Vancouver Canucks 2021 Season Preview
Apr 7, 2021 14:14:38 GMT -5
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Post by gmcanucks on Apr 7, 2021 14:14:38 GMT -5
After winning the President's Trophy last season and losing a tough 7-game second round series to the eventual champion Calgary Flames, 2020-2021 was expected to be a year of transition for the Vancouver Canucks.
With the loss of captain and offensive leader Sidney Crosby to free agency, the off-season started out as an attempt to re-stock the prospect list and stockpile some future draft picks, as the cupboard was pretty bare after several seasons as a Cup contender. The asset acquisition exercise was successful, netting a handful of Top 100 prospects and leaving the team with a total of six first round picks in the 2021 and 2022 drafts.
Sent packing were veterans John Tavares, Tom Wilson and goaltender Freddy Andersen for draft choices and prospects. Star players like David Pastrnak and Dougie Hamilton were also shopped, but deals that met GM Joe MacDonald's demands were not found. At least yet.
An unexpected opportunity to replace Crosby as the team's #1 center resulted in the acquisition of young superstar Jack Eichel from the Washington Capitals for a package that included winger Zack Hyman, prospect goaltender Jake Oettinger and the 7th overall pick in the upcoming JGHL entry draft.
The off-season moves leave the Canucks with a very competitive team, but probably not a team capable of contending for a championship. As a result, more moves are anticipated. Whether it will be as a buyer or a seller remains to be seen.
Here are the expected opening night lines for the Canucks (players in red are new additions to the 2020-2021 roster):
Forwards:
David Perron - Jack Eichel - David Pastrnak
Richard Rakell - Logan Couture - Evgeny Dadonov
Antoine Roussel - Carl Soderberg - Mikael Granlund
Maxime Comtois - Jay Beagle - Alex Chiasson
Defense:
Dougie Hamilton - Shea Theodore
Dmitri Orlov - Erik Gustafsson
Erik Gudbranson - Brenden Dillon
Goaltenders:
Key Players on the Farm:
LW Jason Robertson
RW Owen Tippett
D Rasmus Andersson
Top Prospects:
D - Victor Soderstrom
G - Spencer Knight
LW - Matthew Boldy
LW - Adam Beckman
With the loss of captain and offensive leader Sidney Crosby to free agency, the off-season started out as an attempt to re-stock the prospect list and stockpile some future draft picks, as the cupboard was pretty bare after several seasons as a Cup contender. The asset acquisition exercise was successful, netting a handful of Top 100 prospects and leaving the team with a total of six first round picks in the 2021 and 2022 drafts.
Sent packing were veterans John Tavares, Tom Wilson and goaltender Freddy Andersen for draft choices and prospects. Star players like David Pastrnak and Dougie Hamilton were also shopped, but deals that met GM Joe MacDonald's demands were not found. At least yet.
An unexpected opportunity to replace Crosby as the team's #1 center resulted in the acquisition of young superstar Jack Eichel from the Washington Capitals for a package that included winger Zack Hyman, prospect goaltender Jake Oettinger and the 7th overall pick in the upcoming JGHL entry draft.
The off-season moves leave the Canucks with a very competitive team, but probably not a team capable of contending for a championship. As a result, more moves are anticipated. Whether it will be as a buyer or a seller remains to be seen.
Here are the expected opening night lines for the Canucks (players in red are new additions to the 2020-2021 roster):
Forwards:
David Perron - Jack Eichel - David Pastrnak
Richard Rakell - Logan Couture - Evgeny Dadonov
Antoine Roussel - Carl Soderberg - Mikael Granlund
Maxime Comtois - Jay Beagle - Alex Chiasson
Defense:
Dougie Hamilton - Shea Theodore
Dmitri Orlov - Erik Gustafsson
Erik Gudbranson - Brenden Dillon
Goaltenders:
MacKenzie Blackwood - Mikko Koskinen
Key Players on the Farm:
LW Jason Robertson
RW Owen Tippett
D Rasmus Andersson
Top Prospects:
D - Victor Soderstrom
G - Spencer Knight
LW - Matthew Boldy
LW - Adam Beckman
D - Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Future First Round Picks:
2020 - 0
2021 - 4
2022 - 2