Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Hockey. We’re almost through August, which means teams will soon be starting training camp. With that, rumours are coming in hot. In today’s NHL Rumour segment, we focus on the Vancouver Canucks and their pursuit of adding a centreman.
All NHL rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours: Canucks Looking to Add a Centreman
Rumour: According to Thomas Drance of The Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks are still looking to add a middle-six centre for the upcoming season.
Hearing the #Canucks have cooled off on pursuing late summer UFA Jack Roslovic.
Club wants a full-time centre upgrade, and doesn’t see that player available in the UFA bargain bin. It’s going to take a trade.
More in today’s notebook via @TheAthleticNHL: https://t.co/kqRo1ijb8e
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) August 19, 2025
Analysis: According to Drance, their interest in pursuing current free agent Jack Roslovic has cooled off. The Canucks don’t see Roslovic as a long-term solution at centre, and any remaining free agents just won’t cut it. However, they are still active on the trade front, trying to acquire this piece.
Possible Trade Targets
While the Canucks made a swing at Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi prior to the draft, reportedly offering them the 15th overall pick, that proposal was rejected. The Wild have now signed Rossi to a bridge deal, leaving the Canucks looking elsewhere. The market is thin in terms of middle-six centres. However, two names specifically come to mind: Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Pavel Zacha.
Kotkaniemi
Kotkaniemi is the first player who comes to mind when thinking middle-six centre and is definitely available. He hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype of being selected third overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. However, Kotkaniemi is still just 25 years old. Every season he’s played at least 60 games, he’s scored 10 plus goals. He’s just two years removed from his most productive season, where he scored 18 goals and 43 points in 82 games. A change of scenery could be exactly what the doctor ordered for Kotkaniemi to truly break out. Given his low cap hit of just $4.82 million for the next five years, he’s exactly the type of player the Canucks could afford to take a chance on.
Zacha
Zacha is a bit of a different story. He’s more proven than Kotkaniemi, flirting with scoring 60 points multiple times over his nine-year career and scoring over 20 goals twice. He has experience centring the top line for the Bruins and served very well in that position. He’d be a much better option for the Canucks to target; however, it would come at a much higher cost in terms of assets. He may be three years older than Kotkaniemi, though he’s still just 28 years old and in the prime of his career. While his situation is different than Kotkaniemi’s, as he has proven to be a valuable asset already, he is still available based on the Boston Bruins looking towards a rebuild.
Interesting Weeks Ahead for the Canucks
Though neither of these players has exactly been linked to the Canucks, they have been listed on every major outlet’s trade board over the course of the summer. One would have to assume that the Canucks have at least done their due diligence and checked in on what the cost would be to acquire one of them, as well as others around the league. As it stands, expect Filip Chytil and Aatu Raty to try to fill the void for the Canucks to start the season. However, if it’s not working out, the Canucks do have some quality options they can turn to via trade.
Main Photo: Derek Cain – Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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