Changes announced in Canucks priorities: Bad news for Lindholm and Zadorov

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Cooper Godin
June 10, 2024 (2:21 PM)

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It's going to be a busy few weeks ahead for Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin, with several pending free agents in need of new contracts.

Among those that are set to hit to open market on July 1st as unrestricted free agents are Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm and Dakota Joshua, but according to Frank Seravalli, none of them are the Canucks' top priority.

Seravalli said that their priority is restricted free agent defenceman Filip Hronek, and if they can get him under contract soon, they could return to Nikita Zadorov before July 1st.

"Neither...It's not in a price range they can afford...I think their priority has been Hronek. If they can't do that, they might return to Zadorov before free agency." Seravalli said.

From a salary cap perspective, prioritizing Filip Hronek over anyone else right now makes sense. He's going to eat a big chunk of their available cap space, and once his deal is completed, they'll get a better idea of how much money they'll have to play with to get others signed.

However, from a performance standpoint, at times in the second half of the season, Nikita Zadorov looked better than Filip Hronek, and that's something the Canucks need to consider. While that definitely won't be the case every season, Zadorov's emergence during his time in Vancouver this past season can't be overlooked. He would be a solid option on the second defensive pairing behind Hughes-Hronek for years to come.

Who do you think should be the Canucks' top priority - Filip Hronek, Elias Lindholm, or Nikita Zadorov? Let us know what you think in the poll below!