Elite Center Options Emerge for Vancouver Canucks Ahead of NHL's Trade Deadline

Over the weekend, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman shared that the Vancouver Canucks would like to add a forward to the NHL roster potentially before the deadline, with TSN's Darren Dreger also saying this week that they're looking for help down the middle.

After trading J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers at the end of January, the Vancouver Canucks have a big hole they need to fill down the middle, so it's not surprising that they're taking a look at adding a centerman before 12 pm PT on Friday.

In an article on Canucks Army on Tuesday, Tyson Cole took a look at seven top-six center options who have term left on their respective contracts and could be potential fits with the Vancouver Canucks organization.

Among the names mentioned by Cole are Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils, Pavel Zacha of the Boston Bruins and Barrett Hayton of Utah Hockey Club.

Both Mercer ($4M) and Zacha ($4.75M) have two years remaining on their contracts, with the latter having a ten-team no-trade list, while Barrett Hayton has one year left following the 2024-25 campaign with a cap hit of $2.65 million before becoming an RFA on July 1st, 2026.

With the New Jersey Devils and Utah Hockey Club making a push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that likely means Dawson Mercer and Barrett Hayton might not be available, unless it's part of a bigger trade that sees either club add a significant piece, perhaps even Brock Boeser for example.

In Boston, the Bruins are in the mix for a wild card spot, but with how inconsistent they've played, along with injuries to key players such as Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Brad Marchand, they'll likely be sellers at the deadline and have already traded pending UFA Trent Frederic to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

It's going to be interesting to see what Patrik Allvin has up his sleeve on the trade market this week as pending unrestricted free agents Brock Boeser, Derek Forbort and Pius Suter, along with Carson Soucy, who has one year left after 2024-25, are all options to be moved by Friday at noon.

If Patrik Allvin is able to package up a couple of those players in a bigger deal to address their lack of center depth, that would be a great move for the organization as they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Source: Tyson Cole/Canucks Army
7 top 6 centres with term the Canucks could trade for