3 Offseason Targets For Vancouver Canucks

6 hours ago  /  NHL Trade Rumors

The Vancouver Canucks had a big regression and a lot of things go wrong this season. There's some cloudiness surrounding the future of the team. After what was said about Quinn Hughes, building a contender to surround him and make him stay seems like the most likely option. With losing Brock Boeser this summer, the team needs some big reinforcements.Mikael GranlundThe Canucks need to add at least one top-6 player, but ideally multiple. Mikael Granlund would be a great piece to bring in on a 4-5 year deal. While he is on the older side at age 33, that hasn't stopped him the past couple of seasons leading the San Jose Sharks and doing very well in Dallas. He can play center or the wing, but has thrived with a lot of pressure on him playing on the top line. Who knows how Elias Pettersson will come back next season. If it's good, then the team has their top two centers playing at a high level. If it's bad, Granlund can take on the responsibility and do well playing on the top line with top minutes. He had 22 goals and 66 points this season, so his impact is undeniable.Nikolaj EhlersBy losing Boeser, there is a big hole to fill on the wing. Nikolaj Ehlers is looking for the opportunity to play top line minutes and with the season he's had, he will most definitely also be on the top line too. He is faster and even though he isn't more of a pure goal scorer like Boeser, Ehlers is faster, had one fewer goal and 13 more points in 6 fewer games. The issue of his health remains, but when he's healthy, he is a star. There aren't very many of those available to teams this season in free agency and the Canucks would probably like to avoid paying for a game changer in a trade.Henri JokiharjuThe defense isn't set, but it is one of the more stable positions on the team if they remain generally healthy. The Canucks are going to need some depth and players to fight for playing time though. Elias Pettersson, the defenseman, and Trey Mancini shouldn't just be given full time minutes. They need to earn it and the players need to feel like they have to earn their spots all year. A solid d-man to target in this case would be Henri Jokiharju if the Boston Bruins aren't able to re-sign him. He's 25 years old and has some good NHL experience. He is even capable of playing top-4 minutes, which would be a big help if there are injury problems. He did a solid job in Buffalo.Photo credit: © Stan Szeto-Imagn Images...

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