I'm almost at the point where as far as the Canucks are concerned, next year is almost a 'write-off' year. If they make the playoffs, great. But if they don't then not a big deal either.
As the pandemic drags onward, it's obvious we're looking at a truncated NHL season. There's talk of more bubbles; a Canadian-only division since the Canada-U.S. border might still be closed; and a flat salary cap taking its toll on player movement.
I'd rather see them roll the dice with young blueliners like Rafferty, Rathbone and Juolevi than go out and sign another NHL journeyman or two like Fantenberg. It'll probably be a rough baptism for sure for the young d-men. But they'll benefit a lot more from gaining experience and potentially make the Canucks better down the road.
And by the end of next season, they're gaining cap space with the contracts for Edler, Pearson, Sutter, Baertschi and Benn all expiring. And surely with only a year left on the contracts for Beagle, Roussel and Eriksson, that buyouts are in order.
So next year might be about 'taking a step back' in order to 'take a step forward' whenever life returns to normal after next season.