Post-Sedin era: How can the Canucks spend their newfound cap space?

With Henrik and Daniel Sedin announcing they'll retire at the end of the season, a new era of Vancouver Canucks hockey is upon us. General manager Jim Benning is tasked with steering the team in a new direction, and with $14 million coming off the books, he has no shortage of flexibility.

Here's how the Canucks can use their newfound cap space to boost their ongoing rebuild and become contenders once again:

Use Sedin money on 2018 free-agent class

Cap Friendly projects the Canucks will have just over $21 million in cap space this offseason. With few players needing new contracts (Sven Baertschi and Jake Virtanen are the most notable), they're in a prime position to be big spenders.

Vancouver is well-equipped to make a pitch to pending unrestricted free agent John Tavares, but signing in a media-heavy Canadian market on a rebuilding team doesn't seem like something he would want. Instead, Benning should turn his attention to the following players:

John Carlson: The Canucks' biggest need is easily on the blue line. They need an anchor; someone who can log big minutes and push some of their other D-men down the depth chart. Carlson has played that role effectively in Washington this year, averaging nearly 25 minutes a night with 66 points. He's still only 28, so he could perform admirably at the tail end of a six- or seven-year deal.

Evander Kane: While addressing their back end should be the top priority, the Canucks also need someone who can put the puck in the net. The Vancouver native is one of the younger UFAs available, and could be a core player in his hometown for the next six or seven seasons. His post-deadline play with the Sharks has surely boosted his value, but the Canucks can afford it.

James van Riemsdyk: While he's not nearly as complete of a player as Kane is, Van Riemsdyk can score with the best of them - even if it's in a one-dimensional way. The Canucks could use a big-bodied net-front presence, and JVR is one of the best in the business at scoring around the crease.

Signing Carlson and one of Kane and van Riemsdyk would roughly cost the Canucks the $14 million they were paying the Sedins. Here's how their projected 2019 lineup would shape up with these two new additions, and the arrivals of top prospects Elias Pettersson and Olli Juolevi:

While this hypothetical version of the 2018-19 Canucks would require a lot of their younger players to grow up in a hurry in order to push for a playoff spot, there's no denying these signings would move them in the right direction.

Continue rebuild, wait for 2019 FA class

Not spending at least a good chunk of the Sedins' $14 million this offseason would be a tough sell to the fan base, but waiting until the 2019 free-agent class could be best in the long run.

Waiting until 2019 to splurge would allow Benning to focus on signing Brock Boeser - set to become an RFA after the 2018-19 season - to a long-term extension. Plus, another year without any major additions would likely mean another high draft pick, which could result in another cornerstone player.

Yes, the 2018 free-agent class has some players who would fit nicely with the Canucks, but the 2019 class could be even better. Here's a list of notable players scheduled to become UFAs after next season:

While many of them will likely re-sign before hitting free agency, Vancouver will be in a good position to make a push for those who test the open market.

With Alex Edler, Michael Del Zotto, Ben Hutton, and Anders Nilsson coming off the books after next season, Cap Friendly projects the Canucks will have more than $41 million in cap space. That doesn't include Boeser's impending pay raise, but nonetheless, Benning would have more flexibility if he waits another year.

He would be smart to use this cap space to acquire at least two top-four defensemen to support the emerging Thatcher Demko, who's arguably the best goalie prospect in hockey. Afterward, Benning would still have enough to go after a top-six forward, leading to a hypothetical 2019-20 lineup as follows:

While landing one of the big fish such as Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, or Oliver Ekman-Larsson would be ideal, signing both Tyler Myers and Jake Gardiner is more realistic, and would help their back end a whole lot. A sixth D would still need to be added, but that can be done in a variety of ways.

Meanwhile, Jeff Skinner is an underrated two-way player (second in the NHL with 92 takeaways) and a diminished role in Carolina could indicate he's in need of a fresh start. He seems like a good to fit to play alongside two young, talented players in Pettersson and Goldobin.

If Myers, Gardiner, and Skinner each get between $6 million and $7 million, and Boeser's cap hit comes in around $8 million, the Canucks would still have somewhere between $5 million and $10 million to shore up the rest of their team, when you account for modest raises for Baertschi, Goldobin, and Virtanen.

What neither of these lineup projections includes is the player Vancouver will choose with its first-round pick this year (which could very well be Rasmus Dahlin), or the player it will choose in the 2019 draft.

Regardless, if Benning spends the Canucks' newfound cap room wisely - which he hasn't always done (see Loui Eriksson) - and hits on high draft picks, and their young cornerstone players develop on schedule, the team could very well contend within the next few years, given the league's parity.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)