The Vancouver Canucks are looking for a quality winger to bolster their top six with Steven Stamkos set to become a free agent on Monday. (Yes, Stamkos is still officially a centre, but he’s had plenty of experience on the wing recently.) Could a game between the two teams be just what the doctor ordered?
In theory, the answer should be a resounding yes, especially given Stamkos’ resume. He has two Stanley Cups, a couple of Rocket Richard Trophies, 555 career goals and has been named an All-Star seven times.
Plus, the 34-year-old doesn’t seem to be slowing down, as he’s scored 40 goals this season (and another five in five playoff appearances). Overall, he’s scored 81 regular-season points in 79 games, and his all-situations Corsi For% of 58.8 was the third-best in his 16 NHL seasons.
However, it’s not all good with Stamkos, as his -21 rating is easily the worst of his NHL career. He’s not as effective as he once was, and his average ice time is heading in the wrong direction. (The only two times it was lower in his career were in his rookie season and in 2016-17, when a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee limited him to 17 games.)
We would still argue that the first overall pick of 2008 would be a good addition to the Canucks, but only at the right price. And this is really where the main problem comes into play.
The Lightning wanted Stamkos back and were willing to offer him a longer contract than the planned three years. On the other hand, however, according to ESPN’According to Greg Wyshynski, the organization only offered an annual average of $3 million per season.
This is a significant drop from Stamkos’ expiring contract, which averaged $8.5 million per year. Even though he knew he would get less money on his next contract, the $3 million offered represents a drop of more than 50 percent.
Although the Markham native would have preferred to stay in Tampa Bay, he knows he can likely earn more as a free agent, albeit not for as many years. However, that makes it a challenge for the Cancucks to justify a move for him.
According to AFP AnalyticsStamkos is set to receive three years, averaging just under $6.157 million. While the term is likely acceptable to general manager Patrik Allvin, the annual amount is not.
Accordingly Cap-friendlyThe Canucks are expected to have $12,040,833 in salary cap space remaining for next season. Add in the likely $2.5 million for the final year of Tucker Poolman’s contract being on long-term injured reserve, and the organization is in a healthy position.
Additionally, of the four remaining free agents (and one on a restricted contract extension) yet to be signed, neither Nikita Zadorov nor Elias Lindholm will be back in Vancouver next season. While the Canucks will save a ton of money by waiving either of them, it’s still hard to justify meeting Stamkos’ obvious demands.
If the Canucks are going to offer a winger/forward a significant amount of money, it stands to reason that ideally (with all due respect) they would want to pay someone a good bit younger than Stamkos. Free agents in question include Jake Guentzel and Sam Reinhart, although both are likely to be in high demand around the league.
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In terms of demand, or rather lack thereof, this is really the only way the Canucks could justify a move for Stamkos. However, it’s unlikely the rest of the NHL values him as low as the Lightning, so it’s safe to assume Allvin will continue to look elsewhere for this quality winger.
