next season are very low.
Finally, the Canucks could stand pat for now, keeping Tyler Myers in a second-pairing role with Noah Juulsen or Mark Friedman playing on the bottom pairing, then look to address the need mid-season as they did when they added Nikita Zadorov last season.
12:00 a.m. | It's time to wrap up the live blog.
The Canucks still have work to do this offseason. They need another top-four defenceman on the right side unless they plan on playing Tyler Myers in that role for another season. Arturs Silovs still needs a contract. And there could still be some bargains in free agency as the summer progresses.
Keep in mind, it took until mid-August for the Canucks to sign Pius Suter, one of their best-value signings of last year.
But all in all, it was a successful day for the Canucks. DeBrusk fits the Canucks' biggest need, though it remains to be seen if they overpaid on either cap or term. Heinen has the versatility to fill multiple roles and should be a boon to the penalty kill. Forbort, if he stays healthy, will help defensively. Sherwood is an intriguing depth piece.
Even their AHL additions in Jiří Patera and Nate Smith feel like smart additions. All around a fine day's work for the Canucks.
1:30 p.m. | One more addition to the live blog because the Canucks made one more signing.
And with that last signing, the Canucks severely undercut my enthusiasm for their work on July 1. They signed 6'7" defenceman Vincent Desharnais to a two-year, contract with a $2 million cap hit.
My issue is less with Desharnais himself — as bottom-pairing defencemen go, he's far from the worst — but with what this means for the Canucks' defence corps as a whole. It essentially guarantees that the Canucks are returning next season with Tyler Myers still on the second pairing with no real options to challenge him for minutes.
The Canucks' other signings all make sense; this feels like a real missed opportunity to upgrade the blue line with a legitimate top-four defenceman on the right side.
