The Vancouver Canucks are a big step closer to getting a notable piece back into their lineup. Patrick Johnston of The Province reported Tuesday that injured goalie Thatcher Demko returned to practice for the first time since he was injured making a save against the Florida Panthers on December 1, 2022.
While Demko’s long-term standing in the Canucks organization remains unknown, his return could provide benefits. If Vancouver does opt to keep their once-named “goalie of the future” after a horrid start to 2022-23, a return to the ice makes a return to form a possibility for Demko, which should come with added confidence. Even if a trade is in the cards, a hot streak between now and the deadline for Demko would likely boost his trade value, giving Vancouver more assets to work with as they retool for future seasons. Hopefully, for Demko and the Canucks, he can make his 3-10-2 start to the season a distant memory.
- The New York Islanders have a distinct pattern of trading away first-round picks, and they did so again by dealing their top-12-protected 2023 pick to Vancouver in the Bo Horvat trade. It’s such a distinct pattern that Islanders fans have been wondering if the team can still trade their 2024 first-round pick, despite its potential transfer to the Canucks if New York ends up with a top-12 pick this season. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports clarification from the NHL that says yes, they can. If their 2024 first-round pick is transferred to the Canucks after being traded in a second deal, though, the pick in the second trade would automatically slide to 2025. It’s something other general managers will keep in mind at this deadline if the Islanders deal their 2024 pick in an attempt to load up even more.
- Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams could look to reward his team’s strong performance this season with a trade deadline move, NHL Network’s Steve Konroyd and Mike Johnson said this morning. They called out the Columbus Blue Jackets as a potential trade partner, with names like Boone Jenner and Vladislav Gavrikov available. However, they stopped short of saying any discussions between the two parties actually occurred. With Gavrikov’s asking price rumored to be a first-round pick, however, it may be too early in Buffalo’s ascent to competitiveness for Adams to make such a major splash.
Since when is Boone Jenner available? He’s their captain and has 3 more years left at a really reasonable cap hit left. Why would they trade him? I haven’t read anything about him from any reputable outlet about being available in trade.
I agree; it seems odd. I get that a fire sale is the best option for them, but you gotta have some transitional pieces, and he’s their captain. You’ll have to ask Konroyd about that one.
The guys and gals on NHL Network are a bunch of diarrhea mouths and It’s there job to kill alot of time on the network but unfortunately they don’t do any homework so what usually happens is once the camera is pointed at them they will say just about anything even if it’s made up.
Yea Captains never get traded or leaves a team.
Sabres do have 9 signed Forward prospects to their ELCs + a ’23 1st & 3 ’23 2nds as assets to trade. It’s just GMKA doing his due diligence.
Bo Horvat was captain of the Canucks
I don’t get how the Islanders are allowed to trade their 2024 first round pick at this deadline when it is earmarked for the Canucks? If the Islanders decide to use the pick this year, the pick will slide into the 2025 draft. Seems fishy to me. What if the 2024 draft is better than the 2025 ? Something doesn’t seem right here. They need to close that loophole next CBA. If that’s the case then the Islanders should have to cough up an additional 2nd as compensation.
There are essentially two scenarios if the Islanders trade their 2024 first at this year’s deadline:
2023 first-round pick IS NOT top 12:
No issues
2024 first-round pick IS top 12:
VAN receives NYI 2024 1st
Other team receives NYI 2025 1st instead of 2024
It’s certainly a risk GMs have to be aware of. I don’t see how it’s a “loophole,” considering that another team could just ask for more picks in the trade as compensation for a potential deferral. If a team doesn’t, that’s on them for not doing their research.
It would just be a condition of the trade which would be factored into the value
I get what you are saying…I just didn’t see anywhere that if the 2024 pick is in the first 12 picks, that the Canucks would get it, and the other team would get the 2025 pick. I just understood that if the 2023 pick falls within the top 12, the Islanders would get it, and the Canucks would get the unprotected 2024 pick automatically. They made no mention of all the other stuff that it could be deferred to 2025 when the trade was announced…I just found out a week later on here.