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Vancouver Canucks' Hunt for a 2nd-Line Centre Ends in Major Letdown
An NHL insider gave an update this week on how the Vancouver Canucks' search for help down the middle went this summer and it's definitely not what fans want to hear.
For the last several months, Vancouver Canucks fans have constantly been hearing that the club's target this summer was a second line centerman and with less than two weeks until training camp opens, it's looking more and more unlikely by the day that Patrik Allvin & Co. will get something done on that front.
As a matter of fact, the club is reportedly comfortable beginning the 2025-26 season with the guys they currently have, despite being linked to numerous players throughout the offseason and it begs the question - How close did Patrik Allvin actually get to adding a 2C to their NHL roster?
NHL insider gives update on how Vancouver Canucks' search for 2C went this summer
During an appearance on Sekeres and Price on Thursday, NHL insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period spoke about the team's pursuit of center help this summer.
Despite opening up some cap space by trading Dakota Joshua to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pagnotta says that he doesn't believe the Vancouver Canucks got close at all to adding another centerman to their group.
"I wish I had some sexy names to throw at you. I don't. Nothing that was overly impactful or anything that felt like it was getting close. I'm sure like every team, you do your due diligence, that's part of your job, you go out there, you poke around, you start to...like around that time of year you hear names that team's are necessarily shopping, but teams are poking around on and they kind of let that name kind of get out there a little bit and it leads to nothing, because there's nothing there." Pagnotta said.
He added, "I think the Canucks certainly tried to, you know, comb the market and see what was out there in terms of the center position. I just don't think they got close on anything."
He added, "I think the Canucks certainly tried to, you know, comb the market and see what was out there in terms of the center position. I just don't think they got close on anything."
Understandably, this isn't what Vancouver Canucks fans were hoping to hear and because they weren't able to add any center help this summer, they're now in a position where Filip Chytil will have to start the season as their 2C.
Having Chytil in that role might not be ideal, but who know, he could come out and surprise us all, especially now that he's back at 100 percent health, but if things don't go well for him as the second line centerman, then it wouldn't be a shock to see Patrik Allvin scour the trade market for some help.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 5 | 1236 ANSWERS Vancouver Canucks' Hunt for a 2nd-Line Centre Ends in Major Letdown Do you think the Vancouver Canucks need to add another centerman before the season begins? | ||
| Yes | 744 | 60.2 % |
| No, they're fine with what they've got right now | 492 | 39.8 % |
| List of polls | ||