The Canucks can’t afford to spend big in free agency this off-season, not because they don’t have the cap space, but because they can’t afford to have any more long-term contracts on the books as they rebuild.
What they can do, however, is look to sign veteran players to one-year deals with an eye towards next year’s trade deadline. This is the only time I'll ever say this, but the Canucks should take a page from Vanilla Ice: they need to buy up some rundown properties, fix them up, and flip them for a profit.
It may seem cynical to treat free agency as an opportunity to buy future draft picks, but it’s a reality of where the Canucks are right now. Jim Benning and co. haven’t done enough to acquire draft picks, frequently using them as throw-ins in trades instead of hoarding them to create a deeper prospect pool.
Several teams used this tactic last season, including the Carolina Hurricanes, who got a third-round pick for Viktor Stalberg after signing to a one-year, $1.5 million deal in the off-season.
The New Jersey Devils turned one year contracts for P.A. Parenteau and Vernon Fiddler into fourth and sixth-round picks from the Nashville Predators. They also turned a one-year contract with Kyle Quincey into fourth-liner Dalton Prout. Look, they can’t all be winners.
The Detroit Red Wings signed Thomas Vanek to a one-year, $2.6 million contract. They flipped him at the trade deadline to the Florida Panthers for a third-round pick, as well as first-round bust Dylan McIlrath. It was a small return, possibly because other teams saw how one-dimensional Vanek had become.
The Red Wings gave Steve Ott a one-year, $800,000 contract and traded him for a sixth-round pick from the Canadiens, while Lauri Korpikoski got the Dallas Stars former second-round pick Dillon Heatherington from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
These are not exciting deals, by any stretch of the imagination. But this is the grunt work that potentially leads to success. This is the grinding along the boards of management.
What the Canucks would be looking for, ideally, is a guy like Patrick Eaves or Sam Gagner.
Gagner had 8 seasons at or near 40 points. Then, in 2015-16, he put up just 16 points in 53 games for the Philadelphia Flyers. The Columbus Blue Jackets gambled that the lousy season was an anomaly and signed him to a one-year, $650,000 contract. He put up 50 points. If the Blue Jackets hadn’t been in the playoffs, they likely could have gotten a sweet deal in a Gagner trade.
Eaves, on the other hand, was a solid depth forward who had struggled with injuries. The Stars gave him a one-year, $1 million contract and he responded with 21 goals and 37 points in 59 games before he was traded to the Ducks for a second-round pick. The Ducks aren’t complaining either, getting 11 goals and 14 points in 20 regular season games and another 4 points in the playoffs so far.
So, with those two players in mind, the Canucks should be looking for good players coming off a bad year or players who have had injury troubles who could succeed if they could stay healthy. Bonus points if a low PDO or shooting percentage suggests they could rebound with better luck.
If all goes well, the Canucks could hit on the next Eaves or Stalberg and add a second or third round pick at the 2018 deadline, but even an additional sixth-round pick or two wouldn’t go amiss.
Here are six players the Canucks could consider:
Patrick Sharp
While Sharp might have a little bit too much name recognition to sign for cheap, that same name recognition might earn a better deal at the trade deadline. If he’s amenable to a one-year deal, he’d be an interesting player to target.
Sharp played through an injury last season, putting up just 18 points in 48 games, and had hip surgery in March. At 35, it’s unlikely that teams will be knocking down his door with multi-year offers, but his 940 PDO suggests a rebound season could be in the cards.
Also, he's really, really handsome, so he'll be great for marketing. Hey, when you're a rebuilding team coming off a terrible season, you take whatever marketing opportunities present themselves.
Tommy Wingels
Wingels has 38 and 36-point seasons under his belt, but managed just 18 points in 2015-16 and 12 points last season. A 965 PDO last season suggests he could have bounce back year and his recent struggles suggest he would be open to a cheap one-year deal.
P.A. Parenteau
The perpetually underrated Parenteau had a somewhat subpar season with 28 points in 67 games, but he’s just a year removed from a 41-point season with the Leafs. He had a 962 PDO last season and has spent most of his career on one-year deals.
Drew Stafford
Stafford comes with some name recognition thanks to a couple 50+ point seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, but he’s been fairly consistent in producing 30+ points throughout his career. Except this past season, he had 21 points in 58 games. While on pace for almost 30 points in 82 games, those aren't eye-grabbing numbers.
That said, the Bruins apparently liked him after acquiring him at the deadline this past season, so he might end up off the market or too much in demand.
Michael Del Zotto
If the Canucks decide to trade a defenceman, they’ll likely need to add a free agent with Nikita Tryamkin gone. Del Zotto would be a decent option to sign and trade: he’s had seasons of 37, 41, and 32 points and is still just 26. He’s coming off seasons with just 13 and 18 points, however, and has dealt with some injuries.
He might not be up for a one-year deal, however, as the free agent market is weak when it comes to defencemen.
Dmitri Kulikov
Another potential UFA defenceman is Kulikov, who is also just 26. He’s got potential to put up some points on a second pairing, but is coming off a lousy season with the Buffalo Sabres where he was dealing with a nagging back injury. He put up just 5 points in 47 games.
Former Sabres GM Tim Murray said that acquiring Kulikov “didn’t work out” and it’s unclear what the market will be for him after that kind of season, but he seems like a good bet on a one-year deal.
