On the Vancouver Canucks …
Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun: If the Canucks draft in the top three, they will take the best player available, and that player should be in their lineup next season.
GM Jim Benning hopes to sign Thatcher Demko. Brock Boeser is returning to school.
President of hockey operations Trevor Linden.
“We’ve always said we want to make the playoffs, want to be competitive. But we’ve never taken our eye off the future. We’ve never mortgaged the future to make the playoffs and we’re not going to do that now.”
Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: Pending UFA Dan Hamhuis on his impending free agency.
“I was thrilled and so was she and the fact is, I don’t have a contract for next year,” said Hamhuis. “That’s why I wanted to do it, just in case if I don’t come back here. But we’ve got a couple of months to sort it (contract) out and we’re not in any rush right now. There haven’t been any numbers thrown out, but I don’t think it should be too difficult because the comparables are out there and it shouldn’t be too complicated of an negotiation.
“Based on what I’ve talked about with Jim (Benning) and Trevor (Linden) in the last 365 days, they kind of always hinted that we would be talking a contract extension at some time and I still feel that both sides will try to work something out. I feel confident that we can either get a deal done in Vancouver — where I can play a big role and contribute on and off the ice — or with another team in July.
“I feel I’ll have interest in free agency. You could probably chase money and term, if that’s what you wanted to do, and it would be harder to get it here. It’s always been important for me to have the right fit and that’s something that will be going through our heads between now and July 1 — if it gets to July 1. There are a lot of ifs.”
The Canucks do need a No. 4 defenseman, but do they think that Hamhuis is that guy? The Canucks need to blueline help, but to add through trade or free agency can be costly.
Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: The Canucks are lacking skill, scoring and size at forward. If the Canucks win the draft lottery, they could draft Auston Matthews and have him centering their second line and move Brandon Sutter to the wing. Patrik Laine or Jesse Puljajarvi could potentially be first line wingers.
