June 25, 2008 | 3:31am ET
Canucks interested in Hossa, Malone TheFourthPeriod.com
The Vancouver Canucks are projected to be very active in the free agent market and could go after Penguins stars Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Canucks are considered a serious contender for Hossa.
Hossa and Malone will become unrestricted free agents July 1.
While the Canucks will be hot on Hossa's trail, the paper notes Vancouver might not be able to offer Hossa his desired annual salary of $8 million over five years.
The Canucks are, however, expected to pitch a long-term contract offer likely worth more than $5 million for Malone's services.
The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks will also make an offer for Hossa, while the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets will bid for Malone.
If the Canucks are able to sign Hossa, that will likely mark the end of Markus Naslund's tenure in Vancouver.
Naslund, an unrestricted free agent, will field offers from other teams July 1.
The Canucks would love to get their hands on a player of Hossa's calibre, but whether they're willing to offer $8 million per year is another story. The team will go hard for Malone. I can't see the Canucks ending up with both players, as Malone's a more likely candidate, but I do see Vancouver going after other players this July -- such as Montreal's Michael Ryder. Another player to watch is Darcy Tucker, whose contract has been bought out by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
