It’s no secret that the Vancouver Canucks are desperate for an upgrade to their centres.
That was true before the season, when Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger were both healthy. It’s even more paramount now.
The Canucks acquired Lukas Reichel in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks less than a month ago and signed former Toronto Maple Leafs centre David Kämpf on Saturday.
They’re also probably leaning on Aatu Räty and Max Sasson more than they’d like at the moment.
Reichel, 23, hasn’t been able to move the needle offensively, putting up no goals and just one assist in 12 games with Vancouver. Kämpf, 30, is a more accomplished two-way player, but clearly isn’t going to solve all their problems.
That’s why Canucks GM Patrik Allvin might have interest in another option that hit the waiver wire on Monday: 24-year-old centre John Beecher.
Elliotte Friedman on centre John Beecher on the waiver wire today : Montreal is looking for a centre and I don’t think I would be surprised if Vancouver checked in on him.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) November 17, 2025
Beecher has appeared in 136 NHL games since the Boston Bruins selected him in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He hasn’t been a big point producer, scoring 22 points (11-11-22) during that time.
Beecher was counted on to play in 78 games for Boston last season, playing fourth-line minutes (11:17). He was among the Bruins’ most-used penalty killers, playing an average of 1:31 while shorthanded.
That last fact could catch the eye of the Canucks, who currently have the NHL’s worst penalty kill percentage (67.2).
The Canucks are also one of the league’s worst faceoff teams, and that’s an area of strength for Beecher, who won 52 per cent of his draws last season.
They’ll also love Beecher’s size, given he’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds.
With just one year remaining on his contract, paying him $900,000, Beecher is a low-risk bet. We’ll see if it’s one that Allvin is willing to make in the next 24 hours.