LATEST | Journalist identifies intriguing third-line center options for the Canucks

Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal of The Athletic have identified some intriguing options for the Vancouver Canucks' third-line center role.

Among the potential options they both mentioned include 2018 Stanley Cup champion Lars Eller, Pius Suter, David Kampf, and Teddy Blueger. Drance and Dayal also brought up several other names, but said they'd either be too expensive, as in Ryan O'Reilly and Nick Bjugstad, or aren't particularly top-nine forwards, such as Derick Brassard and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

For Lars Eller, the pair mentioned that his projected contract/cost would be one-year at $1.3 million AAV. Eller started the year with the Washington Capitals before being dealt to the Colorado Avalanche on March 1st. In 84 games between Washington and Colorado, the 34-year-old Dane had 23 points (ten goals, 13 assists), 46 penalty minutes and was a plus-three.

Pius Suter would be an interesting option for the Canucks, given his age as he's only 27. The 2022-23 season was only his third in the National Hockey League after coming over to North America for the 2020-21 season. He recorded 24 points in 79 games this season and is projected to get a two-year deal with an AAV of $2.2 million.


David Kampf, has gotten better over his spent two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, recording a career-high 27 points in 82 games this season. He also appeared in 82 games during the 2021-22 season and hasn't missed many games during his six-year NHL career, so in terms of his health, you know you're getting at least 75-80 games out of him. When it comes to his next contract, Drance and Dayal think he'll get the same AAV as Suter ($2.2 million), but on a three-year deal.

Finally, Teddy Blueger, who's set to play in the Stanley Cup Final with the Vegas Golden Knights. Playoff experience is always valuable and adding him to the Canucks' roster would be a big benefit for the younger players around him. His projected contract is two-years at $1.6 million, which is pretty fair, but his production dipped this season. Blueger only recorded 16 points in 63 games between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights, which was a 12 point drop from the 28 he put up in the 2021-22 season.

Who do you think would be the best option for the Canucks? Let us know your thoughts in the poll below!

#Canucks free agent targets — Ranking Vancouver's best third line centre options: https://t.co/xr0aXnHZkH— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) June 1, 2023