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7 affordable Tocchet-style free agents Vancouver Canucks could sign this summer

Trevor Beggs
Trevor Beggs
|
Apr 3 2025, 9:45 pm
7 affordable Tocchet-style free agents Vancouver Canucks could sign this summer
Bob Frid/Imagn Images

This isn’t the season that Rick Tocchet and the Vancouver Canucks envisioned.

If Tocchet does remain with the Canucks beyond this season, you can bet that this management group may be looking to add players that fit well into their head coach’s system. Think players that play hard and give maximum effort (like Kiefer Sherwood) and/or guys who are incredibly sound defensively (like Pius Suter).

Here’s a list of Tocchet-style players who are scheduled to become free agents this summer.

1. Alex Iafallo, LW (Winnipeg Jets)

  • 2024-25 stats: 75 GP, 13 G, 13 A, 26 PTS
  • Size: 6-foot-0, 201 pounds
  • Age: 31

Is Alex Iafallo just another clone of Suter? The undrafted winger has been one of those guys who can play anywhere from the first line to the fourth line. He works his rear-end off to the point where it earned him fan-favourite status with the Los Angeles Kings in 2018-19, when fans named him Player of the Year.

He’s defensively responsible, kills penalties, and can chip in offensively. The only difference between him and Suter is that Iafallo is purely a winger.

2. Eric Robinson, LW (Carolina Hurricanes)

  • 2024-25 stats: 74 GP, 13 G, 18 A, 31 PTS
  • Size: 6-foot-2, 211 pounds
  • Age: 29

The Canucks would love to find the next Sherwood, and Eric Robinson could be that guy. The 6-foot-2, 211-pound winger is having a career year with the Carolina Hurricanes, a good sign for him after he took a major step back with the Buffalo Sabres last season.

Aside from his tough year last year, Robinson has been good for 10+ goals in a bottom-six role in his last three non-Sabres seasons. He’s also relatively quick for his size and can hit as well. He’ll be a player to watch in the playoffs for Carolina.

Robinson hasn’t played postseason hockey since 2019, when he was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets team that shocked the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round One.

3. Yanni Gourde, C (Tampa Bay Lightning)

  • 2024-25 stats: 49 GP, 6 G, 19 A, 25 PTS
  • Size: 5-foot-9, 174 pounds
  • Age: 33

Yanni Gourde has looked rejuvenated since being jettisoned from the Seattle Kraken to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline.

Even though he’ll be turning 34 later this year, Gourde can still be a valuable player. His forechecking ability would be beloved by Tocchet. His goals and assist totals would likely be higher if it wasn’t for a lack of finishing touch, which was highlighted by playing on a mediocre Kraken team. He has eight points in 13 games since joining the Lightning.

4. Trent Frederic, C (Edmonton Oilers)

  • 2024-25 stats: 57 GP, 8 G, 7 A, 15 PTS
  • Size: 6-foot-3, 221 pounds
  • Age: 27

Trent Frederic is just a year removed from posting career highs with 18 goals and 40 points. He had a down year with the Boston Bruins before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers, where he’s yet to suit up with them because of an injury.

Still, with his big frame (6-foot-3, 220-pounds) and good defensive metrics, many teams may be eyeing him as their third-line centre in free agency. If the Canucks do decide to let Suter walk, don’t be surprised if they take a stab at signing Frederic.

5. Brandon Tanev, LW (Winnipeg Jets)

  • 2024-25 stats: 72 GP, 10 G, 11 A, 21 PTS
  • Size: 6-foot-0, 189 pounds
  • Age: 33

Brandon Tanev is about to hit free agency after wrapping up a six-year deal that he previously signed with Jim Rutherford and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Toronto native would add some needed speed to the bottom six. Even though he’s older than the average NHL skater at 33 years old, his speed bursts above 20 mph rank in the 78th percentile among NHLers. His top skating speed it up in the 87th percentile.

Plus, Tanev would bring some much-needed good vibes to the Canucks locker room.

His familiarity with this management group and the fact that he’s a Tocchet-type player makes him a name to watch this offseason.

6. Anthony Mantha, RW (Calgary Flames)

  • 2024-25 stats: 13 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 PTS
  • Size: 6-foot-5, 234 pounds
  • Age: 30

Anthony Mantha looked early on like he was primed for a big season with the Calgary Flames. Unfortunately, a torn ACL ended his season after just one month.

There is certainly some risk in signing a 30-year-old player coming off of a major knee injury in free agency. On the flip side, it might also mean that Mantha signs another short-term deal in free agency, and is an intriguing low-cost flier.

The 6-foot-5, 234-pound winger has shown some growth defensively over the last two seasons and tied a career-high with 48 points last year.

7. Nic Dowd, C (Washington Capitals)

  • 2024-25 stats: 75 GP, 13 G, 12 A, 25 PTS
  • Size: 6-foot-1, 193 pounds
  • Age: 34

Nic Dowd is the epitome of Canucks luck.

After playing 40 forgettable games with the Canucks in 2018-19, Dowd has become a rock-solid, bottom-six centre in Washington for the last seven seasons. He has really become a model of consistency for the Capitals during the last five seasons, where he’s averaged 14 goals and 34 points per 82 games, despite shouldering some of the heaviest defensive zone usage in the NHL.

With his secondary scoring, faceoff prowess, and willingness to hit and block shots, he pretty much checks every box for a Tocchet-type player.

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