The Vancouver Canucks are ready to start their 54th season in the NHL with aspirations of returning to the playoffs for the second season in a row for the first time since 2012-13. They are well set up to do it with arguably one of the deepest forward groups in the league, the return of reigning Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes, Jack Adams winner Rick Tocchet, and hopefully, a Vezina-caliber goaltender in Thatcher Demko. They also have some very budget-friendly contracts on their books that could prove to be valuable this season if the players attached to them perform up to their potential.
Daniel Sprong
Daniel Sprong signed a one-year contract in the offseason worth $975,000, and he’s set to play alongside Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk on opening night. If he clicks with his new linemates, he could be in for a career season. His speed and shot have been his calling card ever since he came into the league in 2015-16, and while he only has one 20-goal season so far, he has been surprisingly productive in limited ice time. He hasn’t eclipsed the 12-minute mark in average ice time over the past two seasons but has 39 goals in 142 games.
Related: Canucks Prospects Report: Alriksson, Raty, Mynio & More
Sprong has never played with an elite playmaker like Pettersson, so it stands to reason that he will score more this season. If that happens, he will vastly outperform his contract. Even if he scores 15-20 goals, that’s pretty good value for under $1 million. But I am betting he will be closer to the 25-30-goal range if he has chemistry with Pettersson and DeBrusk and spends time on the second power-play unit.
Nils Hoglander
Nils Hoglander came into camp like a man on a mission. He was one of the top players in the fitness testing and stood out in every situation, be it practice, scrimmages, preseason, you name it, he was there bringing his trademark motor, tenacity and forechecking skills. He is on a very cap-friendly $1.1 million contract and was the Canucks’ most effective forward at five-on-five last season, scoring 24 goals in that situation.
Hoglander has spent most of the preseason on a line with rookie Aatu Raty and fellow buzzsaw Conor Garland. That trio has looked good ever since the start of training camp and should be deployed as the third line on opening night against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 9. He will likely stay in that spot until Dakota Joshua returns to the lineup, and might even spend more…
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