Former Vancouver Canucks forward Jannik Hansen doesn’t see a way for the team to find a fix for their second line center hole behind Elias Pettersson.
The Vancouver Canucks management group will have plenty to work on this summer as they look to upgrade their roster ahead of the 2025-26 season to avoid missing out on the playoffs for a second straight year.
One area that the Vancouver Canucks need to address in the offseason, and something they tried to do at the deadline, is land a second line centerman to solidify their top-six forward group.
Jannik Hansen believes Vancouver Canucks will have a tough time finding a 2C
During an appearance on The People’s Show on Sportsnet 650 radio on Tuesday, former Vancouver Canucks forward Jannik Hansen gave this thoughts on the team’s second line center role heading into the summer.
Hansen believes that the Vancouver Canucks will have a tough time trying to land a second line center this summer as there isn’t really anyone in the free agent market that could fit that role for Patrik Allvin’s group.
He went on to say that, in order to find someone to play behind Elias Pettersson – someone he’s worried about – they’ll likely have to go down the trade route and even then, it won’t be an easy fix.
“I’m worried about next year. I can’t see them fixing this. I’m looking at the UFA centers that are available and I’m looking at Petey and he’s giving me no belief that this is turning around right around the corner. All he needs is an offseason.” Hansen said.
He added, “You’re not finding a legitimate top center in the UFA, which means you have to go trade for one and who is that center you’re going to trade for that’s going to come in and solidify the top-six and have two legitimate top-six centers.”
If the Vancouver Canucks need to go to the trade market to land a second line centerman, there’s a good chance they’ll have to dangle their 2025 first-round pick in any deal, which is something that Patrik Allvin could be comfortable doing given the team is expected to select 15th overall.
It’s too early to say who could be available for the Vancouver Canucks to acquire, but this is a big issue that Patrik Allvin needs to address before the start of training camp and fans are hoping that he’ll be able to get that done well in advance.