Damn Dakota, It Was Nice Knowing You!

Damn Dakota, It Was Nice Knowing You!

the initial offer for the two-time defending champion of the Canucks unsung hero award Dakota Joshua has been revealed and there is a massive gap between that number and what the projections are saying if the canx and Joshua cannot come to terms they must replace his speed and physicality in the bottom six in this video I will share a couple of free agent options for the bald boy Coalition including a 66 beast from Pittsburgh that Rutherford and Cole are very familiar with could he be coming to Vancouver on July 1st I will dive into these topics in today’s video but before I get into it please like this video and consider subscribing to the blue hockey Dakota Joshua has been one of the best stories for the Canucks the past two seasons initially signed out of the Blues organization nobody expected him to contribute the way he has the knocks made a lot of noise this season and that has inflated the value of their free agents Joshua included the best comparison for him is Nick Paul who is also 63 and over 200 lb now Paul’s cap hit is 3.15 million but he got a 7-year deal it is safe to assume that Joshua is not getting a seven-year deal from anyone but his contract is projected to be around the3 to $3.5 million range because the term is going to be shorter and the salary cap has risen so how much are the Canuck’s offering reportedly it is in the low twos the bad news is that the odds of coming to an agreement before July 1st are low the good news is that the management team is proactive unlike the previous regime which never had enough time if if Joshua walks you can bet that Rutherford and Alvine already have backup options whether it’s through free agency trade or internal let me share a few options with you guys to be clear these are bottom six targets so you won’t see names like Tyler bzi on this list I’m starting with an off theboard name that you may have never heard of redeem zahna why would the Canucks be interested in him well Jim Rutherford actually signed him to his first NHL deal in 2020 and we know how much the bald boy Coalition loves bringing in their own but zahna is not bald so that might work against him what does he have working in his favor well he is big really big he’s 66 so 3 in taller than Joshua he only scored four goals in 33 games last season but context is important all of those goals came out five on five and he played fourth line minutes his goals per 60 was actually higher than Ricard Raquel and Riley Smith he has a nose for the net and uses his size to his Advantage if you look at what made Joshua and Garland pairing so successful it was Joshua size drawing Defenders towards him opening up space for Garland’s creativity zahna profiles as a similar player and judging by his highlights he uses his size to his Advantage this could be an under the radar cheap lowrisk high reward option that slides into that third line leftwing spot but what is the downside well he has not proven himself to be a full-time NHL Winger just yet he spent half the season in the AHL he has also been on three teams including two two terms in Pittsburgh and none of these clubs have deemed him to be a full-time NHL to be fair Joshua was in a similar position when the canu signed him but he was 26 and zahna is 28 at this point he may have no Runway left to grow but like I mentioned earlier this could be a lowrisk high reward signing chemistry is a weird thing you never know how certain players will fit into your lineup at worst zahna is a solid depth option and Penguins fans really seem to like him at best he finds a home in the Canucks bottom six and plays a defensively responsible game chipping in with the occasional goal or two with his deaf hands I believe taka can get him to simplify his game and get him playing a north south game this Management Group is thorough and I believe they will consider zahna I will revisit this prediction on July 1st my second suggestion is kefir Sherwood of the Nashville Predators who clawed his way to the NHL and played his first full season at the age of 28 and what a dat deut season it was his underlying metrics were very impressive he ranked second amongst PR’s forwards in goals four percentage and fifth in points per 60 at five on five he is more than capable of replacing the offense that the Canucks may lose from Joshua his skating and Relentless nature is what got him to the NHL and his defensive game is what is going to keep him there when he is on the ice the opposition really struggles generating offense he was second amongst PR’s forwards in suppressing High danger opportunities although he is right-handed he is versatile and spent most of the last season on the left wing beside Novak and Evangelista so what is the downside well he is 29 and a UFA in the NHL for the first time he is going to want a contract that extends as far as possible into his 30s so a mini bidding war May begin Barry trots and the Predators really like him as well so he may not even hit the open market also even if he signs for around 2.5 wherever that may be there’s no guarantee that he is an NHL caliber player next season he may be one of those players that comes from the AHL has a good season and then Cashes in there is much more risk with this player than zahna and my third and final suggestion vasili pod Coen cost controlled over the next two seasons at 1 million per fans have been waiting seemingly years for po Cen to break out and there were some promising signs towards the end of last season after a stint in the AHL po cen’s defensive game for checking physicality were all visibly improved if he wants to replace Dakota Joshua as the third line Winger these are the traits that will serve him the most but if he wants to be a long-term solution someone that can jump into the top six which Joshua did at times P Coulson has to ReDiscover his offense as a fourth line Winger this season it was understandable that he focused on being defensively responsible showing off the tools that he learned in abbotford but at some point he is going to have to ReDiscover the touch that allowed him to score 14 goals as a rookie especially if he is playing beside Connor Garland luckily for pods this organization really believes in Him JT Miller has gone to bat for him Alvine outlined a plan for pods and rewarded him with an extension he needs to have a good offseason this summer and come into Camp hungry takit is not afraid to give young guys extended looks in training camp last season he had Baines beside Miller if pods comes in and crushes his fitness test forget replacing Josh in the bottom six he could finally become the top six power forward that fans envisioned when he was drafted in 2019 that’s all I have for you guys today thanks for tuning in let’s continue this conversation in the comment section which of the two free agent options do you like and how many goals do you think P coulsen will score next season Please Subscribe and I will see you guys next time

When your team makes as much noise as the Vancouver Canucks did this season, the vultures will start to circle. Teams around the league are aware that the Canucks are tight to the cap, and are eyeing their free agents. Dakota Joshua is one such free agent. He has a tantalizing mix of speed, skill, and physicality. He is the type of player that can be an X factor in a playoff run, and there will be no shortage of suitors for his services on July 1st. If the Canucks cannot sign him, there are players on the market that they can consider as replacements, and some in-house options. In this video, I go over those options!

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