Hockey pools have a way of turning even the most ordinary winter night into a GM exercise, and the fun usually comes from finding the guy who’s about to pop before everybody else catches on.
For Vancouver, that kind of conversation starts with Quinn Hughes. He’s the obvious name, the one who doesn’t really need selling.
Hughes is going to put up numbers. He always does.
The bigger pool question is whether he can clear the US$20.4 million cap hit that Colorado blueliner Cale Makar will carry starting next season after his August extension. Hughes is in the final season of the six-year deal he signed with Vancouver general manager Jim Benning in October 2021, and his current cap hit sits at US$7.85 million.
There are other names near the top of the pending unrestricted free agent board who will get paid either way, including wingers Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars. Former Canuck Jared McCann is in that next group, and a big season could do even more for his next contract.
McCann was a 40-goal scorer in 2022-23, then followed that with 20 goals and 40 points in 52 games last season. His cap hit is US$5 million.
Erik Karlsson is another veteran worth watching from a fantasy angle. The 36-year-old is in the final year of an eight-year deal with a US$11.5 million cap hit, and he still finished eighth in scoring among defensemen last season with 15 goals and 51 points. What comes next for his term and cap hit will be one of the more interesting contract questions around.
Back in Vancouver, the appeal is tied to opportunity as much as upside. The Canucks look like a team that could have trouble scoring, which makes them a risky pool source.
But rebuilds also hand out ice time, and that opens the door for players who might not otherwise get this kind of runway. O’Connor, 28, is one of the players set to get a chance to show what he can do.
He carries a US$2.5 million cap hit.
San Jose offers a different kind of sleeper angle. The Sharks are described as a team on the rise and loaded with offensive talent, with Macklin Celebrini leading the way.
There’s also talk out of San Jose that Cagnoni, 21, could get a shot to run their No. 1 power play unit. The Burnaby native is 5-foot-9 and 181 pounds, has played just nine NHL games, but he’s already put up 95 points in 131 AHL games and 193 points in 205 WHL games with the Portland Winterhawks.
In Other News...
Canucks Opening Night Roster Comes With Two Surprises And One Concern
The Canucks opening-night roster for the 2026-27 season came into focus with a few notable twists, as the club carries 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders into its road opener against the Edmonton Oilers. There is some good news in the group for players who earned their spots with strong preseason showings, including Arshdeep Bains and Guillaume Brisebois, but the list also reflects the reality that roster construction in late October is rarely clean.
Filip Chytil and Thatcher Demko are among the players set to begin the season on injured reserve, leaving Vancouver to sort out the early-season picture without two important names in the lineup. For a team trying to set its tone right away on the road, the shape of the roster is encouraging in some places and a little uneasy in others, and the next question is how long the Canucks will have to manage that uneven mix before everyone is available again. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Goalie Squeeze Just Made Opening Night Much Clearer
Nikita Tolopilo cleared NHL waivers and is headed to the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, a move that fits into a suddenly cleaner picture in Vancouver's crease. The Canucks' waiver claim of Leevi Merilinen from the Ottawa Senators changed the math quickly, especially with Kevin Lankinen already lined up as part of the NHL tandem and Thatcher Demko expected to begin the season on injured reserve.
Merilinen's arrival leaves the Canucks with a clearer opening-night plan than they had not long ago, and it comes at Tolopilo's expense after a brief push for a roster spot. For Vancouver, the bigger question now is how the newly set goaltending group holds up once the season starts and Demko's status keeps the situation from feeling entirely settled. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Face Another Twist In Their Long Search For A Home
The Canucks long-running hunt for a dedicated practice rink has taken another turn, with general manager Ryan Johnson saying the club is still weighing possible new locations. It is the latest chapter in a search that has stretched on for more than 16 years, a reminder that for all the on-ice talk, the organization still has a very real off-ice infrastructure problem to solve.
Recent discussions included a proposal to expand the Britannia Community Centre, but that idea ran into trouble without a new ice sheet in the plan. Co-president Henrik Sedin has stressed the teams desire to help find youth hockey facility solutions in Vancouver, which keeps the broader community angle in focus even as the Canucks continue to sort through their own needs. [Read more 🡒]