Although it was a disappointing ending, it's hard to argue that the 2023-24 season wasn't a smashing success for the Vancouver Canucks. After back-to-back-to-back seasons without playoff hockey in British Columbia, the Canucks broke out to the tune of a 50-win, 109-point campaign, good enough for first place in the Pacific Division.
It was clear early that this team was radically different than last year's iteration — or even the last couple of seasons — and that was especially true when Nikita Zadorov and Elais Lindholm were brought over from the Calgary Flames. Vancouver finished the season strong, won the division for the first time in a decade and beat the Nashville Predators in a thrilling six-game, Round 1 series.
Although the squad came up just short against the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference second-round, leading the series 3-2 before dropping the final two tilts, it was a remarkable turnaround for a team that looks like it finally has capable leadership going forward. Rick Tocchet is fresh off winning the Jack Adams as the league's best coach in his first crack with the Canucks, while Patrik Allvin is up for general manager of the year as well. Both have done excellent work with this team, and the hope is that this is the start of consistent playoff contention for the Canucks.
But in order to do that, the front office has a couple of key offseason decisions to make. Here are three moves the Canucks have to make to remain competitive in 2024-25 and beyond.
Decide which UFAs to re-sign
A couple of the key pieces of Vancouver's playoff run might not be around to try to replicate that success next season. The Canucks are looking at nine unrestricted free agents, and another two RFAs. That list includes both Zadorov and Lindholm, as well as Teddy Blueger, Dakota Joshua, Sam Lafferty, Tyler Myers, Ian Cole, Mark Friedman and Casey DeSmith. Filip Hronek and Arturs Silovs are the restricted free agents.
Of course, the front office is not going to be able to re-sign all 11 players, and it'll be intriguing to see which ones end up with a new contract in BC. It's likely that Cole moves on after a tough postseason showing, and the same can probably be said for DeSmith, with Thatcher Demko and Silovs likely to be the tandem in 2024-25.
But a few key players remain. Will the Canucks be able to find money to pay Lindholm and Zadorov, two players who were absolutely crucial against both the Predators and Oilers? What about Myers, whose $6 million AAV will finally be off the books? And Joshua and Blueger, who helped form an elite third line with Conor Garland, also need new contracts.
Allvin and the front office can't keep everyone, but it's clear which players will be expendable, and which the team will try hard to sign this summer. Hronek is also a key player, but he could be heading to arbitration as an RFA.
It's impossible to know exactly how many of the 11 free agents will leave Vancouver at this time, but with the salary cap rising, it's safe to say that Allvin will have some money to work with this summer. And the Canucks could really use another addition to the top-six.
Add another scoring forward in free agency
The Canucks were potent offensively for most of the year, but that dried up in the postseason. Most of the heavy lifting was done by Zadorov and Brock Boeser, who followed up a career-best regular-season by leading the team in goals in the playoffs. Blood clotting kept him out of Game 7 against the Oilers, which was devastating, but the young American should be ready to go for training camp.
Still, the squad could always improve on the unrestricted free agent market. And it certainly will if Lindholm decides not to re-sign, as he'll be the most expensive player on the lot. If he isn't brought back, there are a couple of UFAs who would fit great in Vancouver. One is Tyler Toffoli, who has bounced around over the last few seasons but was excellent in his short time as a Canuck in 2019-20.
They could also swing for the fences and try to bring superstar Jake Guentzel to BC. Guentzel played under Allvin with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he remains an elite talent after a fantastic end-season and playoffs with the Carolina Hurricanes. Of course, there are a couple of other intriguing names available, including Steven Stamkos, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Marchessault and potentially Martin Necas.
It's going to be a wild free agent frenzy on July 1, and the Canucks should be right in the thick of things as they look to continue tweaking the roster to help them take the next step in 2024-25.
A huge reason Vancouver even made it as far as they did — without the services of Vezina Trophy finalist Thatcher Demko — was due to the excellent, out-of-nowhere elite goaltender from Silovs. Although there have been rumblings the team should “sell high” on the Latvian, he absolutely should be on the roster next season.
Do not sell high on Arturs Silovs
After leading Latvia to a bronze medal finish at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, and impressively winning MVP of the tournament, Silovs spent most of 2023-24 in the American Hockey League. But after both Demko and DeSmith suffered injuries in the postseason, the 23-year-old stepped up in an incredible way. He was a big reason the Canucks beat the Predators, posting a shutout in Game 6 as Boeser scored the only goal and Vancouver escaped with a 1-0 victory.
Against the Oilers, Silovs was challenged quite a bit more, which makes sense considering Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were at the other end of the rink. And he continued to perform excellently, although it wasn't quite enough to earn a trip to the WCF. Still, it was a coming out party for Silovs, who now certainly has some value on the trade market.
But with DeSmith a UFA and unlikely to be re-signed, and Demko becoming injury-prone despite how terrific he is when healthy, it doesn't make any sense for the Canucks to deal the Latvian — at least not right now. Instead, re-sign the RFA, let him play as Demko's backup next season, and gauge whether he could be a starter at some point in the future.
Without a doubt, it's going to be a busy offseason in Vancouver. Multiple players need contracts, and the club also needs upgrades as it looks to ensure 2023-24 wasn't a fluke. The goal is to return to the dance in 2025, and a big part of that will hinge on the moves the front office makes this summer.
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