Do the Canucks need sign anyone else before the season starts?

[Picker of Cherries]

The Canucks should be getting more depth and trade deadline assets and let Lekkerimaki, Mueller, Cootes, and anyone that doesn’t need waivers work on their games in Abbotsford until after the trade deadline. The big club will be struggling, so there is more value early in the season to load up Abbotsford.

The team has the top waiver rights based on their last place finish. I think that is a bigger opportunity than finding UFAs at this point. The pro-scouts need to find some diamonds in the rough that teams are sneaking through waivers. The top teams 13th or 14th forwards going through waivers are likely better than the Canuck’s 11th or 12th. This is the time for pro-scouts to prove their worth.

In a season designed to lose, NHL development opportunities should be secondary to bringing in tradable depth assets at every position. I think goaltending is particularly interesting.

Some of us believe the Canucks should carry three goalies, but unless the pro-scouts are convinced Tolopilo has what it takes to be a starter above the players being exposed on waivers, he should be waived and a goalie with either more upside or higher trade value should be taken when they go through waivers in late September. When teams are trying to “sneak” players through waivers, it will be up to the pro-scouts to find a better third goalie option than Tolopilo, select that player off waivers, and then waive Tolopilo. There is a decent chance Tolopilo will not be selected off waivers, and that creates better depth in Abbotsford and more tradable options as the season progresses and injuries pile up on other teams.

Here is a list AI generated of goalies who might be placed on waiver worth taking over Tolopilo keeping the focus on young-ish goalies with enough upside to interest a rebuilding Vancouver club, rather than simply veteran NHL depth.

“| **1** | Colten Ellis | Buffalo Sabres | 6'1" | 185 lb | **Best overall bet.** He's only 25 and has put together two consecutive excellent AHL seasons before getting meaningful NHL action. His development trajectory is the most convincing of this group.

| **2** | Cayden Primeau | Carolina Hurricanes | 6'3" | 200 lb | **Highest proven AHL ceiling.** His spectacular 2024–25 AHL season (21-2-2, .927) shows what he can do when he's confident. The question is whether he can translate that to the NHL.

| **3** | Henrik Tikkanen | New York Islanders | 6'8" | 222 lb | **The lottery ticket.** Massive goalie with unusual physical tools. His AHL numbers aren't nearly as good as Ellis or Primeau's, but he's young enough and physically unusual enough that I'd be interested in taking the development gamble.

| **4** | Kevin Mandolese | Montreal Canadiens | 6'5" | ~205 lb | **Interesting reclamation project.** He's shown flashes at the NHL level and has the size, but his overall AHL track record is less convincing than the top three.

| **5** | Ivan Fedotov | Philadelphia Flyers | 6'7" | ~255 lb | **Biggest physical wild card.** Huge goalie with NHL experience and considerable pedigree. The concern is that his recent AHL performance hasn't justified projecting him as a future starter.

| **6** | Kaapo Kähkönen | Montreal Canadiens | 6'2" | ~215 lb | **The safer option.** He's already played a lot of NHL hockey and could probably handle third-goalie duty immediately, but there's substantially less developmental upside than with Ellis, Primeau or Tikkanen.

How I'd categorize them

**Best chance of actually becoming a good NHL goalie:**
**Ellis**

**Highest demonstrated ceiling:**
**Primeau**

**Highest-risk/highest-reward:**
**Tikkanen**

**Best reclamation gamble:**
**Mandolese**

**Best physical freak:**
**Fedotov**

**Best immediate NHL insurance:**
**Kähkönen**

And that's why I think Ellis is particularly interesting for Vancouver. At 25, he's young enough to still have significant development runway, but unlike Tikkanen, you're not relying primarily on theoretical upside. He's already demonstrated that he can dominate the AHL and then hold his own in the NHL.

One caveat: These are targets to monitor for the waiver process, not a claim that all six are currently expected to be placed on waivers. Their availability will depend on how each club's goalie situation shakes out during training camp.”

[UWSaint]

The Canucks should be getting more depth and trade deadline assets and let Lekkerimaki, Mueller, Cootes, and anyone that doesn’t need waivers work on their games in Abbotsford until after the trade deadline. The big club will be struggling, so there is more value early in the season to load up Abbotsford.

[etc., esp. goalie talk]

I quite like the idea of picking up a goalie that gets snuck through waivers. I don't know enough about the guys you like to have a strong opinion on "who," but I like the idea of adding any tweener who is/project to be as good or better than Tolopolopolopiviaolopo. Whether by necessity or by design, Demko can start on the IR and the Canucks could conceivably carry 3, and get these goalies into a few games before deciding which to pass through waivers again. Unlike position players, the chance of getting diamonds from the rough with goalies (well, if not diamonds, at lease some kind of precious stone) is something greater than remote. All of the goalies of the future in the system are years away, and we all know goalies are the hardest thing to project to begin with. With rare exceptions, its a game of quantity....

As for starting guys in the AHL, I think that's presumptively the best place (but presumptions can be overcome) for the prospects you list except for Sushi. I think the presumption is that if he comes to camp ready and nearly operational (from the nature of the injuries and his skill suite, that's a big IF), he starts in Vancouver. The only thing he has to learn from the AHL is how to complete a season. He can do that in the NHL. He has 32 goals over 57 AHL games the last two seasons. We've seen from his NHL game that he's got deficits in making the jump, and those deficits concern me greatly for long term success because it is speaks to needed stepwise improvements and not just linear improvements that just come with time, but don't confuse those deficits for "more to learn in the AHL." Those goal scoring numbers are very strong for that league, and last year's 13 goals in 21 games came without an AHL playmaking center. He doesn't need to learn how to score in the AHL; he needs to figure out how to make it work in the NHL. I fear that all he will learn in the AHL is that he can be the player he's been, put up 45-50 goals in the league if healthy, and thus improve nothing.

[Ronning's Ghost]

Probably should but I don’t think for increased scoring which leans to increased wins which leads to decreased draft position… protection of the kids might be more a thought…

Gathering more assets that may be good enough to move out at the trade deadline is also a good strategy. I do like the idea of helping Anaheim out of their pickle, for a costs.

The team has the top waiver rights based on their last place finish. I think that is a bigger opportunity than finding UFAs at this point. The pro-scouts need to find some diamonds in the rough that teams are sneaking through waivers. The top teams 13th or 14th forwards going through waivers are likely better than the Canuck’s 11th or 12th. This is the time for pro-scouts to prove their worth.

In a season designed to lose, NHL development opportunities should be secondary to bringing in tradable depth assets at every position. I think goaltending is particularly interesting.

+1 X 3.

I am starting to hope that the ownership/management group regularly checks out this site.