The Vancouver Canucks have a strong crease and blue line heading into the 2025-26 season, but their forward group remains a huge question mark. Will Elias Pettersson return to his prior 100-point dominance? Who will step up (or be acquired) to become the second-line center? Who will score in the potential absence of Brock Boeser and Pius Suter? These are just a few questions that hang over the head of general manager (GM) Patrik Allvin and the Canucks’ front office as July 1 approaches.
Free agency doesn’t appear to be the place where these questions will be answered, so Allvin will have to turn to the trade market. Luckily, there are a few centers and wingers available – and young ones at that. But as it is with any trade, you have to give up something to get something, and the Canucks have a 15th-overall pick burning a hole in their pocket. While they could use a boost to their thin prospect pool, Quinn Hughes isn’t getting any younger, nor further away from free agency himself, so the win-now mentality/Vegas Golden Knights philosophy of always having their top prospects and draft picks available for trade might need to be used. With that said, let’s take a look at three forwards that should be acquired using that first-round pick.
Marco Rossi, Center, Minnesota Wild
It appears that it’s only a matter of time before Marco Rossi is wearing some new colours. It was confirmed by RG.org’s James Murphy that the Minnesota Wild will be looking to trade him before next season due to his high contract demands as a pending restricted free agent (RFA). He is reportedly looking for the same deal that teammate Matt Boldy got, which was seven years and $7 million average annual value (AAV). The Canucks have $14,156,667 in cap space right now, so they could accommodate that salary, but would only be left with approximately $7 million to re-sign Boeser or acquire another winger in free agency or trade.
Rossi is only 23 years old and just scratching the surface of his potential in the NHL. He just posted back-to-back 20-goal seasons, and more importantly, has remained healthy after being diagnosed with myocarditis in 2020-21. In fact, he hasn’t missed a single game since 2022-23.
Rossi may be undersized at 5-foot-9, but he has a lot of skill packed into his small frame. While some say he might not be equipped to be a second-line center, my colleague here at The Hockey Writers, Justin Giampietro, did a deep dive into his game recently and refuted that notion saying, “With 2.41 points scored per 60 minutes of ice time, Rossi had a great 2024–25 campaign. In that metric, he finished ahead of Brock Nelson and Sam Bennett, two of the top free-agent centermen available (although Nelson could easily extend). While Nelson didn’t have as much talent next to him, Bennett played full-time with Matthew Tkachuk—that can offset concerns about Rossi’s “reliance” on Kirill Kaprizov, who was injured for a lot of the season, anyway.”
Basically, Rossi is exactly what the Canucks need, legitimate skill and potential in the top-six. He has already shown that he can score in this league, and judging by his last two seasons, he has a lot more to give as he enters his prime years. Considering the Wild are reportedly only looking for a first-round pick in return, trading for Rossi should be high on Allvin’s priority list right now.
JJ Peterka, Right Wing, Buffalo Sabres
Another young player seemingly with his foot out the door is the Buffalo Sabres’ JJ Peterka (from ‘NHL offseason trade board: An early look at the summer’s top targets, from Kreider to Rossi to Ehlers,’ The Athletic, 5/29/25). Similar to Rossi, he broke out during the 2023-24 season to the tune of 28 goals and 50 points, and improved upon those numbers this season with another 27 goals and a new career-high 68 points. Next to Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stutzle, he’s probably the most skilled player to come out of Germany in the last few years. The 23-year-old is going to cost a pretty penny on his next contract, though, as he’s slated to make nearly $8 million average annual value (AAV) on a long-term deal (seven years) and $4.6 million AAV on a bridge contract (two years), according to AFP Analytics.
Peterka would fill the top-line winger role, but they would still be looking for a second-line center, now without a first-round pick to deal. Having said that, adding Peterka – especially if Boeser doesn’t return, and they don’t trade for Rossi or another center – would be massive for the Canucks as he is also approaching his athletic prime and has a lot more scoring potential left in the tank than anyone in free agency.
Mason McTavish, Center, Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are still rebuilding and have plenty of young talent to build around. However, they haven’t really established their core yet. Does it include Mason McTavish ? While GM Pat Verbeek has said he wants to re-sign the pending RFA, rumours have been out there that he could be available. The 6-foot-1 center has had a pretty good start to his NHL career, hitting double-digits in goals in three straight seasons, including a career-high 22 goals and 52 points this season. He’s big, physical, has a great shot on the power play, and is solid defensively. He’s also been pretty good in the faceoff circle, winning over 50 percent of his draws the last two seasons (51.7 percent in 2023-24 and 50.7 percent in 2024-25). Basically, everything the Canucks need in their top-six to replace what Miller brought to the ice.
McTavish actually plays the game a lot like Miller. He can play multiple styles, whether it be the physical power forward that bulls his way to the net or the finesse type that uses speed and stickhandling to get by his opponent. He’s a burgeoning two-way center that has a lot of upside still in the league and could eventually be an 80-point player in his prime. McTavish also seems to have the clutch gene that you need in the playoffs, as he made what is being called the “golden save” in the 2022 World Juniors and has a few last-minute game-winners in his NHL career as well, including one with seconds left against the Penguins on a breakaway coming out of the penalty box.
As for what McTavish is slated to make on his next contract, AFP Analytics is projecting a seven-year long-term deal at $6.77 million AAV or a $3.98 million AAV bridge contract. Again, both could be accommodated, but they would still be left with little money for a top-line winger. The Canucks would likely have to give up more than just a first-round pick, too. They might have to add a roster player or prospect to sweeten the pot, since they won’t be the only team interested if McTavish does indeed get put on the trade block.
Canucks Won’t Find Their Top-6 Forward in Free Agency
The Canucks need to upgrade their forward group before next season, especially if Boeser and Suter sign elsewhere. But they won’t find the answer to their problem in free agency. They will need to traverse the trade market, and one of these three players could be the solution, not only for the short term, but several years into the future as well. If Allvin is going to trade his first-round pick, it needs to be for someone like this, not a veteran that is only here for a season or two.
