As promised, I'll start looking at the offseason moves by the Canucks' fellow non-playoff teams in the Pacific Division today. But I'll just cover Vegas and San Jose for now. Both squads have been very active, so there's lots to talk about. And the Calgary Flames deserve a bit more attention after pulling the trigger on the Matthew Tkachuk trade on Friday.
Good for Brad Treliving for operating swiftly and decisively. And wow — as far as I can tell, we haven't seen two players coming off 100-point seasons traded for each other since Jimmy Carson (107 points) went to Edmonton as part of the return for Wayne Gretzky (149 points) all the way back in 1988.
The trade certainly offers some hope for the Flames' fanbase, which has been despondent since the playoff loss to Edmonton and became even more concerned after Johnny Gaudreau left. Jonathan Huberdeau had a career year, tying Gaudreau with 115 points, and finished fifth in Hart Trophy balloting, and MacKenzie Weegar is seen as a solid, underrated defenseman who will add more depth to an already-solid blue-line group.
For the moment, I'm not worried about prospect Cole Schwindt or the first-rounder in 2025. The way general managers turn over in today's NHL, Treliving may not last long enough to even make that pick in three years' time, let alone to se that player make an impact at the NHL level.
More immediately, Huberdeau and Weegar are both one year away from unrestricted free agency, and will be looking for big raises. By acquiring Tkachuk, Florida GM Bill Zito added some abrasiveness that seemed to be lacking during the playoffs last spring, without sacrificing much offense. He also now avoids the challenges of making decisions on expensive long-term extensions for Huberdeau and Weegar, who are both in their late 20s.
I've seen a lot of suggestions that Treliving can flip one or both players at the trade deadline if he can't re-sign them. I suppose it's possible, but that's how he got into the spot he did with Gaudreau. The Flames also want to win, so they won't be eager to part with key players as they're preparing for their playoff push if their season does go well.
Huberdeau and Weegar should make the Flames tougher for the Canucks and other opponents to play against next season. But I don't think the trade is as much of a home run for Calgary as many people seem to believe. To me, it looks like a short-term fix.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...
4. Vegas Golden Knights (94 points)
As usual, Vegas is in turmoil — even more than usual after having missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
For starters, coach Peter DeBoer is out, and Bruce Cassidy is in. And after failing to consummate a deal with Anaheim at the trade deadline, GM Kelly McCrimmon was able to move Evgeny Dadonov to Montreal in June in exchange for Shea Weber's contract — clearing $5 million off the books for next season and adding some LTIR space that can be dipped into as needed.
Even with that, McCrimmon needed to clear even more cap space. So he sent Max Pacioretty to the Carolina Hurricanes for, essentially, no return — future considerations. Turning 34 in November, Pacioretty did have injury issues but was almost a point-a-game player last season when he was healthy, posting 37 points in 39 games. And he has just one year remaining on his current contract, at a cap hit of $7 million. But Vegas needed to add a sweetener — promising defense prospect Dylan Coghlan — to persuade the Hurricanes to partner with them in the deal.
And still,
CapFriendly shows Vegas at $1.4 million over the salary cap, with just 16 players under contract for next season. Impending UFA Reilly Smith was re-signed for three years at a cap hit of $5 million per season, and three RFAs are still in need of new contracts.
Keegan Kolesar has filed for arbitration — his hearing is scheduled for August 10. Coming off a career-high 39-point season, Nicolas Roy was also arbitration eligible but elected not to file. And defenseman Nicolas Hague is an RFA without arbitration rights. He missed the last 20 games of the season with a lower-body injury.
CapFriendly also doesn't have a second goalie listed for Vegas. Laurent Brossoit ended the year on injured reserve, and Logan Thompson was injured while playing for Team Canada at the World Championship in May. The Golden Knights did sign Michael Hutchinson to a one-year, two-way deal at the NHL minimum when free agency opened on July 13.
Expect to see Vegas fill its roster holes with inexpensive prospects, including some on entry-level contracts. Leading the charge, 2020 first-rounder Brendan Brisson is now under contract and should be ready to go.
Cassidy has his work cut out for him this season, trying to pull so many disparate pieces into a cohesive whole as the Golden Knights' high-speed roster churn continues. They're a team with a ton of high-end talent, but they're also working against the curse of Jack Eichel, who still has yet to dress for a single NHL playoff game.
6. San Jose Sharks (77 points)
Another team in transition, the Sharks have a rookie GM at the helm in Mike Grier. And while it's not yet official, reports indicate that Grier will introduce David Quinn as the club's new head coach at a press conference on Tuesday.
On the player side, the big news was the trade of Brent Burns after 11 seasons in the Bay Area. He was dealt to Carolina, along with depth forward Lane Pederson, in exchange for young Finnish goalie Eetu Makiniemi, bottom-six forward Steven Lorentz and a conditional third-round pick in 2023.
Grier also picked up RFA center Luke Kunin from Nashville and signed him to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $2.75 million a year. He sent depth winger John Leonard and a third-round pick to the Predators in return.
Additionally, Grier was fairly active in free agency. He signed forward Oskar Lindblom, who was bought out by the Philadelphia Flyers, as well as newly minted Stanley Cup champion Nico Sturm and defenseman Marcus Nutivaara, who spent all but one game last season on injured reserve.
The Sharks will miss Burns, who was still a useful player for them. But the extra cap space has allowed Grier to add some depth to his forward group. It shouldn't be so much about whether Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier are hot or not on any given night.
Four remaining young RFAs need to be signed: defenseman Mario Ferraro and forwards Noah Gregor, Sasha Chmelevski and former Canuck Jonah Gadjovich. Jonathan Dahlen did not receive a qualifying offer, so he's now an unrestricted free agent.
I'd expect the Sharks to take a step forward next season. But I'm not sure they're ready to get back into the playoff picture just yet.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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