David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Canucks Dealt Embarrassing Blow as Two Star Free Agents Reject Them

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 1:34 PM ET

The Vancouver Canucks brought back Brock Boeser in free agency, but according to a recent report, they missed out on two of their biggest targets as they failed to fill a key need at the. centre position.

This past season was a tough one for the Vancouver Canucks, but after moving off J.T. Miller in a trade to New York, the belief is that this locker room is ready to bounce back in 2025/26.

On top of that, the team surprisingly retained Brock Boeser in free agency, with optimism continuing to grow around the organization despite all the changes that have occurred in the past 12 months.

However, they almost had a much bigger haul in free agency, as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has revealed that the team chased both Christian Dvorak and Mikael Granlund to fill a hole down the middle for them.

As we now know, they came up short in that pursuit, with both players snubbing them to join arguably worse situations, but with bigger roles on offer, the deals seemed to make sense for both veterans.

With no moves made down the middle for Vancouver, the centre position looks rough for them, with the team reportedly rolling with Filip Chytil, Aatu Raty and Teddy Blueger as their three centres behind the disappointing Elias Pettersson.

Given all of the drama from 2024/25, it's no surprise that both Granlund and Dvorak would have looked at other opportunities over Vancouver, but if the Canucks can get back to their best next season, there's a chance they become a destination once again, and with money to spend, they'll be looking to fill a centre role heading into the season and at the trade deadline.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: