January 11, 2024 | 6:59Pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

CANUCKS LOOKING TO ADD TOP-SIX FORWARD

Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford

The Vancouver Canucks sit atop the Pacific Division and haven’t taken their foot off the gas the entire season, thus far, which could put them in a position to further bolster their roster ahead of the trade deadline.

The Canucks do not have a ton of salary cap space to play with and any major addition could result in a roster player being shipped out of town. They have been active this season, having made multiple moves already, and could look to do more.

Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko has been made available and Vancouver still seems to be willing to move him and his $5.5 million salary cap hit. He has another year left on his contract and owns a 12-team no-trade list.

On Thursday’s edition of “Insider Trading” on TSN, Pierre LeBrun reported the Canucks “are not done” and reported the Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford told him they are exploring the possibility of bolstering the roster up front.

“What the Canucks are looking for is the idea of potentially adding a top-six forward before March 8th,” LeBrun said.

It is unclear whom the Canucks are looking at or considering, and as LeBrun noted, with seven and a half weeks until the deadline, the team’s mindset could change. But for the time being, they seem to be evaluating options and that could ultimately lead to a move over the next two months.