Detroit Red Wings getting ready to steal Dakota Joshua with a massive offer
Since taking over from Jim Benning, Patrik Allvin has made great acquisitions, so good that everybody wants to have them.
The Canucks have 11 players whose contracts need to be renewed, and nine of them are headed to the market with complete autonomy. Among the lot, a few of those players will be in line for massive pay raises. Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm are both headed to free agency after the Canucks acquired them midway through the season, but one name who's been circulating is Dakota Joshua.
The Maple Leafs first drafted the power forward, then given a first NHL opportunity with the St. Louis Blues, but it was with the Canucks that he established himself and found his role within the team. On Canucks Central earlier, Satiar Shah discussed Joshua and how he had been attracting other team's interest; if Allvin waits past July 1st to sign him, he's as good as gone.
According to the intel Shah gathered, the Detroit Red Wings are extremely high on Joshua, and their GM, Steve Yzerman, would be putting together an offer with an AAV north of $4M:
Due to injuries, Joshua was limited to 63 games this season. Had he played a full 82 games season, the winger was pacing for 23 goals and 43 points. All that was done while being a force on the forecheck, a pivotal player to the penalty kill, and a perfect match for Conor Garland on Rick Tocchet's middle 6.
At his exit interview, Allvin felt confident in his ability to find a gem like him via free agency. We now know that Joshua comes from a rare breed of very complete player, should the Canucks be wary of taking that risk and at what point should the Canucks let him play elsewhere?
As heard on Canucks Central: Mailbag Extra
| POLL | ||
Should the Canucks be open to the idea of spending over $4M for Dakota Joshua? | ||
| $3M at most | 661 | 30.9 % |
| Between $3M and $4M is fine | 925 | 43.3 % |
| Sign him at all cost | 160 | 7.5 % |
| Let him go, he's replaceable | 390 | 18.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
