Free agent centres will induce sticker shock
You get what you pay for. That’s the hope for those forced to overpay for roster solutions in free agency. And for the Vancouver Canucks, who face a supply-vs.-demand scenario in quest of a niche centre, general manager Jim Benning must determine if the dollars make sense when the market opens Sunday.
The Canucks have reached out to unrestricted free agents Tyler Bozak and Riley Nash during the league’s five-day interview period and could also have some interest in Derek Ryan and Jay Beagle. The problem is, there are several suitors for the big fish — John Tavares and Paul Stastny — and the trickle-down effect will affect the cost of signing the next tier of centres.
It will be costly to acquire Bozak, Nash, Ryan or Beagle.
The Canucks have salary cap space to push the pay envelope if they think Bozak is a more well-rounded solution to replace the retired Henrik Sedin as a pivot who can play up and down the lineup and help the power play.
Bozak was a third-line centre and second-unit power play option last season in Toronto where he amassed 43 points (11-32) at a US$4.2 million cap hit.
Aside from offering the 32-year-old Regina native $5 million and a reasonable three-year term, they have to sell a guy on a rebuild when he can opt to go to a contender. And it doesn’t necessarily get easier with Nash, who said he would buy into the rebuild. He had a career high 41 points (15-26) with Boston while earning just $900,000.
Nash is in for a big raise, even though it’s fair to wonder if last season was a one-off.
Nash is represented by Kurt Overhardt, an agent known for getting his clients deals that often far exceed market value, so any deal is going to cost the Canucks — if they get the guy they want.