The Vancouver Canucks are officially looking for a center, but several insiders say there is little help to be found.
Following Filip Chytil’s latest setback, a likely concussion that could sideline him long-term, general manager Patrik Allvin is looking to strengthen his center line-up. But if Frank Seravalli reported Honestly hockeythe harvest is small. Elliotte Friedman, perhaps the NHL’s most connected and respected insider, say the Canucks know what there is and it’s not much.
“They were willing to give up young talent to create the right fit,” Seravalli said, “but [Allvin] should perhaps consider some alternative measures… not players you would get super excited about.”
The Center Trade market in the NHL is dry
That’s the bad news. The central market is dry and because every team knows the Canucks are desperate, asking prices are sky high. As one executive told Friedman, “When you’re drowning, teams don’t throw you a life preserver—they throw you an anvil.”
In the meantime, That of the province Ben Kuzma points out the problem goes deeper than Chytil’s absence. Elias Pettersson’s attacking spark has not returned after a disappointing 15-goal season, and his 40.9% success rate is not helping matters. Behind him, Aatu Räty, Max Sasson and Nils Åman complete a thin middle group – a group that hardly scares the opponents.
Allvin has about $2 million in cap space, limiting immediate moves. By March, that could rise to nearly $19.4 million, per PuckPedia, making a future splash possible. But for now, Vancouver may have to get it out of the way.
“The first job is to find a way to get through the next game,” Allvin told us Sportsnet. “There is urgency, but we have to look at what makes sense in the long term.”
With the market dry and options limited, the best short-term solution for the Canucks could simply be to survive until help becomes available.
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