Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning is confident his club's young group of stars will ultimately lead the franchise to a Stanley Cup - he just needs to sign them first.

Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Thatcher Demko are all restricted free agents after the 2021 season, and Benning believes the impending salary cap restructuring will be easily resolved by then.

"They're real important players for our franchise," Benning told NHL.com's Pete Jensen. "We can figure out a way that makes sense for those guys and for the organization to get them signed, and that's going to be our intention. They're going to be part of our core group, we think, for when we do win the Cup. We're excited to have them."

Vancouver projects to have $24 million in cap space for the 2021-22 campaign but only has 14 players signed to this point. Pettersson and Hughes combined could take up the vast majority of that available money if the Canucks opt to sign the pair of superstars long term, and Demko, 25, will be worth much more than the $1.05 million he's currently making if he emerges as the goaltender of the future.

All three players are eligible to sign extensions. In November, Benning said the club and Pettersson had yet to engage in substantive contract talks.

The Canucks are coming off their most successful season in nearly a decade. The club won a playoff round for the first time since 2011, ultimately losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round in seven games.

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