Vancouver Canucks' Top Center Target Reportedly Close to Choosing His Next NHL Home

As everyone knows by now, the Vancouver Canucks have been in the hunt for a second line centerman all summer long, offering contracts to Christian Dvorak and Mikael Granlund, while having a trade offer for Marco Rossi declined by the Minnesota Wild.

It hasn't been easy for Patrik Allvin and his management group given the cost to acquire a legit second line centerman and while they may be comfortable with what they have to start the season, a player they've been linked to earlier this summer is reportedly close to signing with a new NHL team and it very well could be Vancouver.

In a recent article on The Hockey News Sammi Silber shared, citing an interview in Russia featuring the player's agent, that former Stanley Cup champion Evgeny Kuznetsov is getting close to finding his new home in the NHL and has narrowed his list down to two teams.

Kuznetsov is not expected to sign a professional tryout (PTO), as his agent Shumi Babayev has mentioned before, nor is he expected to play for league minimum.

Kuznetsov, 33, signed a four-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL last summer, but after a disappointing first-round exit, the two sides decided to mutually terminate the final three years of the deal, making him a free agent.

Among the teams that have been linked to Evgeny Kuznetsov throughout the summer is the Vancouver Canucks, who would be a really good fit given their need for another center.

The Chelyabinsk, Russia native has a ton of experience, appearing in 743 games, as well as 97 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and with the Vancouver Canucks having having roughly $3.27 million USD in cap space, they certainly have the money to get a deal done.

Source: Sammi Silber/The Hockey News
Agent: Ex-Capitals Center Kuznetsov Closing In On Decision For Upcoming Season