The Vancouver Canucks are in a good spot if the waiver wire starts to get interesting. Thomas Drance of The Athletic notes that Vancouver will carry the top waiver priority heading into the season, which gives them first crack at any player they decide is worth a claim. Drance listed 10 names the Canucks should have on their radar: William Villeneuve of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Arttu Hyry of the Dallas Stars, Ivan Miroshnichenko of the Washington Capitals, Dylan Garand and Vincent Iorio of the New York Rangers, Maxwell Crozier of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Amadeus Lombardi of the New Jersey Devils, David Špaček of the Minnesota Wild, Leevi Meriläinen of the Ottawa Senators, and Reid Schaefer of the Nashville Predators.
In Montreal, two RFAs are still waiting on new deals. Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported that Zachary Bolduc said six weeks ago he wasn’t concerned about the lack of a contract, adding that his agent, Pat Brisson, was handling it and that it would “get taken care of soon.” It still hasn’t been completed, though Engels says it wouldn’t be a shock if something gets done before September 16th, when the Canadiens report for their physicals.
Engels also said that neither side has publicly laid out exact contract demands, but a three-year deal in the neighborhood of $4 million would make sense. A one-year or an eight-year pact doesn’t appear to fit, while a short- or medium-term agreement does.
The other unresolved case is Arber Xhekaj. He also doesn’t have a contract for next season, and Engels said there has been no public or private chatter about it. He believes Xhekaj wants a clearer picture of how he’ll be used, and that there are fair contract-value options on the table.
Xhekaj averaged under 12 minutes a night, was scratched for 17 regular-season games, and sat out all five games in round 3 against the Buffalo Sabres. He chose not to file for salary arbitration, which would have pushed the situation toward a one- or two-year deal. With Montreal’s blue line getting crowded and the club possibly looking to add to its forward group, Xhekaj could end up becoming a trade chip.
In Other News...
Henrik Sedin Just Framed The Canucks Rebuild Fans Fear Most
Henrik Sedins latest comments gave a clearer sense of how the Canucks are approaching this reset, and it sounds like the organization is trying to be patient without drifting into endless waiting. The co-president said the rebuild should not drag on for a decade, but he also stopped well short of putting a firm timetable on it, stressing instead that the priority is to draft well and develop a young core that can drive itself every day.
For fans, that is familiar territory and probably not the most comforting kind. There is no pressure coming from management or ownership to rush the process, Sedin said, which means Vancouver is preparing to start over and build from the ground up with younger players. The challenge now is the one every rebuilding team faces: laying a foundation strong enough to make the timeline matter less than the progress. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Fans May Not Realize How Much Of Last Year's Team Is Gone
Since last years training camp, the Canucks roster has changed in a way thats easy to miss if you only follow the headline names. A total of 24 players are no longer with the organization, a turnover that reaches far beyond the usual offseason churn and touches every corner of the depth chart. Quinn Hughes, Conor Garland and Nils Hoglander are among the more recognizable departures, leaving a very different look for Vancouver as it heads toward the 2026-27 season.
In their place, the Canucks have brought in a new wave of talent, including Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi and Liam hgren, giving the club a fresh mix to work with. The sheer length of the list says a lot about how much has changed behind the scenes, and it also raises the obvious question for Vancouver: how quickly can all of these moving parts settle into something that feels like a coherent roster again? [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Summer Skate Offered Encouraging Signs And One Lingering Question
The Canucks summer skate at Rogers Arena offered a welcome look at where the group stands heading into a new season, with about 30 players on the ice and a mix that included several Abbotsford Canucks players. The session had the feel of a useful checkpoint rather than a headline event, featuring drills and a scrimmage between two sides, while young players such as Tom Willander and Vilmer Alriksson stood out enough to catch attention.
There was also a glimpse of how the organization is trying to blend its next wave with the established core, something Jake DeBrusk and Willander both touched on in their comments about integration and veteran leadership. Still, one detail hung over the afternoon more than any drill or scrimmage sequence: Thatcher Demko was skating on his own and had not yet joined the main group, leaving one of the most important questions around the teams readiness unresolved. [Read more 🡒]