The Vancouver Canucks are still leaving the door open for another move, even with a full 23-man roster and just under $18 million in salary cap space.
According to Jeffrey Kennett of Canucks Army, GM Ryan Johnson told Patrick Johnston of The Province that the club is not treating the coming weeks as a hard deadline, but as a chance to keep exploring options.
“You never stop listening, or talking, to teams. But there’s no definitive ‘must get done’ between now and Sept. 16, but you’re always looking at opportunities. You’re just making sure you’re looking at every avenue.”
That approach leaves room for the Canucks to chase a free agent if the right one shakes loose. Among the names floated as possible fits are Patrik Laine, Eeli Tolvanen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Michael Bunting, Nick Blankenburg, and Logan Stanley.
Laine stands out as one of the biggest-name options on the board, with the idea being that he could rebuild some value with heavy power-play usage. Tolvanen, meanwhile, is coming off a season with the Kraken that produced 12 goals and 24 assists, following a 23-goal campaign the year before.
Tarasenko is another veteran possibility. The 34-year-old recorded 23 goals and 24 assists last season for the Wild and could also be a candidate to be moved again at the deadline. Bunting is viewed as a middle-six winger who has shown he can fit alongside skilled linemates, while Blankenburg put up 24 points in 61 games with the Predators and Avalanche and brings some game on both sides of the puck.
Stanley is in the mix too after posting career highs of nine goals and 17 assists last season, along with a 6-foot-7 frame that gives him obvious size. Other names mentioned as possible fits include Reilly Smith, David Perron, James van Riemsdyk, John Klingberg, Adam Henrique, and Jonathan Drouin.
Elsewhere, TSN’s Bryan Hayes and Frank Corrado discussed whether Dylan Larkin would be an ideal fit for the Montreal Canadiens, and Hayes made his view plain.
“I’ve said all along, Larkin to Montreal is what makes sense.”
Corrado agreed.
“I totally agree with that.”
Hayes pointed to the Canadiens’ structure and the possibility of pairing Larkin with Nick Suzuki down the middle.
“But Larkin’s got to come around to it, you know, and obviously he hasn’t as of now. But the idea of having Suzuki and Larkin as your one-two in Montreal, with all the firepower they have on the wing, and all of the prospects they have in the system-that just makes too much sense.”
Corrado then noted that the fit would also work from a cap standpoint.
“Yeah, and well, that’s the thing. It’s not like you’re bringing in a $13 million player into a cap structure where Noah Dobson’s your highest paid guy at nine and a half. Like he, he fits.
The interesting thing there is like (Cole) Caulfield and Larkin, they skate together in the summer. So it’s not like, you know, it’s not like there’s no Americans there. It’s not like there’s no one that he would know there.”
Hayes added that Lane Hutson and Cole Caulfield are both there as well.
“Hutson and Caulfield are both there.”
In Other News...
Canadiens May Already Be Looking At A Huge Lane Hutson Price
Cale Makar just reset the market in a way the NHL had never seen before, becoming the first player to land a contract with an annual average value north of $20 million. For Montreal, that kind of number is worth keeping an eye on because Lane Hutson is already locked in on an eight-year deal at $8.85 million AAV, a contract that looks substantial now but could age very differently if his trajectory keeps pointing upward.
The biggest difference, of course, is where each player was in his career when the deal came together. Makar had already established himself as one of the leagues elite defensemen, while Hutson is still in the stage where his ceiling is being defined. If the Canadiens young star continues to develop and the salary cap keeps climbing, the next conversation around his value could be a lot bigger than the one Montreal just finished having. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans Should Watch One Thing In The Dylan Larkin Buzz
The Dylan Larkin chatter has a way of following the Canadiens around whenever analysts start sketching out big-picture trade fits, and Montreal is an easy place for that kind of speculation to land. The appeal is obvious enough from the outside: a player of Larkins caliber would instantly reshape the conversation in Montreal, while the Canadiens could present the kind of long-term destination some insiders believe would make sense if a deal ever became realistic.
But the real thing to watch is less about the rumor itself and more about who actually controls it. Larkin has a no-trade clause, which gives him the final say on any move, and the reporting around him has suggested he is looking for a Stanley Cup contender. Until that part of the equation changes, the buzz remains exactly that, with no confirmed trade and no official word to push the story beyond speculation. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Still Face One Big Montembeault Question This Summer
Sam Montembeaults future remains one of the lingering goalie stories of the summer for the Canadiens, even as the rest of the league sorts through its own unresolved business. Vancouver is trying to get Elias Pettersson back to the level that made him one of the NHLs most dangerous scorers, while Ottawa is moving toward naming a new captain after Brady Tkachuks departure, but in Montreal the focus is still on what happens in net and whether the club ultimately reshapes its crease before the season gets underway.
The timing matters because the goalie market may not really start moving until Connor Hellebuycks situation is settled, and that could set off the kind of ripple effect that opens doors for teams looking to make changes. Montreal is expected to move Montembeault, but the path there may depend on how quickly that broader carousel turns, leaving the Canadiens in a holding pattern as training camp draws closer and their options remain tied to decisions made elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]