Former Stanley Cup Champion Named as Huge Offseason Target for the Vancouver Canucks

Aside from looking for a new head coach and figuring out if they're able to get a deal done with Brock Boeser, one of the most pressing needs the Vancouver Canucks have heading into the summer is a second line centerman.

In recent weeks, several options have begun to emerge for Patrik Allvin to consider via trade as the free agent market, aside from potentially Sam Bennett, isn't necessarily filled with legit top-six centermen.

Among the options that have been mentioned recently for the Vancouver Canucks include Trevor Zegras, Jared McCann and Pavel Zacha, all of whom are good players in their own right, but don't have the championship pedigree as the target mentioned by Stephan Roget of Canucks Army on Monday.

When examining potential targets for Patrik Allvin and the Vancouver Canucks this summer, Roget suggests two-time Stanley Cup champion Anthony Cirelli, who is currently with the Tampa Bay Lightning and won the 4 Nations Face-Off with Canada back in February.

Roget mentions that the fit would certainly be there in Vancouver for Anthony Cirelli and while it certainly won't be cheap his age aligns perfectly with the Canucks' current core, which inevitably would keep their window open, for now.

Cirelli is under contract until the end of the 2030-31 season with an extremely fair cap hit of $6.5 million AAV for what he brings both offensively and defensively, the latter of which earned him a nomination for the Selke Trophy this year.

One issue the Vancouver Canucks could run in to, if this is a player they want to target, is that as of July 1st, his contract includes a full no-trade clause, so they'll have to get something done on that front before that kicks in, potentially around the draft and could dangle their 15th overall pick in the deal.

The Etobicoke, Ontario native is coming off the best season offensively of his career in the National Hockey League after putting up 59 points (27 goals, 32 assists), along with 28 penalty minutes and was a plus-30.

It could be tricky trying to get a deal done with the Tampa Bay Lightning for Anthony Cirelli, but with Julien BriseBois' team having cap issues this summer, with only $6.9 available, it could lead to a difficult situation where they'll need to part with someone such as the 27-year-old centerman and it's an opportunity Patrik Allvin needs to take advantage of.

Source: Canucks Army
Canucks offseason centre trade targets: Anthony Cirelli