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So we’re left with the question: “Will the Canucks be able to sign a big-money free agent?”

It’s a difficult answer, mostly because the back history is not long for those kinds of signings in this town. There’s also the state of the team, which even management now admits is not terribly close to contending. So why would a big name sign here?

You can also flip that in the other direction: do the Canucks really want to bring in a big name? It really looks like they’d need to bring in a pair, but if the cap is the lower option, that gets harder. If it’s the upper alternative, well anything’s possible, as they say.

We already know that Milan Lucic is probably staying in sunny LA. Why would Steve Stamkos sign with the Canucks? The third name we’ve heard connected to the Canucks, Loui Eriksson, is likely to get a big payout after a career-high season, just the type of guy you should be wary of.

Let’s look at three other free agents who could make a big impact and also be good value for money.

KYLE OKPOSO

Photo by Frank Franklin II / AP

The big winger will be a hot commodity this summer. He’s just 28 and fresh off a 64-point season. He’s the kind of power forward that Jim Benning clearly has an affinity for.

He’s also a really good hockey player. On top of being a front-of-the-line scoring threat, he generally played against some of the opposition’s best players.

He’s a winger, but he’s the kind of winger you could build a new scoring line around, one that could take the pressure off the Sedins. Everyone he plays with does better. Imagine him paired with Bo Horvat? That would be big pressure on the young centre, but given the progress he made in 2015-16, it’s not out of the question.