In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, Quinn Hughes wins the Norris Trophy. Meanwhile, Sam Reinhart and Tyler Toffoli are among the wingers. Also, Nikita Zadorov is headed to free agency, and Chris Tanev is a free agent defenceman of interest.
Hughes became the first Canuck defenceman to win the Norris Trophy on July 27. He stepped up in his first season as the organization’s captain, scoring a career-high and league-leading 17 goals and 92 points. He had 172 first-place votes, 17 second place and five third place. Hughes credited his maturity on and off the ice for his progress and impressive season.
“Honestly I can’t talk enough about my growth, even going back further to the past 18 months,” Hughes said. “I mean, we’d been losing at the time and it was really hard seeing all these other teams have success when we weren’t.
“It forced me and a bunch of the guys on the team to reevaluate what we wanted to do and what kind of team or organization you wanted to be. I think we did a great job of that, for sure. And now we’re going to continue to take another step because I feel we can contend the next couple of years.”
The Canucks made the playoffs for the second time in Hughes’ career. The organization posted a 50-23-9 record, winning the Pacific Division and making it to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hughes was also one of six American players named to Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Canucks need for a top-six winger is evident, and the club will target one on July 1. Jake Guentzel is at the top of their list, but they have other options if the forward joins one of his other many suitors instead.
Related: 3 Top-Six Wingers the Canucks Should Target in Free Agency
The Athletic’s Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal said West Vancouver native Reinhart is a player the Canucks could take a swing at if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Florida Panthers (from ‘What we’re hearing about the Canucks’ draft plans and free agency priorities,’ The Athletic, June 27, 2024). He scored a career-high 57 goals and posted 94 points in 82 games.
The other two players of interest are Toffoli and Chandler Stephenson. Former Canuck Toffoli is coming off a 33-goal and 55-point season while playing with the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets. He previously played 10 games with the Canucks, scoring six goals and posting 10 points. He showed chemistry while playing alongside Elias Pettersson. Meanwhile, Stephenson scored 16 goals and posted 51 points in 75 games. He can play on the wing and at centre.
General manager Patrik Allvin said the Canucks are done negotiating with Zadorov, and he will hit the free-agent market. The organization didn’t want to overpay for the services of the defenceman. Drance and Dhaliwal said the Canucks will look to add at least one defender, most likely two. Tanev is a player the club pursued ahead of the trade deadline and will be someone they target on July 1.
Tanev spent 10 seasons with Vancouver before joining the Calgary Flames through free agency. He spent the past four years with the division rivals before the club traded him to the Dallas Stars for their Stanley Cup playoff run this season. Dhaliwal also said Tanev is the second highest priority for the Canucks behind Guentzel. The Stars are pushing to re-sign the defenceman, while the Toronto Maple Leafs will also be interested in signing him this offseason.
The Canucks now have three unrestricted free agents remaining after the club extended Tyler Myers to a three-year deal with an annual average value of $3 million. The 34-year-old played 77 games this season and posted 28 points.
“Tyler has been a valued member of our organization and we are very happy to have him back with our team,” Allvin said. “He brings a unique skillset to the ice and is a key member of our leadership group. Tyler is a big, strong, physical defenceman who fits in nicely on our backend.”
Myers played his best hockey this past season under head coach Rich Tocchet since joining the Canucks in 2019. Drance and Dhaliwal said the defenceman is deeply loyal to the club and didn’t have any intention of departing. Additionally, the Ilya Mikheyev trade allowed the team to pay him more.
“The Canucks needed to at least get into the same ballpark as what Myers could expect on the open market for him to agree to stay for less. Vancouver’s offers had been in the low $2 million range, but with more space available to them, the Canucks moved to complete the deal on Thursday.”
