Canucks could turn over nearly half their roster by next season

Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

The Canucks are two-third of the way through this miserable season and new head coach Rick Tocchet is talking about “stripping it down.”

He means defensive structure but the phrase could apply to the roster itself. Turnover is easier said than done in an NHL with guaranteed contracts, and as we know, Canucks ownership gets attached to players and always thinks its just a player or two away.

But if we are overhauling the roster, who stays and who goes? And how many players remain?

Let’s start with…

The Returnees (10)

Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Vasily Podkolzin and Ilya Mikeheyev among the forwards.

Management’s hand-picked fourth-line of Nils Åman, Dakota Joshua and Curtis Lazar should also be back, but they’ve demonstrated that they are most replaceable when the organization finally has quality depth. Åman has the most leash for upward mobility, but he was also demoted to the minors this season.

Quinn Hughes is the only defenceman assured of coming back. Ethan Bear is likely to, but he needs a new contract as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

In goal, we think Thatcher Demko, but his name has been in a lot of trade rumours.

The Trade Candidates (6)

Defencemen Luke Schenn and Tyler Myers could be dealt in the next two weeks, more likely this summer for the latter. Langley’s Kyle Burroughs is an unrestricted free agent this summer and might also be moved as a depth piece for a playoff team.

Wingers Brock Boeser, who is actively seeking a trade, and Conor Garland could also move on, although more likely this summer. Anthony Beauvillier just got here, but he makes more sense for a contender given his strong playoff pedigree, and expiring contract after next season.

The Buyout Candidates (2)

Buying out Oliver Ekman-Larsson this summer would keep his salary on the books until 2030-31 and ultimately cost them $2.4 million (all figures U.S.) in dead cap, but the initial cap savings and long-term money savings might make it worthwhile, especially if the defencemen continues his wretched play.

Tanner Pearson is also one to watch here if he doesn’t factor in the next category.

The LTIR Candidates (2)

Pearson, if his ongoing hand saga doesn’t get fixed by September, and defenceman Tucker Poolman, who suffers from concussions, are the names to watch here. Poolman has two years remaining after this current season and $2.5 million per.

The Not-Good-Enoughs (7)

Backup goaltender Collin Delia is a pending UFA and his winning record (7-4-1) has been floated by goal support.

The club had hopes for Travis Dermott but his season has been a washout since suffering a concussion in preseason. Two separate coaches have deemed him not good enough to play regularly. Canucks could walk away from him in restricted free agency.

Riley Stillman is under contract next year but overpaid at $1.35 million. Canucks might have to bury him in the minors and bite the financial bullet.

Forwards Jack Studnicka and Sheldon Dries are under contract but are more call-ups than regulars. Phil Di Giuseppe is a free agent who lost his biggest organizational backer in former head coach Bruce Boudreau. Will Lockwood is hurt and nearing now-or-never time.

If it is a busy deadline and summer season of trades for the Canucks, it’s possible they come back with less than 50% of their current roster.

More likely, some contracts prove unmovable, some deals wait into next year, and some bodies are needed just to fill out a lineup and account for injuries.

Here’s betting that about a dozen players are back in 2023-24. That’s about as “stripped down” as it gets.

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