Replacement for Elias Lindholm identified: Intriguing target for Patrik Allvin

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Cooper Godin
June 22, 2024 (9:01)

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With Elias Lindholm set to hit the free agent market in just over a week, the Canucks will need to have their eyes on a potential replacement and someone who can play in the team's top-six forward group.

There certainly no shortage of options for Patrik Allvin and his management group to choose from, but an interesting name has emerged - Chandler Stephenson of the Vegas Golden Knights.

During a recent episode of Canucks Conversation, Harman Dayal discussed the possibility of the Canucks taking a look at Stephenson, who won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.

Dayal says that while Stephenson would be an interesting option for the Canucks, his 14-point decline and the fact his speed was down this year are both causes for concern and he's not sure what exactly the 30-year-old would be worth.

"Yeah, Stephenson would be interesting to me. He's a player that I'm having tough time like exactly figuring out what he should be worth, just because on the one hand this is a guy that as his best can put up 60+ points, can play centre, can play wing all over your lineup, kill penalties, was unbelievable during Vegas' Stanley Cup run. But, he also took a step back this year. 14 point decline, his speed was down according to NHL Edge which is concerning because that's his best attribute. Because of how shallow centre market is, I'm not sure if I'd be willing to pay the price that he's actually going to command." Dayal said.

Stephenson, a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, appeared in 75 games for the Golden Knights in 2023-24 where he had 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists), 25 penalty minutes and was a minus-nine. He went on to add one assist in seven playoff games as Vegas lost in the first round to the Dallas Stars.

While the forward market is loaded with talent in free agency, if you break it down by position, there aren't many quality centremen available and it'll be interesting to see what Patrik Allvin does to add a 3C to the roster this summer.