Free agent Tyler Myers is in Vancouver to speak with Canucks: reports

The Vancouver Canucks have cap space and could be eager to use it in free agency.

Canucks GM Jim Benning has gone on record a few times to discuss his team’s needs, notably a top-six winger and a top-four defenceman. He found the winger in JT Miller in a trade with Tampa Bay, and referenced free agency when he was asked about finding a defenceman at the conclusion of the draft on Saturday.

See also

• Canucks pick 9 players and make 3 trades at the 2019 NHL Draft
• Canucks draft pick Nils Hoglander can score the 'lacrosse' goal (VIDEO)
• Canucks acquire JT Miller in draft day trade with Lightning
• Why Canucks pick Vasily Podkolzin could be the steal of the 2019 draft
• Gary Bettman gets booed mercilessly by Canucks fans at the 2019 NHL Draft (VIDEOS)

“We got free agency coming up this week, so we’re going to concentrate on trying to add at least one defenceman and that’s where our focus is going to be all week,” Benning told reporters.

Tyler Myers appears to be high on Benning’s list, as the 6-foot-8 Winnipeg Jets defenceman has already arrived in Vancouver, preparing to meet with Canucks management on Sunday according to a pair of reports.

I have been told the #Canucks will meet with D Tyler Myers tomorrow in Vancouver when the UFA window opens.

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 22, 2019

Pending UFA D Tyler Myers will meet/speak with a handful of teams over the next week, starting with a visit in Vancouver on Sunday. The Myers camp waiting to hear back from the Jets as well

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 22, 2019

Myers, 29, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but can speak to other teams beginning on Sunday when the NHL’s UFA interview period begins.

Myers grew up in Calgary, but he played junior hockey in Kelowna and his wife is from British Columbia, which could make the Canucks a desirable team to play for in his eyes.

A 12th overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Draft, Myers won the Calder Trophy after an impressive rookie season in 2009-10. Myers had 11 goals and 37 assists for 48 points that year – all totals he has been unable to reach ever since.

Myers was traded to Winnipeg in 2015 as part of the deal that saw Evander Kane head to Buffalo. His point totals have been solid with the Jets, scoring over 30 points in each of the last two seasons.

Thinking out loud on Tyler Myers:

Tyler Myers can help NHL teams win hockey games. I also think the league perceives him to be more than he is — he's not a top flight RHD, nor is he a massive producer of 5-on-5 offense.

— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) June 5, 2019

A right shot, Myers is a puck-moving defenceman with impressive size – though he isn’t a menacing player. Myers’ critics are most vocal among analytics experts, who don’t view him as a top-four defenceman.