With the NHL’s holiday roster frozen in less than 48 hours, reports indicate the Vancouver Canucks are doing everything they can to add to their roster. This year’s roster freeze begins December 20, with teams unable to make trades until the 27th. Whether it’s a top-four defenseman or another winger, all signs indicate that the Vancouver leadership group wants to improve its roster as soon as possible.

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As Rick Dhaliwal of “Donnie and Dhali” reports, two players the Canucks are interested in are Buffalo Sabers Bowen Byram and Columbus Blue Jackets Ivan Provorov. Both are left-handed defensemen who were top-ten picks after playing at the junior level in the WHL. While Byram spent his time with the Vancouver Giants, Provorov spent several seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings and was named CHL Defenseman of the Year in 2016.

This isn’t the first time Vancouver has been linked to Byram. By commercial deadline of 2023, the Canucks would have attempted to acquire Byram as well as Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche for JT Miller. Ultimately, the Avalanche rejected the deal and Miller signed a seven-year extension in Vancouver.

Even though Byram has a long injury history, he remains a top-four defenseman. In 32 games this season, he has 18 points and is averaging over 23 minutes per game. Byram has an AAV of $3.85 million and is a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

As for Provorov, he spent the last two seasons with the Blue Jackets. In 32 games this season, the Russian defenseman has 11 points and is also averaging over 23 minutes per game. Provorov, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, currently has a cap hit of $6.75 million.

The other interesting thing Dhaliwal mentioned is that the Canucks are looking for another winger. Even though Vancouver has built a strong wing group, Dhaliwal speculates that could have something to do with Brock Boeser’s future within the organization. Although there is no indication that Boeser will not re-sign with the Canucks, he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. According to Dhaliwal, the two sides are currently working on a deal that would allow Boeser to remain in Vancouver beyond this season.