The Vancouver Canucks may not be done shopping this offseason, and Patrick Johnston says a professional tryout could be one way they add another NHL player without locking themselves into anything long term.
On Sekeres and Price, Johnston said Canucks GM Ryan Johnson made it clear the door is open for the young players on the roster, especially Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who has produced at every other level and is now being pushed to do it in the NHL. Johnston pointed out that having a coach who already knows Lekkerimäki well should help, too.
But the bigger takeaway is that Vancouver appears willing to look at veterans who are still on the market. Johnston said he expects “more than anything” that “there’s likely someone comes in on a PTO.” He added that Ryan Johnson “did concede” that possibility, even if it didn’t make it into his story.
The idea, Johnston explained, is straightforward: bring in an NHL player, hope he has a strong season, and then potentially move him at the trade deadline for assets. That’s the kind of thinking Johnston believes the Canucks should be using.
He said he reviewed the available names and thought some of those veterans could make sense if they are still searching for work. When he raised the possibility with Johnson, he did not get a shutdown. Johnston said Johnson knew exactly what he meant when he mentioned “a list of some interesting veterans,” and he “didn’t say no, I’m not interested in any you know anyone like that.”
Still, Vancouver is not in a hurry. Johnston said Johnson was clear that he wants to see how the current battles play out and that he is “comfortable with the battles that are in front of them right now.” Even so, Johnston said Johnson is not ruling out adding another player.
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