Team: 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks

Initial Creation Date: Jun. 21, 2023

Published: Jun. 21, 2023

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

My best effort to allow the team to walk the tightrope of being competitive while reaccumulating draft capital.

1. Boeser is a career 0.78 PpG player (0.37 GpG); the contract is obviously the sticking point - $6.65M is a lot to pay for a person who has never cracked 30G. The Canucks ease some of that burden by retaining 17% for the next two seasons. Boeser would do well with a more structured game and offers the Hurricanes something they thought they were getting in Pacioretty - a one-shot scorer - which they missed in the 3rd round of this years playoffs. At worst this is a 2-year bet that CAR can use to accumulate value and evaluate either resigning as a UFA or trading away if it doesn't work out. Figure Drury also needs an opportunity to grow, is already a good PKer and is a C with cost control. VAN gets its '23 5th back (sent to CAR in the Bear trade).

2. CHI has nobody to play with their upcoming star centre. Andreas Athenesiou? Please. Garland is an elite rate scorer at 5v5 who can drive play either on his own line or take away some of the pressure from his linemates. VAN includes and also includes undersized, offensive D prospect (Rathbone) who needs a new start. VAN gets its '24 2nd back in the deal.

3. UFA Signings: Barbashev signs for 2 years, like other Dan Milstein (We Are Gold*Star) clients, looking to cash in when the cap is forecast to materially increase in 2025-26. Schenn goes for familiarity on a short term deal. Soucy is the (literally) big get at 4 years to play alongside Hronek.

4. RFA Signings: Bear is signed essentially to a pro-rated 1 year deal due to his shoulder injury, subsequent surgery and projected mid-season return. The best part of this is it gives an opportunity to play Myers on the 3rd pairing, with extremely limited exposure on the PK. Further, when Bear comes back, it gives the option to consider moving Myers out in advance of the TDL to accumulate draft pick/prospect capital while inserting Bear into either a 3rd pairing role (where I think he is best served) or perhaps spelling Schenn alongside Quinn Hughes where warranted.

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