NHL free agency: 5 teams who need to sign Erik Karlsson

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 28: {L-R} Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brayden Point #21 of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Erik Karlsson #65 of the Ottawa Senators wait to be introduced during the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena on January 28, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images /

5. Vancouver Canucks

There are several reasons to believe the Vancouver Canucks are going to be among the teams pursuing Erik Karlsson this summer. First of all, dear goodness does their defense need help. Even with the addition of top prospect Quinn Hughes, the Canucks easily have one of the worst bluelines in the league. Here’s their depth chart, per CapFriendly.

Quinn Hughes – Christopher Tanev
Ben Hutton – Troy Stecher
Derrick Pouliot – Alex Biega

Even if you assume they re-sign long-time defenseman Alex Edler, that’s still a pretty weak blueline.

Secondly, Karlsson would give their blueline an elite puck mover, something they’ve lacked for years. Thirdly, they certainly have the cap space to bring him in long-term. Even if Brock Boeser gets an $8 million AAV deal, it still leaves the Canucks with well over $25 million of cap space, assuming the cap ceiling is raised to $83 million as expected.

Fourthly, the Canucks have always been a target for Swedish players. I’m sure the Sedin twins will talk up Vancouver as the underrated, great city that it is.

However, the Canucks must convince Karlsson they are Stanley Cup contenders. With him, it’s a bit of a tough sell, but with Elias Pettersson, Boeser, Bo Horvat, Hughes, and others, they’re at least in the discussion, though they likely fall short.

The Canucks have the opportunity to be extremely selective and bold regarding what they do this summer. It wouldn’t surprise me if they swing for the fences and see if Karlsson’s interested. If they’re going to splurge on anyone this summer, it should be for him.

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