Canucks ‘still monitoring’ remaining UFA options; actively working to clear cap space: report

Drance mentioned that, if Vancouver were to make a big swing in what’s left in the free agency market, the team would have to make some moves to free some cap space. Following the signing of Brock Boeser, the Canucks are almost $1 million over the salary cap for next season, according to Puck Pedia.

Even though a lot of the big guns put their pens to paper in the opening week of free agency, there are still a few good players that would be worth taking a swing at, if there’s mutual interest.

There’s plenty of interest in centre Jack Roslovic. The 28-year-old is coming off a solid 2024-25 season, scoring 22 goals in 81 games for the Carolina Hurricanes, matching his career high. His 39 points were the third-most he’s posted in his eight-year NHL career. He could provide some stability down the middle for the Canucks.

Roslovic’s latest deal was a one-year contract with a $2.8 million cap hit.

Maybe the most interesting name that’s still on the board is Matt Grzelcyk. The 31-year-old defenceman registered a career-best 40 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year, 39 of which were assists. He can be someone who can log a lot of minutes and, as we’ve seen in the past few years, can contribute on the offencive end.

Other UFAs still available include forwards Victor Olofsson, Joel Kiviranta, and Luke Kunin, each of whom probably wouldn’t cost the Canucks more than $3.5 million.

The Canucks have certainly not been quiet in free agency thus far, but haven’t made a lot of noise in terms of signing talent from elsewhere. The team has signed the likes of Mackenzie MacEachern, Jimmy Schuldt and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, not necessarily franchise-altering signings. However, there’s still plenty of time and plenty of talent for the team to acquire before the 2025-26 season.