Can Canucks find the next Dakota Joshua? Here are 7 UFA candidates

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Nevermind chasing dinosaurs like Milan Lucic. The Vancouver Canucks would be better off finding the next Dakota Joshua.

Joshua wasn’t on anybody’s radar last year. He had only played 42 NHL games at that point, posting four goals and nine points in those contests.

Fast-forward to last season, and Joshua turned out to be a solid, low-cost addition for the Canucks. The 27-year-old winger posted 11 goals and 23 points in 79 games, and looked like he took another step once Rick Tocchet arrived.

“I don’t want to put pressure on him, but he can score 20 goals in this league,” Tocchet told Daily Hive during a post-game press conference late last season.

So, instead of chasing a guy like Lucic, can the Canucks find the next Joshua in free agency? Below are seven pending unrestricted free agents who could be targets.

1. John Hayden (Seattle Kraken)

• 2022-23 Stats (AHL): 47 GP, 17 G, 16 A, 33 PTS
• Age: 28

If the Canucks purely want toughness at the bottom of their lineup, John Hayden might be their best option.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder has 290 penalty minutes in 247 career NHL games. The 28-year-old also scored two goals in seven games this season for the Seattle Kraken in spot duty.

If he were to sign with the Canucks, him and Joshua might have to reconcile after their scrap last preseason.

2. Jujhar Khaira (Chicago Blackhawks)

• 2022-23 Stats (NHL): 51 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 14 PTS
• Age: 28

Surrey native Jujhar Khaira is different from every other player on this list in the sense that he didn’t play any AHL games last season.

Still, he fits the description of a solid, low-cost addition in free agency.

Jujhar Khaira scores in his 300th @NHL game.

Congrats to the kid from #SurreyBC pic.twitter.com/i6bSriOwwK

— Randip Janda (@RandipJanda) November 21, 2022

Khaira was mainly a matchup centre on a brutal Chicago Blackhawks team last season. Despite a heavy dose of tough assignments and defensive zone starts, he actually had the second-best expected goals differential on the Blackhawks last season at 47.1%, trailing only Seth Jones.

3. Radim Zohorna (Toronto Maple Leafs)

• 2022-23 Stats (AHL): 51 GP, 12 G, 22 A, 34 PTS
• Age: 27

Radim Zohorna has scored at a similar rate to Dakota Joshua during limited NHL action.

Zohorna has five goals and 11 points in 35 career NHL games, just slightly better than Joshua’s four goals and nine points in 42 games prior to this season.

His 0.67 points-per-game rate in the AHL last season was also slightly ahead of Joshua’s 0.57 AHL points-per-game in 2021-22.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Zohorna has played both wing and centre at the NHL level, making him an intriguing bargain bin add if the Canucks are looking to improve their centre depth.

4. Mikhail Maltsev (Colorado Avalanche)

• 2022-23 Stats (AHL): 28 GP, 11 G, 10 A, 21 PTS
• Age: 25

Taxi squad appearances and injuries have halted what was once a promising trajectory for Russian Mikhail Maltsev.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound forward registered six goals and nine points in 33 NHL games for the Devils back in 2020-21 – a very Joshua-esque stat line.

Goal of the 2019 pre-season from Mikhail Maltsev 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/pEua8FB2y2

— Kliff’s Bedroom (@KliffsBedroom) September 19, 2019

He was then traded in 2021 to the Colorado Avalanche in a package that netted the Devils Ryan Graves.

Since joining the Avs, Maltsev has scored at nearly a point-per-game pace in the AHL over two seasons, but hasn’t made much of his NHL opportunities.

Despite the lack of recent NHL success, Maltsev has brought value as a penalty killer and faceoff ace. His faceoff win percentage is 56.1% in 23 NHL games with the Avalanche.

5. Tim Gettinger (New York Rangers)

• 2022-23 Stats (AHL): 52 GP, 13 G, 22 A, 35 PTS
• Age: 25

Another big-bodied winger who likes to throw his weight around, Tim Gettinger has played in 16 NHL games since 2018-19 for the New York Rangers.

However, he didn’t play any NHL games for the Rangers last season, signalling that he’s probably been passed on the Rangers depth chart.

Despite not playing in any NHL games last season, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound left winger was second on the Rangers’ AHL affiliate with eight points in nine playoff games last season.

Phew, Tim Gettinger scores just 8 seconds into #WBSvsHFD 👀 pic.twitter.com/VWxE99S2gb

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) February 5, 2023

6. Justin Kirkland (Anaheim Ducks)

• 2022-23 Stats (AHL): 32 GP, 9 G, 9 A, 18 PTS
• Age: 26

Justin Kirkland parlayed a terrific 2021-22 AHL campaign into a contract with the Anaheim Ducks last offseason, one which paid him a minimum guaranteed salary of $500,000 in the minors.

His 2022-23 season started off well. He had six goals and 13 points in 19 AHL games. Kirkland then earned a recall to Anaheim where he played his first seven career NHL games.

However, while driving to the rink for a contest against the Boston Bruins on January 26th, Kirkland was hospitalized after being involved in a car accident.

He eventually returned to the Ducks AHL lineup, but his production dipped.

Kirkland isn’t the most physical player despite being 6-3, 205-pounds. However, he shoots the puck a ton, and was especially effective for the Calgary Flames AHL affiliate back in 2021-22.

7. Mitchell Chaffee (Minnesota Wild)

• 2022-23 Stats (AHL): 10 GP, 5 G, 2 A, 7 PTS
• Age: 25

Mitchell Chaffee might be one of the most intriguing targets on this list.

The undrafted college free agent was signed by the Minnesota Wild back in March, 2020. He then had a breakout season for the Wild’s AHL affiliate, finishing second on the team with 23 goals in 49 games.

hahaha that is an absolutely ridiculous pass by Nic Petan to Mitchell Chaffee.

Petan up to 4 assists in his first two games back from injury. Chaffee with 5 goals in his last 3 games #mnwild pic.twitter.com/w3whhJJ06Y

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) November 12, 2022

The 6-foot, 201-pound winger was on a four-game goal streak before a knee injury in November ended his season prematurely.

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