Canucks To Ramp Up Search For Forward

After trading Dakota Joshua this offseason to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the expectation for the Vancouver Canucks was that they were going to bring someone else in to fill that void. The team has over $3 million in cap space and some spots in the forward group that can be upgraded.

David Pagnotta said, "I do think the Canucks are going to start just looking around for a mid-6, bottom-6 type of forward. They started poking around, I think they'll escalate that a little bit."

Some question marks in the projected lineup as it stands are Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Nils Aman, but injuries played a big part in the Canucks missing the playoffs last season as well. Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Filip Chytil, and Nils Hoglander all missed time, and that's just the forwards.

Vitali Kravtsov is a wildcard, but I don't think he's going to be given the opportunity another team probably will. Center is the place where the Canucks really need that upgrade, so why not someone like Evgeni Kuznetsov who's trying to get back into the NHL?

The Canucks have holes and they know it while there should still be players available for trade and there absolutely are options down the middle on the free agent market, Jack Roslovic included in that.

Vancouver should be projected on the outside of the playoffs this season. There weren't enough proper upgrades and injuries are still a risk. Many players have to bounce back while others have to follow a career year with a similar showing. The Canucks can't stay in the middle of the pack forever. They have to soon choose a direction and with the threat of Quinn Hughes leaving, I think they'll be diving into a rebuild within the next year and a half. The best they can do right now is get to the cap ceiling and try to win.

Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images