The Vancouver Canucks have been flip-flopping between the penthouse and the sub-penthouse of the NHL standings for a while now. As of this writing, they are currently in the former with 69 points thanks to a 32-11-5 record – tied with the Boston Bruins. As such, they will certainly be buyers at this year’s trade deadline as general manager Patrik Allvin has promised to be aggressive to give his roster the best chance of winning the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in its 53-year history.
With a franchise-setting record within their grasp, it may seem like the Canucks don’t need much to improve on. They have the most lethal offence in the NHL, a top-five defence and a Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltender in Thatcher Demko. What more do they need? Well, no team is perfect, and with the Lotto Line taking two of the Canucks’ top-six centers, they could use a better second-line pivot than Pius Suter or Teddy Blueger (no offence to those two as they’ve done a phenomenal job this season in their roles).
Even if Tocchet doesn’t load up his top line, the Canucks could still use a boost in the top-six. I am not sold on Elias Pettersson as a center. I believe he is much more dangerous on the wing, and to do that, the Canucks need another top-six center. Whether one of these targets plays with him or not, here are a few Allvin should go after before the trade deadline.
Sean Monahan, Montreal Canadiens
Sean Monahan will likely be a hot commodity before the trade deadline due to his cheap contract ($1.985 million), versatility (he can play all three forward positions), and skill in the faceoff circle (55.5 percent success rate this season). He also has regained a bit of his scoring touch as he already has 13 goals, the most since he scored 22 in 2019-20 with the Calgary Flames. While he isn’t the 30-goal, 82-point man from 2018-19 anymore, he can still fill a role in the top-six, on the power play and kill penalties.
The Canucks need more depth down the middle and Monahan could fill a role on the second line with Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev if Tocchet decides to reunite the Lotto Line again. If not, he could still play with Pettersson and Kuzmenko and bump Mikheyev to the fourth line with Hoglander and Lafferty. Whatever the case, Monahan would add a lot more versatility to the lineup and create matchup nightmares for opponents as every line would be dangerous offensively. He also has…
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