Halfway through February, the trade deadline looms and is just a few weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Vancouver Canucks.
While it wouldn’t be fair to say there were high expectations for Vancouver heading into the season, there were certainly some hopes that they’d be able to pick up where they left off after a strong second half in 2021-22. With Bruce Boudreau back for a full season, the team would be better offensively, Thatcher Demko would continue to be a strong starter, and things would be looking up.
Suffice it to say, that hasn’t happened. Boudreau was recently fired after months of speculation with Rick Tocchet taking over while Demko was having the worst season of his career before being injured, turning things over to a pair of AHL goaltenders. The end result is that they’re one of the worst teams in the league defensively and with one big move made already – Bo Horvat to the Islanders – the selling-off process is well underway.
Record
21-30-4, 6th in the Pacific
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$7.62MM in LTIR relief, 1/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2023: NYI 1st*, VAN 1st, VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, NYR 4th, VAN 4th, VAN 6th
2024: VAN 1st, VAN 3rd, VAN 4th, VAN 5th, VAN 6th, VAN 7th
*-Pick is top-12 protected in 2022-23 and becomes an unprotected pick in 2024 if it doesn’t convey this season.
Trade Chips
There has been no shortage of speculation surrounding defenseman Luke Schenn in recent weeks. The veteran has been a capable defensive piece on the third pairing over the last two seasons while being one of the most physical players in the league. He’s also extremely cheap as his $850K cap hit is just $100K above the minimum salary. Accordingly, this is a contract that pretty much everyone can afford without necessarily needing retention or salary offsets, elements we’re going to see come up frequently over the next couple of weeks. Schenn has indicated that he’d like to stay in Vancouver but they’re likely to get a high enough draft pick that they’ll opt to move him.
Also on the back end, Tyler Myers is another player who has been in trade speculation for a little while. Unlike Schenn, he’s not a rental (signed through next season) and certainly isn’t cheap with a $6MM AAV and a 10-team no-trade clause. He’s still capable of logging top-four minutes and in a swap of underperforming change-of-scenery veterans, there’s a move to be made with him. Another defenseman, Travis Dermott, is one to keep an eye on. Injuries and struggles have limited him to just 11 games so far. Owed a $1.75MM qualifying offer this summer, that’s a price that’s likely more than they’re willing to pay so if there’s a team that wants the 26-year-old as extra depth, it’s hard to imagine the Canucks passing up the opportunity to pick up a late-round pick there.
Up front, Brock Boeser is someone to keep an eye on. Things have not gone well for him this season but he has scored more than 20 goals in four of the last five years and likely would have gotten there in the year he didn’t had it not been for the pandemic-abbreviated schedule. There are teams that certainly could use him in their top six but with a $6.65MM price tag through 2024-25, fitting him into a contender’s cap structure will be tough. If they’re willing to retain salary though, there’s a chance he could be on the move as well.
Conor Garland is having a decent season and should reach 39 points for the fourth year in a row. However, he has taken a bit of a step back from last year and with the additions of Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev last summer and the acquisition of Anthony Beauvillier in the Horvat trade, Vancouver has a surplus of wingers. Garland carried some decent trade value back with Arizona but how much will his contract (which runs through 2025-26 at a $4.95MM AAV) change things? Again, retention might be necessary to facilitate a move or at least take a similarly-priced player back.
Other Potential Trade Chips: G Collin Delia, F Micheal Ferland (LTIR contract), D Jack Rathbone, D Riley Stillman
Team Needs
1) Picks and Prospects – This one is pretty obvious for a team that’s heading for a rebuild. Vancouver hasn’t had more than six picks in the last three years and has only picked twice in the top 75 over that span. Their prospect pool isn’t the deepest as a result and needs to be built back up.
2) Cap Flexibility – At the moment, Vancouver has just over $80MM in commitments for next season while still needing to fill out a few roster spots. Even as a seller, they need to open up some room simply to be able to afford to ice a full team next season. Moving out one of their pricier contracts (Myers, Garland, or Boeser) would go a long way toward giving them some much-needed wiggle room.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Schenn is a must to move, with a baby due March 3 the only complication ; by whittling away at their cap troubles the last week or so, hopes are high that they leverage that for another pick – but mgmt has rumbled in past about hunting for reclamation projects under 27… wouldn’t be surprised if Bear’s also on the move if they can recoup a 2nd next year