An updated look at the Canucks’ forward depth post-Kravtsov signing

On Tuesday, the Vancouver Canucks signed Vitali Kravtsov to a one-year, two-way deal with an NHL cap hit of $750,000. In doing so, the Canucks added another competitor to what should be a fierce training camp battle for final roster spots. And of course, they also added to their overall forward depth in the process. Let’s take a look at how the depth chart is shaking out following the acquisition of Kravtsov.

Centres

Elias Pettersson
Filip Chytil
Teddy Blueger
Aatu Räty
Nils Aman
Ty Mueller
Joseph Labate
Braeden Cootes
Kieren Dervin (Unsigned)
Wilson Bjorck (Unsigned)
Riley Patterson (Unsigned)
Matthew Lansing (Unsigned)
Ilya Safonov (Unsigned)
Daimon Gardner (Unsigned)
Matthew Perkins (Unsigned)

Plenty of ink has been spilled about the Canucks’ lack of centre depth heading into next season. They drafted a promising player to help fill that void in a few years’ time in Braeden Cootes this summer, but management made it clear that was an area they hoped to address in the here and now. Jack Roslovic remains unsigned and seems like a nice match for the Canucks, who just cleared cap space by dealing Dakota Joshua to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Flat out, there aren’t many battles to be had at the centre position for the Canucks. As it stands, their NHL centres will be Pettersson, Chytil, Räty, and Blueger, likely in that exact order. Nils Aman isn’t getting claimed off waivers, and the other names on the list are either AHL players or players who are still exempt from hitting waivers.

Left Wingers

Jake DeBrusk
Evander Kane
Nils Höglander
Drew O’Connor
Arshdeep Bains
Max Sasson
Mackenzie MacEachern
Josh Bloom
Vilmer Alriksson
Anri Ravinskis
Jackson Kunz (Unsigned)

Now, while these players are all listed as left wingers, the Canucks have had no problem playing Nils Höglander or Drew O’Connor on the right side, and the same can be said for Arshdeep Bains and Max Sasson. Höglander and O’Connor are the likely names to round out the bottom six, while Bains and Sasson will be fighting for one of the final roster spots when camp starts.

Joining them in that battle? Linus Karlsson, who seems to have the inside track after a strong Calder Cup Championship run; Jonathan Lekkerimäki, the rookie who showed flashes of dominance at the AHL level last season; and newcomer Vitali Kravtsov, who is eager to make a successful NHL comeback following two seasons in the KHL, the second of which saw him finish sixth in league scoring.

Right Wingers

Brock Boeser
Conor Garland
Kiefer Sherwood
Linus Karlsson
Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Vitali Kravtsov
Danila Klimovich
Chase Stillman
Anthony Romani (Unsigned)
Gabe Chiarot (Unsigned)

Imagine what this list would look like if the Canucks hadn’t signed Brock Boeser in the 11th hour… Thankfully, that’s not a reality any of us has to live with.

Instead, the Canucks have two fairly obvious top-six options with Boeser and Conor Garland. Garland’s proven ability to drive his own line makes him an interesting option to make the Canucks’ third line that much better — especially given their lack of centre depth — but on paper, he’s certainly the Canucks’ second-best right winger.

Beyond that, the only lineup lock you see on this list is Kiefer Sherwood. Jonathan Lekkerimäki is going to be hard-pressed to make the team, and as we said earlier, Linus Karlsson might be the favourite to win the job, but he’s still in a battle with Kravtsov, Sasson, and Bains for one of the final spots in both the lineup and the roster.

All in all, a few things are true of the Canucks’ forward group. There are going to be battles in training camp at the bottom of the roster, and whoever is on the losing end of that battle is going to head down to Abbotsford and assist in the AHL Canucks’ effort to go back-to-back. And of course, they could still likely use a middle six centre…