Hole at right wing opens door for young players
Virtanen top internal candidate to jump to first two lines, fill hole on right side
The size of the Vancouver Canucks' roster hole is a matter of interpretation.
That right-wing depression in the top-six mix is either a divot or crater, depending on how general manager Jim Benning assesses the loss of Tyler Toffoli to free agency and how he plans to fill the void.
“We'll see how the marketplace is or fill it internally,” said Benning. “I'm still talking to other general managers and if there's something that makes sense long term, then we'll look into it. I'm not shutting anything down. We're going to keep all our options open.”
That's a familiar refrain to roster roulette, but Benning then went a step further to either add clarity or confusion to the right-wing question.
“I still really like the team,” he added. “We've got the exact same forward group we had last year — outside of Toffoli and (Josh) Leivo. We were second in Western Conference goals when the season was paused (March 13). The young guys are going to continue to get better and that's where we're going to get better as a team.
“That's the beautiful thing about young players — they haven't reached their ceiling yet.”
That could speak more to the future than the present.
A conundrum for the capstrapped Benning is how to maintain competitiveness after his club took a significant post-season step by pushing the Vegas Golden Knights to seven games in the second playoff round.
Trade acquisition Toffoli had 14 points (8-6) in 17 games while a healthy Leivo turned down a Canucks offer similar to the one-year, US$875,000 free-agent deal he signed with Calgary on Saturday.
The pair would have provided scoring punch and versatility for the right side next season. If Benning plays the internal roster card, then Jake Virtanen will get a look in the top six and Adam Gaudette could shift from centre to right wing to see what he may generate. A Virtanen promotion would also allow Zack MacEwen to become a third-line right-winger and keep Brandon Sutter aligned with Jay Beagle and Tyler Motte.
The other challenge is to find a winger who can provide immediate help and buy development time for budding right-side prospects Vasili Podkolzin and Kole Lind.
A flat NHL cap ceiling created by revenue losses during the COVID-19 pandemic might be a boon for Benning. If a financially challenged club has a pending contract-extension commitment with a proficient player — much like Tampa Bay had with Brayden Point in the summer of 2019 — then a similar scenario like the one that brought J.T. Miller to Vancouver with motivation and palatable term would be a home run.
However, Benning doesn't have the cap space to take on a hit similar to Miller's $5.25-million annual cost over another three seasons. That transaction also cost a conditional first-round pick and third-round selection and that won't fly if the GM is looking for a bridge winger. If he needs more to keep the Canucks competitive, he'll have to pull a trade trigger and that could mean swapping salaries in parting with a roster player.
Virtanen was rumoured to be part of a trade play for Colorado defenceman Tyson Barrie at the 2019 draft. The Avalanche have $1.8 million in projected cap space and need to retain UFA captain Gabriel Landeskog, whose $5.5-million cap hit expires after next season. The Avalanche also need to extend Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar after next season.
However, the only available winger with three years left on his deal is Joonas Donskoi, 28, at a $3.9-million annual cap hit. He had 16 goals last season but is four years older than Virtanen, and is he really an upgrade?
Virtanen had a career-high 36 points (18-18) in 69 games last season and contract certainty might entice a suitor, especially if Benning believes he can upgrade the right side and entice a club to retain trade salary by tossing in a draft pick. Benning was critical of Virtanen's playoff performance — “I was expecting more from Jake” — because the winger managed just three points (2-1) over 16 games in his first post-season.
Virtanen avoided an arbitration hearing last Wednesday by committing to a bump in salary with a two-year, $5.1-million extension Thursday. He knows the top-six mix carrot is dangling. The Canucks could bank on the 24-yearold finally finding a total and consistent game instead of just getting the odd lineup promotion from the bottom six — like a brief vitamin injection for the top line in Game 5 against St. Louis.
Virtanen and Miller were aligned amid line juggling and both scored in a 4-3 victory. Virtanen played hard and fast. He set up Miller for a greasy down-low goal. He picked the top corner from a sharp angle by getting to the net and in 12:25 of increased ice time, he had five shot attempts, two hits and two take-aways and just one giveaway. Virtanen was also on the ice in the third period to help protect the one-goal lead.
“When Jake plays like that, he's a force,” said Miller.