[Editing note: There HAS to be a better way to say that. Think of one later.]

Still no sign of Manny Malhotra reaching an agreement to coach the Vancouver Canucks, but Elliotte Friedman isn't worried. So, for now, we won't be either. There's a lot of other stuff to do before Draft Day, so it's not like the Sedins of Johnson are bored. I'll be generous and guess that the holdup is about who else Manny will be bringing onto his staff.

We're going to run down the folks on the ice - even if it was just part-time - and have a quick look-see at the free agents here. Some sort of decision needs to be made on them before the 2026-27 season starts, and we thought we'd help. By definition, these aren't in-depth looks, here. We have almost a month to go before the first deadline (trading for this year's picks), so expect a bit of filler between now and then, yeah? Let's go.

Who's What

Trying to categorize free agents is always a bit odd. Different players have different applications, so blanket terms rarely apply comfortably. Fortunately, the NHL has done that for us, and it's too warm to take anything but the laziest of options.

OOFAS

I don't really expect Vancouver's unrestricted free agents to return. Curtis Douglas is a Group 6* free agent, and the players are pushing for him to get re-signed. He was an instant fan favourite as fighters tend to be, and Canucks fans are going to have little to cheer this season. He probably has the best odds of a new deal of any UFA NHL player from last season.

Guillaume Brisebois may get another one-year deal, but given his miserable luck with this squad, maybe he'll feel a little snakebit. Wouldn't blame him for looking elsewhere by now.

Outside of those two, it's tough to see where the advantage lies with either the team or the player trying again. Jiří Patera, far from re-establishing his prospect potential, has cemented himself as a capable AHL netminder. Vancouver's already got a log jam in goal at every level, and they'll need to decide what to do with Aleksei Medvedev soon.

Joseph Labate has provided some shelter for the prospects coming up through Abbotsford, which is great, but he's not someone who can keep up an NHL pace. Nice story for a draft pick coming home, but he's found his ceiling.

Defenceman Derek Forbort - remember him? - played two games for Vancouver before injuries kept him out for the year. Thanks for the effort, but we filled that spot. Evender Kane was tired and bored on the ice, whatever his behaviour off it was like. The universal embarrassment of his hitting 1,000 NHL games in a Canucks jersey says it all.

Teddy Blueger, as much as he's said he wants to return, probably can't find a proper fit in Vancouver. He earned his two-year, $1.8-million-per contract and was good value for it. But it's now a very different team with a very different goal. They need the space for younger players to fill in low in the lineup, and he's just not a top-six guy.

ARFAS

There's only one restricted free agent at the NHL level, and that's spare defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. If Victor Mancini sticks around, I expect he'll take that role instead. Neither Jack Thompson nor Cole Clayton seems destined for a breakthrough, but they can both play on the right side. Having a few who can be called up in an emergency won't hurt the contract limit, but the NHL team probably hopes never to need them.

Moving to forward, there are some curious cases here. Chase Stillman is a very interesting guy, willing to engage with whoever is in his way. He's a "drag your team into the fight" type. He'll never be a scorer, but if your team needs a bulldog, he brings it.

Jaden Grubbe is almost the opposite of Stillman, thinking the game through and looking where he can make the most impact in the next five seconds. He looks to kill opponents' plays as much as make his own.

A great story for a sixth-round pick, Nils Åman is probably at the end of the line with Vancouver. He was a great free agent pickup, but he's also gone from 68 games with the Canucks in 2022-23 to 43 games to 19 to 2 last year.

As for Danila Klimovich, what can you say? He's fun to watch, as long as you don't care who scores next. After five seasons in the AHL, it's hard to see much in the way of progress. He still has his NHL-level shot, but that's not enough. Maybe another team thinks they can bring him out and believe in him enough to make an offer. But walking away is also an option.

*Group 6 free agent: over 24 years old; three or more years in a professional league with an NHL contract; fewer than 80 NHL games as a skater, fewer than 28 games over 30 minutes for goalies.