It&#8217;s going to be a busy offseason for <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver Canucks</a> upper management. They have a few holes on this roster that need fixing, and none bigger than their void at second-line centre.
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However, as President of Hockey Operations <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/4-takeaways-vancouver-canucks-allvin-rutherfords-end-season-media-availability">Jim Rutherford</a> said in his exit meetings, it&#8217;ll be expensive, but it would be more expensive not to acquire a second-line centre.
The free agent pool looks bleak. The best available unrestricted free agent centres heading into free agency are Sam Bennett, John Tavares, and <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/which-premium-ufas-available-vancouver-canucks-want-go-big-game-hunting-summer">Matt Duchene.</a>
Tavares has expressed a strong interest in returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs, while Bennett and the Florida Panthers have mutual interest in an extension. So, it&#8217;s probably safe to take them off the Canucks&#8217; radar.
This leaves Duchene. The former first-round pick has expressed a desire to return to Dallas, but also said that things are a little different this year. Duchene played with the Stars under one-year deals in the previous two years. Now, after an 82-point season and at the age of 34, Duchene likely wants to cash in on his final big ticket of his career.
But that&#8217;s where things get a little murky for a return to Texas.
<h1>Can the Canucks take advantage of the Stars?</h1>
Heading into the offseason, the Stars have just $4,955,084 of available salary cap space.
Which is going to be a problem when they have Duchene, Mikael Granlund, Evgeni Dadonov, <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/offseason-dreaming-could-vancouver-canucks-offer-sheet-mavrik-bourque">Maverick Bourque</a> and captain Jaime Benn to re-sign. Not to mention, they are likely looking to upgrade their right-side defence, as they have only Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin under contract for next season.
The Stars have a lot of players to re-up and a big hole on the right side to fix, with not a lot of money to do so.
So could the Canucks take advantage of a cap-strapped Stars? And by that, we mean via trade.
The Stars have eight forwards under contract heading into next season. <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/could-rantanen-trade-open-door-vancouver-canucks-trade-colorado-avalanche">Mikko Rantanen</a>, Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston are all locked up until at least 2030, so they are likely untouchable.
But there are a few other players that could be expendable.
The rumour mill is already starting to churn about Jason Robertson and how his name is out there on the trade market:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Jeff Marek: A lot of people are saying the Stars are thinking of making Jason Robertson trade to create cap space, flexibility and re-acquire draft capital &#8211; The Sheet
&mdash; NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLRumourReport/status/1930103063798223023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Could the Canucks go after Robertson?
He&#8217;s not the centre they desire, but they also need another top-six forward with offensive chops to help carry the load up front. Robertson has four straight seasons of 79 or more points, and could pair nicely with the age of this group (25) and alongside <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-elias-pettersson-thatcher-demko-featured-daily-faceoff-latest-trade-targets-list">Elias Pettersson</a>. The Canucks will need to be sure he will sign an extension after next season, but the risk could be worth the reward.
Mason Marchment is another name reportedly out there. He&#8217;s a little more difficult to move as he carries a 10-team no-trade clause. The 6&#8217;5&#8243; middle-six winger is known for his physical play over offensive punch. He would be an upgrade on what the Canucks currently have, but in terms of them bringing in a high-profile top-six contributor, Marchment doesn&#8217;t necessarily fit that bill – nor a centre.
Another name we could bring up is Tyler Seguin.
At 33 years old and holding a $9.85 million cap hit, this might not be the most attractive target. But Seguin could be a cap casualty in Dallas that the Canucks could squeeze out another asset out of coming the other way.
He&#8217;s been playing the wing for the past few seasons but has multiple seasons of experience at centre in the NHL. Despite the few down seasons, he has maintained a second-line role in Dallas. Last season, he was a point-per-game (21 in 20 games) and has registered over 49 points in three straight seasons before last, despite not playing a full 82-game season.
So, his offensive skill is still there, and he could fill a void in Vancouver. The only problem would be his full no-movement clause. But we&#8217;ve seen players waive their clauses to help teams in a cap crunch before, so that isn&#8217;t entirely out of the realm of possibilities.
Bourque is a restricted free agent that the Stars may not be able to hang onto as well. He&#8217;s been rumoured to be a hot offer sheet candidate this summer. According to AFP Analytics, the 22-year-old is projected to make $1,952,656.70 over a two-year extension.
A team making an offer sheet for Bourque would likely pay up to $2,340,037, which is the highest possible salary for a third-round pick compensation. If the Stars were to match that contract, that would be just under half of their current available cap space. That&#8217;s likely too rich a contract for them to pay given their situation.
Could the Canucks try and package a deal where the Stars send them Seguin with his full cap hit (barring he waives his trade protection) and attach Bourque (who they may lose to an offer sheet) and perhaps upgrade their right-side defence? The Canucks have a few young options that could entice the Stars to get that done (Victor Mancini or Tom Willander).
Now, the Stars do have a few buy-out options. However, they both come on the right side of their defence.
If the Stars bought out the final year of Dumba&#8217;s $3.75 million deal, they would save $2,333,333 on the cap next season. And if they were to buy out Lyubushkin&#8217;s last two years of his $3,250,000 deal, they would save $2,391,667 on the cap next season.
That would give them $4,725,000 additional cap space, bringing their available cap space to $9,680,084. This could be enough to bring back two of Benn, Duchene or Granlund. However, that would leave them with zero right-shot defencemen under contract. So, that likely isn&#8217;t the direction they will go down.
Regardless of what route the Stars go down this offseason, they have no choice but to part ways with some good forwards. And the Canucks definitely have an opportunity to reap the benefits and take advantage of the cap-strapped Stars. But will they?
Which of these Stars players would you like to see the Canucks go after this offseason? Let us know in the comments below!
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It's going to be a busy offseason for <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver Canucks</a> upper management. They have a few holes on this roster that need fixing, and none bigger than their void at second-line centre.
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However, as President of Hockey Operations <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/4-takeaways-vancouver-canucks-allvin-rutherfords-end-season-media-availability">Jim Rutherford</a> said in his exit meetings, it'll be expensive, but it would be more expensive not to acquire a second-line centre.

The free agent pool looks bleak. The best available unrestricted free agent centres heading into free agency are Sam Bennett, John Tavares, and <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/which-premium-ufas-available-vancouver-canucks-want-go-big-game-hunting-summer">Matt Duchene.</a>

Tavares has expressed a strong interest in returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs, while Bennett and the Florida Panthers have mutual interest in an extension. So, it's probably safe to take them off the Canucks' radar.

This leaves Duchene. The former first-round pick has expressed a desire to return to Dallas, but also said that things are a little different this year. Duchene played with the Stars under one-year deals in the previous two years. Now, after an 82-point season and at the age of 34, Duchene likely wants to cash in on his final big ticket of his career.

But that's where things get a little murky for a return to Texas.
<h1>Can the Canucks take advantage of the Stars?</h1>
Heading into the offseason, the Stars have just $4,955,084 of available salary cap space.

Which is going to be a problem when they have Duchene, Mikael Granlund, Evgeni Dadonov, <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/offseason-dreaming-could-vancouver-canucks-offer-sheet-mavrik-bourque">Maverick Bourque</a> and captain Jaime Benn to re-sign. Not to mention, they are likely looking to upgrade their right-side defence, as they have only Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin under contract for next season.

The Stars have a lot of players to re-up and a big hole on the right side to fix, with not a lot of money to do so.

So could the Canucks take advantage of a cap-strapped Stars? And by that, we mean via trade.

The Stars have eight forwards under contract heading into next season. <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/could-rantanen-trade-open-door-vancouver-canucks-trade-colorado-avalanche">Mikko Rantanen</a>, Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston are all locked up until at least 2030, so they are likely untouchable.

But there are a few other players that could be expendable.

The rumour mill is already starting to churn about Jason Robertson and how his name is out there on the trade market:

https://twitter.com/NHLRumourReport/status/1930103063798223023

Could the Canucks go after Robertson?

He's not the centre they desire, but they also need another top-six forward with offensive chops to help carry the load up front. Robertson has four straight seasons of 79 or more points, and could pair nicely with the age of this group (25) and alongside <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-elias-pettersson-thatcher-demko-featured-daily-faceoff-latest-trade-targets-list">Elias Pettersson</a>. The Canucks will need to be sure he will sign an extension after next season, but the risk could be worth the reward.

Mason Marchment is another name reportedly out there. He's a little more difficult to move as he carries a 10-team no-trade clause. The 6'5" middle-six winger is known for his physical play over offensive punch. He would be an upgrade on what the Canucks currently have, but in terms of them bringing in a high-profile top-six contributor, Marchment doesn't necessarily fit that bill – nor a centre.

Another name we could bring up is Tyler Seguin.

At 33 years old and holding a $9.85 million cap hit, this might not be the most attractive target. But Seguin could be a cap casualty in Dallas that the Canucks could squeeze out another asset out of coming the other way.

He's been playing the wing for the past few seasons but has multiple seasons of experience at centre in the NHL. Despite the few down seasons, he has maintained a second-line role in Dallas. Last season, he was a point-per-game (21 in 20 games) and has registered over 49 points in three straight seasons before last, despite not playing a full 82-game season.

So, his offensive skill is still there, and he could fill a void in Vancouver. The only problem would be his full no-movement clause. But we've seen players waive their clauses to help teams in a cap crunch before, so that isn't entirely out of the realm of possibilities.

Bourque is a restricted free agent that the Stars may not be able to hang onto as well. He's been rumoured to be a hot offer sheet candidate this summer. According to AFP Analytics, the 22-year-old is projected to make $1,952,656.70 over a two-year extension.

A team making an offer sheet for Bourque would likely pay up to $2,340,037, which is the highest possible salary for a third-round pick compensation. If the Stars were to match that contract, that would be just under half of their current available cap space. That's likely too rich a contract for them to pay given their situation.

Could the Canucks try and package a deal where the Stars send them Seguin with his full cap hit (barring he waives his trade protection) and attach Bourque (who they may lose to an offer sheet) and perhaps upgrade their right-side defence? The Canucks have a few young options that could entice the Stars to get that done (Victor Mancini or Tom Willander).

Now, the Stars do have a few buy-out options. However, they both come on the right side of their defence.

If the Stars bought out the final year of Dumba's $3.75 million deal, they would save $2,333,333 on the cap next season. And if they were to buy out Lyubushkin's last two years of his $3,250,000 deal, they would save $2,391,667 on the cap next season.

That would give them $4,725,000 additional cap space, bringing their available cap space to $9,680,084. This could be enough to bring back two of Benn, Duchene or Granlund. However, that would leave them with zero right-shot defencemen under contract. So, that likely isn't the direction they will go down.

Regardless of what route the Stars go down this offseason, they have no choice but to part ways with some good forwards. And the Canucks definitely have an opportunity to reap the benefits and take advantage of the cap-strapped Stars. But will they?

Which of these Stars players would you like to see the Canucks go after this offseason? Let us know in the comments below!

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Could the Canucks take advantage of a cap-strapped Stars team this offseason?

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