Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all had a lovely week and that your holidays have been filled with light and joy. And for those who don’t celebrate, I hope you have still found peace and rest in these days.

The holiday did get me thinking about which free agent players the Whitecaps’ front office might be looking to pick up as a stocking stuffer. Some of the primo options have come off the market or are likely not in Vancouver’s price range. Some others might make sense only if they move on from players currently on the roster. Still, it’s a fun game to play with not a lot else to do.

One area I suspect the front office is taking a hard look at in terms of free agents is forwards, with Daniel Rios not returning on a permanent deal. A few names that would be interesting: Willy Agada, Diego Rubio, and Mason Toye. Mikael Uhre would be a no brainer if he reportedly didn’t want to move to Europe. Agada would be a buy low candidate on a guy who has struggled to establish himself as an MLS starter but who definitely has potential. His physical frame and decent passing would make him a solid fit in the Caps’ system and a decent replacement for Brian White when he is unavailable. Rubio or Toye are not especially exciting but fit the Rios mold of guys who are MLS veterans and could help find goals off the bench, though neither one outperformed Rios this year. Rubio seems a better bet to bounce back. The forward market, however, is not overly exciting.

In midfield, the Caps could run it back with Ryan Raposo or Fafa Picault (kidding, though I wouldn’t hate Raposo on a dirt cheap deal). If a midfielder were to leave, Cesar Araujo would warrant a look given his excellent passing. Oliver Larraz is more of a defensive specialist but I could see Jesper Sorensen working some magic. Mark-Anthony Kaye is a known quantity who could provide some veteran leadership. Yuya Kubo is a Swiss Army knife sort of player who would be more interesting if he didn’t take up an international roster spot. Centerback isn’t even really worth looking at, given that Vancouver already has a glut of defenders, with Axel Schuster confirming Ralph Priso is sticking around at CB long term.

None of these guys wow me but I would bet that, given the Caps’ track record with rehabbing underused domestic players, there is someone they are eyeing. What names did I miss? Chime in below with who you think Vancouver should be eyeing up.

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