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Goodbye to Tanev and Stecher, no Barrie; the search is on for a defenseman |
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It's a bit of a challenge to adjust to this new reality for the Canucks, isn't it?
Instead of being the team that leaps in with both feet and announces a slew of Day 1 signings, this year we're seeing fan favourites heading for new homes.
Since my last blog, which covered Jacob Markstrom's departure to Calgary, we've also now seen Chris Tanev sign with the Flames (and Louis Domingue!), while Troy Stecher joined the Red Wings.
Tanev's deal is for years, at a cap hit of $4.5 million per season — significantly more than what the Canucks were willing to do.
Stecher signed on for two years, at a cap hit of $1.7 million per season. That is a dip from the $2.325 million he made last year, from which the Canucks chose not to issue a qualifying offer.
By giving significant term to both Markstrom and Tanev, Brad Treliving signalled to me that he's at the point in his career arc where he feels he has no choice but to throw a Hail Mary. He has been the Flames' general manager for six seasons — the same amount of time that Jim Benning has been at the helm here in Vancouver. But while the Canucks bottomed out and are now moving forward with some important foundational pieces in place, the Flames' only playoff series win came in Treliving's first season on the job — when they beat Vancouver in 2015. They looked impressive when they rolled over the Winnipeg Jets in the preliminary round this summer, but folded like a cheap tent after taking a 2-1 series lead against Dallas in the first *real* round.
A year ago, Calgary won the Western Conference and tied for second overall in the league standings, with 107 points. But after such a strong season, they barely made a whimper as they were eliminated in five games by Colorado — shutting out the Avalanche 4-0 in Game 1, then getting outscored 17-7 in their four subsequent losses.
At this point, Treliving had to make a big move to try to change his team's fortunes — and he did it by outbidding everybody else on Markstrom and Tanev. If the pair can help the Flames get over the jump and make some noise in the playoffs for the first time since their run to the Final in 2004, then the cost will be said to be worth it. If it doesn't work, the mess that might be left by those salary commitments a few years down the road will almost certainly get cleaned up by somebody else.
As for Stecher, his number seems like one that the Canucks could have matched, but something jumped out at me in his interviews on Saturday:
Since Travis Green took over in Vancouver, it seemed like Stecher travelled the same path every year — starting with limited minutes, then getting forced into larger roles as injuries hit and the season wore on. And a last resort on special teams.
When Chris Tanev played just 42 games in 2017-18, Stecher averaged 18:49 a game. The following year, Tanev played 55 games and Stecher got up to 19:55.
Last season, Tanev stayed healthy, and Tyler Myers joined on the right side. And Stecher's ice time dropped to just 15:21 per game.
Over his three seasons in Vancouver, Stecher averaged just 25 seconds of power-play time per game, and 1:11 on the penalty kill. Last year, those numbers dropped even more. He saw a total of just 4:08 of power-play time all season — roughly five seconds per game — and 37:48 of total time shorthanded, about 33 seconds per game. The only defenseman who spent less time on the penalty kill was Quinn Hughes.
I'm so glad that Stecher had that huge moment in the playoffs, scoring what turned out to be the winning goal in the game where the Canucks eliminated St. Louis, and being able to dedicate it to his late father. And I wish him all the luck in the world in Detroit, where he's currently set up to join tantalizing youngster Filip Hronek and his old pal Alex Biega on the right side. I wonder if Moritz Seider might also end up joining that group this year?
What surprised me more than Stecher's departure was Saturday's news that Tyson Barrie had taken less money to sign a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers.
As a Victoria kid, Barrie's name has often been linked to the Canucks — remember, there was talk of Benning trying to acquire him in a trade at the 2019 draft, before he struck the J.T. Miller deal.
And it sounded like Vancouver was in the mix for him this year, too.
Judging from Barrie's interviews after choosing Edmonton, it sounds like his reps convinced him that, with his stock very low after a tough year in Toronto, his best chance of cashing in over the long-term was to take a one-year deal in Edmonton that will guarantee him a chance to quarterback a power play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, then boost his numbers back to that 50+ level he delivered in Colorado. Then, he can test the market again next year — ideally, when business is closer to normal and he presents as a much more valuable asset.
I loved watching Barrie do his thing when he was with the Avs, but I do think his skill set mirrors Quinn Hughes' in a lot of ways. I'd like to see the Canucks find a defenseman who plays a more complete games.
The pickings on the UFA side are getting a bit thin. But as I write this on Sunday morning, there are still some big names out there. I don't think there's a chance that Vancouver could be in on Alex Pietrangelo. But if he does sign in Vegas, that could create a domino effect that benefits the Canucks.
Schmidt can play either side, but carries a big ticket — five more years at a cap hit of $5.95 million. Martinez is a lefty, but his contract would be easier to manage — one more year at just $4 million.
A few righties are still on the market as UFAs. The names that jump out to me are Sami Vatanen, Travis Hamonic and Jan Rutta.
Other trades could also still be possible, especially with teams who are looking to shed salary.
The idea of offer sheeting restricted free agent Erik Cernak still holds some appeal, too — or maybe Julien Brisebois would even trade him? The Lightning are desperate enough to clear cap space that they put Tyler Johnson on waivers on Friday, in an effort to try to get out from his $5 million cap hit and no-trade clause. But they couldn't even give him away, so they'd still be hard-pressed to match if a team came in with a front-loaded offer for Cernak — if Cernak would sign it, of course.
It's also kind of crazy how little movement there has been so far on the big-name forwards who are available. Taylor Hall, Mikael Granlund, Tyler Toffoli, Mike Hoffman and others all have yet to ink new deals, as scoring wingers seem to be the last position where GMs want to spend big bucks.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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