Which true top-six centres could the Canucks still trade for this offseason?

Can GM Patrik Allvin and Co. of the Vancouver Canucks turn the dog days of summer into the dogged days of summer?

Dogged, as in ‘the dogged pursuit of badly-needed centre depth for their NHL franchise’?

So far, it’s all quiet on the Western Conference front. But while the Allvin Regime has been known to often get their shopping done early, they’ve also made a habit of late-summer purchases – like Pius Suter two summers ago, or Daniel Sprong late last offseason.

Based on their own statements, it seems fair to say that the Vancouver front office would like to have brought a more definitive 2C than Filip Chytil or Aatu Räty into the mix prior to Training Camp 2025, which kicks off on September 18 in Penticton.

The only problem? We’ve long since run out of obvious trade targets. Some of those we’ve previously identified have moved already, and those that haven’t now, for the most part, seem likelier to stay where they are.

Who’s left for the Canucks to pursue? As they scour the depth charts of their NHL rivals, so too do we.

Premium Label Top-Six Options

There are some truly excellent options still out there to fill the 2C role. The only issue is the high cost that is certain to come with them, and the question of whether the Canucks can afford it.

Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild
23, 5’9”, 182lb, RFA

We’ve written and you’ve read enough about Rossi at this point to know the score. His size and pending contract are his only real downsides, and everything else – age, skill level, competitive streak – is exactly what the Canucks are looking for.

Extension negotiations with the Wild remain at a standstill, which should mean that Rossi is still theoretically available. In some ways, it feels like the moment has passed, but if talks get acrimonious from here on out, perhaps not. In any case, there’s enough cap space left over around the league to ensure multiple suitors stay in the hunt for Rossi, so his general price tag isn’t going to come down anytime soon. The asking price starts with the 2026 first-rounder and goes up from there.

Mason McTavish
22, 6’1”, 219lb, RFA

Another current RFA, and an even more expensive one at that. McTavish may not have the overall skill level of a Rossi, but he plays a more well-rounded game that includes plenty of physicality and drive.

There’s a question of whether the Ducks will want to pay McTavish what he’s asking for after having anointed Leo Carlsson as their 1C of the future and having signed Mikael Granlund to back him up as 2C. Chances are best that either McTavish or Granlund will simply shift to the wing, but, like Rossi, if the contract talks get nasty from here, maybe it’s a parting of ways instead.

If that comes to pass, however, it feels like half the league would be in on the bidding. Expect any McTavish trade to come with an exorbitant price tag, even well over and above what would be expected for Rossi.

Tomas Hertl
31, 6’3”, 220lb, $8.14 million AAV until 2030 (29-team NTC)

Flipping the somewhat-recently-acquired Hertl to make room for Mitch Marner would be classic Golden Knights.

Something has to give in Vegas, one way or another. They’re some $7.6 million over the cap with roster spots to fill, and while Alex Pietrangelo’s LTIR(etirement) can get them back under the functional ceiling, it wouldn’t leave them any wiggle room at all.

Given the Golden Knights’ preference for in-season tinkering, this seems unlikely, and so someone else will probably move. If it’s Hertl, however, it would have to basically be by his choice – he’s got a preposterous 29-team NTC, meaning he gets to pick out just three choice destinations and that’s that.

The Canucks would have to hope he has really, really enjoyed playing in the Pacific Division.

Josh Norris
26, 6’2”, 196lb, $7.95 million AAV until 2030

We’ve already written a fair bit about Norris, so we won’t belabour the point. The good: Norris is a centre in his prime who has scored as many as 35 goals in a season before, and who happens to be a best friend of Quinn Hughes.

The bad: he’s terribly injury-prone, and still won’t be all that cheap to acquire from a Buffalo team desperate to return to the playoffs.

If there’s a hockey trade to be made, Norris remains an intriguing option. But he’s not ‘for sale’ enough for the Canucks to pursue otherwise.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
32, 6’1”, 192lb, $5.13 million AAV until 2029 (NMC)

Okay, are we dreaming here?

Maybe. Nugent-Hopkins signed what was a major hometown discount at the time to stay in Edmonton for the remainder of the decade. But he’s really tanked the past couple of years, dropping down from 104 points to 67 and then all the way down to 49 last season – though he did rebound for 20 points in 22 playoff games.

If the Oilers are seeking a shakeup and find themselves unable to part with a defender like Darnell Nurse or Mattias Ekholm, a forward who might make sense to deal is Nugent-Hopkins. It would certainly send a message to the Edmonton room. And if that came to pass, a place Nugent-Hopkins might reasonably waive his NMC for is his hometown-ish of Vancouver.

But he’s probably too cost-effective for the Oilers to seriously consider dealing, and we have to imagine they’d look to avoid an intra-divisional trade anyway.

Mid-Range Middle-Six Options

The following section covers those players who may not hold the same value as the above group – for better and for worse. They may be less impactful options, but they should also be decidedly more obtainable.

William Karlsson
32, 6’0”, 190lb, $5.9 million AAV until 2027 (10-team NTC)

If we go back to those comments we made on Hertl, we have to note that it’d be even more of a Golden Knights thing to trade one of their original members in order to clear room for a UFA mercenary. Karlsson is one of the last Expansion Misfits left.

He’s no longer the top-six scorer he was in his prime, but he is still an incredibly effective player at both ends of the ice who always makes a positive impact. In the end, that dollars-to-impact ratio is probably too high for a budget-conscious team like Vegas to part with, but stranger things could happen. Were Karlsson to be dealt, he might be one of the few centres on this list who could go for a primarily futures-based package. 

Elias Lindholm
30, 6’1”, 202lb, $7.75 million AAV until 2031 (NMC)

Last year, there was some idle talk of the Canucks bringing Nikita Zadorov back from exile in Boston. Why not the other UFA they signed last summer?

The Lindholm contract has proven immediately regrettable for the Bruins, who are now about to embark on a rebuild of sorts with an underperforming centre on the books until 2031. If they can get out of a bad fit now, maybe they should. And if we’re picking out the best destinations for Lindholm, why not Vancouver, where he certainly seemed to enjoy himself before chasing the money elsewhere.

This may be one of the rare opportunities on this list for the Canucks to acquire a centre for less than they’re truly worth. But to do so, they’d have to be willing to incur the risk of Lindholm’s contract – and the possibility of his not bouncing back – and that’s something they already walked away from once.

Nazem Kadri
34, 6’0”, 185lb, $7 million AAV until 2029 (NMC)

By skill and production, Kadri belongs a tier higher on this list. It’s just his age that holds him back from being a premium solution.

That said, it sounds like Kadri is on the block as the Calgary Flames attempt a retool on the fly. The ultra-competitive Kadri no doubt wants to move to a roster with a better chance at the playoffs. Is that Vancouver? Hard to say, but Kadri clearly enjoys playing in Canada, so that’s a positive factor.

Could the Canucks justify the cost – which has to start with a first round pick, one would assume – for a 34-year-old? They’d have to be darn certain of Kadri’s fit and impact over the next couple of seasons. 

Ryan Strome
31, 6’1”, 192lb, $5 million AAV until 2027

If we go back to the slight forward logjam in Anaheim, then Strome is certainly another centre who could shake loose, especially if the Ducks do wind up keeping McTavish. He’s been a fairly consistent 40-point scorer for a while now and has developed into a bit of a veteran leader.

The Ducks, flush on cap space, don’t really need to deal anyone. However, Strome would still cost something, and perhaps more than is worth a less-than-ideal fit.

Pavel Zacha
28, 6’3”, 206lb, $4.75 million AAV until 2027 (10-team NTC)

Here’s another one that we’ve written about who is still available.

Zacha has size and skill, but hasn’t always been able to put them together, even with David Pastrnak frequently on his wing. At this point, it’s tough to see Zacha as a true upgrade on Chytil, but he’s certainly more durable and physical, so that’s something.

The Czech centre could be sold off for reasonable futures, and depending on how reasonable those futures are, he could wind up being one of the most acquisition-cost-effective players on this list.

Nicolas Roy, Toronto Maple Leafs
28, 6’4”, 201lb, $3 million AAV until 2027

The Leafs just acquired Roy in the ‘trade’ that sent Marner to Vegas, and one might assume that means they’ve got plans for him. But Toronto really needed to get something back for Marner’s signing rights, and Roy also just happened to be a piece the Knights were willing to part with.

If the Maple Leafs continue to chase a scoring replacement, Roy is someone who could end up flipped to create the cap space. If so, he’s an underrated option for the Canucks. Thus far, he’s topped out at 41 points in a season, but that’s playing for a very deep Vegas roster. Given a more concrete top-six opportunity, Roy could be a sneaky candidate for a breakout campaign.