Major Development Pressures Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin to Sign Available 40-Point Defenseman
Photo credit: The Hockey News/Pittsburgh Penguins
With holes still left to be filled on the Vancouver Canucks blueline, a new development has urged general manager Patrik Allvin to sign this 40-point defensemen free-agent who can really make a difference in 2025-26.
With the NHL offseason coming to close in the next few weeks, many teams are still scrambling to make some last minute moves to upgrade their roster, which is especially true for the Vancouver Canucks, who have had quite the disappointing offseason and free-agency.
Vancouver Canucks urged to sign former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk
All offseason long, reports and news surrounding the Vancouver Canucks were focused on one thing, finding a strong second-line center who can provide secondary scoring for Elias Pettersson.
But in the ruffle of the offseason, many forgot about another priority, which is to find secondary scoring for captain Quinn Hughes on the blue line.
A new report has indicated that GM Patrik Allvin should take a strong look at signing 31 year old, left hand shot defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who is coming off his best NHL season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring 1 goal and 39 assists for 40 points in 82 games.
Why hasn't Matt Grzelcyk signed a contract yet? After all, he has a good performance:
Contribution 71th
Paid Contribution 43th
Individual Offense 78th
Defense 107th (The team that didn't make the playoffs)
5'10", that's all. A new fashion has entered the chat
Contribution 71th
Paid Contribution 43th
Individual Offense 78th
Defense 107th (The team that didn't make the playoffs)
5'10", that's all. A new fashion has entered the chat
Grzelcyk signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal with Pittsburgh, and now that his value has gone up, realistically he is going to be demanding a deal in the ballpark of 3-years at 3.25-3.75 million AVV.
According to PuckPedia, the Canucks have $3.27 million of cap space left, so they are in a position to do some spending and get him under that number.
Even though the Canucks have decided they are switching their strategy and moving away from finding players in free-agency, that was only really concerning UFA centers, not d-men.
Most of this year's top unrestricted free agent (UFA) defensemen have been signed, now that it is September. However, even after an impressive 40-point season, Grzelcyk remains unsigned and is easily the best defenseman available. Thus, if the Canucks want to improve their defensive depth, he is the blueliner that they should be targeting. - Michael DeRosa
In reality, Grzelcyk is one of, if not the top-remaining defensemen free agents left in the market, and if Allvin can acquire him for a reasonable price, he has to be a consideration for using the remaining of their cap space.
Source: Heavy.
Canucks Should Sign 40-Point Defender Right Now
Canucks Should Sign 40-Point Defender Right Now
