Towering NHL defenceman is a perfect free agency target for Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have been cornering the market on tall guys of late.
Over the past few seasons, Vancouver has rostered some of the tallest players. That includes Nikita Zadorov (6-foot-6), Vincent Desharnais (6-foot-7), Tyler Myers (6-foot-8), and Curtis Douglas, the NHL’s tallest active player, who stands at 6-foot-9.
Seems like Vancouver would be the perfect place for 6-foot-7 Jamie Oleksiak.
And, perhaps there’s a mutual fit between both parties.
The Canucks infatuation with height aside, there’s a lot to like about Vancouver targeting Oleksiak in free agency this summer.
Oleksiak’s potential value to Canucks
Up until last season, the towering Oleksiak was a top-four staple on Seattle’s defence.
Last season, however, his average ice time dropped to 16:56 per game. That was down from an average of 19:15 over his first four years with the Kraken.
Despite the decrease in usage, Oleksiak still put forth solid defensive results. Among Kraken D-men, he was on the ice for the fewest shot attempts and lowest expected goals percentage per-60 among all Kraken defencemen.
The Toronto native kills penalties regularly and is often good for over 100 blocks and 100 hits per season.
Even though he’s entering year 15 of his NHL career, Oleksiak can still play.
And although he shoots left, the 252-pound defenceman regularly plays on the right side, something he’s done throughout his NHL career.
That matters for a Canucks defence that has a bigger hole to fill on the right side. With Oleksiak on the roster, here’s how Vancouver could line up on defence next season.
Zeev Buium – Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson – Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson – Jamie Oleksiak
With D-Petey being one of the most physically imposing players on the Canucks roster, there’s something tantalizing about seeing him play alongside Oleksiak. Having him on the roster would also push Victor Mancini to improve, considering the 24-year-old defenceman has yet to earn a full-time NHL role.
Oleksiak could also be a short-term insurance policy if the Canucks do end up trading Filip Hronek at some point in the near future, something that sounded more plausible when Johnson stated that no veterans on this team are untouchable.
Canucks have money to spend
The NHL salary cap is rocketing from $95.5 million in 2025-26 to $104 million in 2026-27. A lot of teams have more cap space than ever, although most have some players on their roster who need to be re-signed.
In this situation, the Canucks aren’t like most teams.
Vancouver projects to have almost $22 million in cap space, with Teddy Blueger and Curtis Douglas being the only free agents of note to sign.
It puts the Canucks in a position where they could theoretically throw silly money at free agents on short-term deals.
Oleksiak would be one of those players worth targeting.
Big defenceman who can skate hold their value, even if they are imperfect players. Case in point was Tyler Myers, a more chaotic player than Oleksiak. At 36 years old, Myers was just traded for second and fourth-round picks.
Why couldn’t the Canucks do the same with Oleksiak?
According to AFP Analytics, Oleksiak is projected to get a two-year contract worth $3 million per season.
Let’s say the Canucks throw silly, short-term money at him, something along the lines of two years at $6.75 million per year.
He could join the Canucks as a useful defenceman and a mentor for the young players. Then, sometime before the 2028 NHL trade deadline, you deal him for something along the lines of the Myers return after retaining 50 per cent of his salary.
If Oleksiak is interested in joining the Canucks, he’s a player the Canucks should absolutely target.