Chances are if you’re a diehard fan of a sports team, you probably have a list of players that you daydream about joining your favorite club. For myself, I’m a fan of two NHL teams but for this we’re going to be focusing on the Vancouver Canucks. I’m going to share my top five dream Canucks acquisitions, realism aside and detail why they would be a great add to the team and what makes the idea so exciting (in no particular order).
Starting with an easy and obvious one, can you imagine if Sidney Crosby was ever to play in Vancouver. Sid the not so kid anymore is not only a hockey and Canadian icon, but a Vancouver one too because of his golden goal in 2010. In the same building the Canucks call home, Crosby scored the overtime winner in the gold medal game of the 2010 winter Olympics to defeat Canada’s biggest rival the US. Almost a decade and a half ago, the memory of the goal is still fresh in the mind of Vancouverites and could be just the first of many big goals to be scored here on the coast for Crosby. This idea wasn’t created out of thin air either, as a large portion of Canucks management and staff have been poached over the years from the Penguins organization, some of which are still in touch with Sid to this day. He recently signed a two year contract extension that takes effect after this season, putting to bed the rumours of a potential Canuck debut, however maybe this is something that could be revisited in 700 days? Assuming the Canucks move on from one of their star forwards there may be an opening for someone like him in the near future. He’s no doubt a top five player of all time and it would just feel right to see him get the chance to play for a Canadian NHL team.
https://x.com/penguins/status/1885040475658190993
What could be better than the greatest player of the previous generation? How about the projected top player of the next generation? What a sight it would be to see hometown boy Connor Bedard lace the skates up for Vancouver. Bedard grew up in North Vancouver playing for West Vancouver Academy and has been open about being a lifelong Vancouver Canucks fan. Prior to being drafted he talked about his love for the team and talked about how special their 2020 bubble run was during Covid. He even name-dropped some of his favourite players including popular depth piece Tyler Motte. In Connor’s draft year the Canucks were in the lower echelon of league standings and for a minute it seemed as though there was a real possibility of a draft day miracle. In the summer Bedard is still known to come home to practice along with other Vancouver Born NHL players like Mathew Barzal and Kent Johnson. Because he’s still so early in his professional career, there’s more than enough time for a potential move to Vancouver at some point and I mean who knows? If Chicago continues to struggle and the Canucks have space to make it work, although it might be a pipedream we could potentially see a reunion for Connor in his hometown.
When the Sedins retired in 2018 it left a twin sized hole in Vancouver. Although they’re not twins, can you imagine Jack Hughes joining his brother Quinn in Vancouver. On the one hand you have the premier defenseman of the NHL in Quinn Hughes, the addition of brother Jack who has emerged as a potential generational forward talent. That would be one awesome 1-2 punch for Vancouver. While we’re at it, I’ll even propose a mock trade for him. With all the rumours going around about Elias Pettersson and the questionable reliability of goaltender Thatcher Demko, how would you feel about Demko and Pettersson being traded to New Jersey for Jack Hughes and something of low value like a sixth round pick? Brotherhood aside, Jack Hughes is one of the most electrifying players in hockey currently, he’s fast and agile on his skates with superior puck ability to almost everyone else in the league. He also is one of very few players that have a personality and has had his fair share of moments. Some personal favorites are when he scored an overtime winner before tossing the game winning stick over the glass and into the crowd. Another popular moment occurred in one of his post game interviews while Body Armour was the official drink, Jack referenced taking a sip of “gato” referring to Gatorade which was a big no-no for the leagues resident sponsor. Jack Hughes would bring a fun element to the Canuck’s that I think we haven’t seen a whole lot of for the past decade.
https://x.com/Canucks/status/1732231566162878872
What’s better than one Swede? Two Swedes of course! My next dream player that I’d love to see in Vancouver is on my other favourite team and that’s William Nylander. The prospect of a forward duo consisting of Elias Pettersson and William Nylander is exciting beyond what words can describe. We might even get a preview of this duo at the upcoming four nations faceoff tournament. The idea originally came a little over a year ago when Nylander’s contract was getting set to expire and his future in Toronto was uncertain. He’s since then extended for the long term in the six. The two Swedes playing together would be incredibly dynamic with both possessing elite finishing and playmaking ability. They also both are fantastic finishers and in Nylander’s case, similar to what I said about Jack Hughes, he is also in the minority of players that show their personality to the media. Often appearing shirtless in his media availability and keeping it light and cracking jokes.
The last player on this list is a personal favorite of mine and by no means a friendly face in the city of Vancouver, but how awesome would it be to have a player like Matthew Tkachuk on your team. Having a player that brings the type of skill Matthew brings mixed with the on-ice shenanigans is an extremely rare commodity in the league and a dying breed. He also provides elite defensive ability on the wing while producing offensively at an elite pace. He’s the kind of player that makes rivalries more intense with his physical style of play and unapologetic attitude and although he was once Vancouver’s biggest rival, seeing him suit up for the blue and green would be a dream come true.
Although none of the aforementioned players are likely to become Canucks (at least anytime soon) it would be surreal to ever see these guys play for your favourite team. Which players would you like to see suit up for Vancouver? How realistic do you think these dream matches are? Most importantly how long will it take for Connor Bedard to become a Canuck!