Vancouver Canucks looking to move out more money before next season: report
The Vancouver Canucks appear to be going full steam ahead in their rebuilding efforts.
After a completely disastrous 2025-26 season, the Canucks cleaned house, firing GM Patrik Allvin as well as head coach Adam Foote. Allvin has since been replaced by Ryan Johnson, while Foote has been replaced by Manny Malhotra.
The Canucks have also moved out some money, trading Marcus Pettersson ($5.5 million) to the New York Rangers as well as Nils Hƶglander ($3 million) to the Nashville Predators. Evander Kane ($5.125 million) won’t be back, after his contract expired.
They have added Jamie Oleksiak ($5 million) and Brendan Gallagher ($3.25 million) though.
Based on a new report, it sounds as though ownership is still hoping to see more contracts come off the books before the 2026-27 season gets underway.
“League sources have told Postmedia that Canucks ownership have said they would like to reduce player payroll by up to $20 million, and it bears noting that they are already down $12 million from the end of last season,” Patrick Johnston of The Province wrote on Friday.
The Canucks have already moved out $12 million from last season, meaning that in an ideal world for ownership, they will rid themselves of another $8 million before the 2026-27 season begins. Should they do so, they would have just over $78 million on the books, with the NHL’s salary floor set at $76.9 million.
One player that fits the bill to be traded is Jake DeBrusk. The 29-year-old has five more years remaining on his contract with a $5.5-million cap hit. It isn’t the prettiest of deals, but there should be teams willing to take on that contract for a player who has scored a combined 51 goals over the past two seasons.
Another potential option would be moving Drew O’Connor and his $2.5-million cap hit. He’s a pending UFA after the 2026-27 season, making him a solid add for many teams as a bottom-six forward. The 28-year-old scored a career-high 17 goals in 2025-26.
Moving out any current roster players will make the Canucks an even weaker team, which is exactly what they should be going for. They were able to add a great prospect in Caleb Malhotra in this year’s draft, and should be in the running to land the first-overall pick in 2027.
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