Canucks Reportedly Made Renewed Effort To Extend Kiefer Sherwood

The Vancouver Canucks made a new contract extension offer to pending UFA forward Kiefer Sherwood, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last night. Friedman added that he still believes there is a “sizable gap” in terms of what Sherwood is looking for on his next deal versus what the Canucks are willing to offer, making a trade still the most likely outcome.

It has been frequently reported over the last few months that the Canucks are looking to trade away their pending UFAs, part of an organizational pivot made in the aftermath of the Quinn Hughes trade. Out of all of the Canucks’ pending UFAs, Sherwood is generally viewed as the most valuable trade asset, making it notable that the club has made a new pitch to try to retain his services beyond this season.

Sportsnet’s Iain McIntyre wrote this morning that Sherwood has a “strong case to make $4- or $5-million or more annually on his next contract,” and it would be something of a surprise to see the Canucks invest so heavily in Sherwood, who turns 31 on March 31.

If the Canucks are serious about pivoting their competitive strategy to favor something akin to a rebuild, trading away Sherwood for what is likely to be a solid return of either draft picks or young prospects appears to be the only real path forward.

But Friedman’s report indicates that the club is at least making a real push to try to keep Sherwood, and for what it’s worth, Sherwood did communicate a desire to remain in Vancouver. He told McIntyre “I love it here,” and that he wants “to do nothing more than bring energy and happiness to this fan base in this market.”

It’s not difficult to see why the Canucks might want to retain Sherwood, of course. He’s a well-respected veteran whose work ethic has endeared him to coaches and fans alike in Vancouver. He racks up hits like few other wingers across the NHL and has a knack for goal scoring as well, potting 17 in just 41 games this season.

He’s a player that offers a lot to like, and as the Canucks integrate more and more younger players into their NHL lineup, it’s not unreasonable that they’d want a few veterans to serve as the steady backbone of their lineup.

Sherwood could serve in that role, undoubtedly. But seeing as Friedman reported that there is still a notable gap between what the Canucks are looking to pay Sherwood on his next deal, and what Sherwood is looking to earn, a trade still appears to be, by far, the most likely path the Canucks take here.

Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images