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Vancouver Canucks Third-Line Centres to Target in Free Agency

Frederick Gaudreau Minnesota Wild

On March 23, Rick Dhaliwal said the Vancouver Canucks are making it clear they will target a third-line centre in free agency. However, the Canucks are already over the cap limit for next season. Dhaliwal adds the organization will attempt to create space through trades and buyouts. If the club clears up space for a third-line centre, they have a few options to target. Here are four players the team can attempt to sign in free agency.

Ivan Barbashev

The one player Dhaliwal mentioned was Ivan Barbashev of the Vegas Golden Knights. The organization traded for the player in February, acquiring him from the St. Louis Blues for prospect Zach Dean. In his seventh season with the Blues, he posted 10 goals and 29 points in 59 games before the trade. Since joining the Golden Knights, the 27-year-old scored four goals and eight points. However, in 2021-22, he posted a career-high 26 goals and 60 points in 81 games, adding to his career total of 82 goals and 186 points through 422 games.


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Barbashev signed a two-year extension with the Blues in 2021 with a cap hit of $2.250 million. Since it seems like his 2021-22 season is an outlier, as his numbers have plummeted this season, the Canucks could potentially sign the middle-six forward for $2.5 million to $3 million this offseason. Although he is listed as a centre, he can play all three forward positions. Also, Barbashev may be a better fit on the wing than at centre for the Canucks, as he struggles in the faceoff circle posting under 40% in faceoff win percentage (FO%) the past two seasons.

Frederick Gaudreau

Frederick Gaudreau is a solid third-line centre for the Canucks to add. The forward started his career as an undrafted player with the Nashville Predators. After three seasons with the organization, he signed a one-year deal with the Penguins while Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford was in charge. Finally, he joined the Minnesota Wild on a two-year, $2.40 million deal.

Frederick Gaudreau, Minnesota Wild (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Since joining the Wild, Gaudreau has put together his best seasons. In 2021-22, he posted a career-high 14 goals and 44 points in 76 games. This season, he scored 13 goals and posted 31 points through 71 games. The 29-year-old leads all Wild centres in FO% with 49.4. He’s also taken the most faceoffs on the penalty kill at 169, winning 82 of them. Gaudreau provides a good combination as a third-line centre, with his ability to produce…

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