The Vancouver Canucks are facing perhaps the most crucial offseason under general manager Jim Benning — though he will be equipped bundles of cap space to add one or two impact players.
Benning and the Canucks missed the playoffs by just nine points, which is pretty good when you consider that a) this was a rebuilding year and b) all the injuries that hit this team late in the season.
Though Benning doesn’t have the most successful track record in free agency, he might feel the temptation to dip his feet in a market that could include Erik Karlsson, Joe Pavelski, Jeff Skinner, Matt Duchene and Artemi Panarin, among others.