Jordan Greenway

Arguably the biggest surprise of this season has been the stunning success of the Vancouver Canucks. A team that once looked to be in a dire situation just a year ago is now 25-11-3, tied for fourth in the NHL in points.

The team’s pillars at each key position (forward, defenseman, goaltender) are playing to the absolute peak of their capabilities, with Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko each a candidate for the Norris and Vezina trophies, respectively. Center Elias Pettersson could very well be a candidate for the Hart Trophy as well, if the race for that award did not already figure to be a two-horse race between Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov.

The Canucks are in a position where they can legitimately consider treating 2023-24 as a “Stanley Cup or bust” sort of win-now campaign. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance wrote as much in a recent piece, positing that since “uncertainty looms beyond this year” regarding the futures of Petterson, Filip Hronek, other blueliners, and J.T. Miller, the Canucks could reasonably consider behaving like a true Stanley Cup contender at this year’s trade deadline. (subscription link)

If that ends up being the case, the Canucks have numerous trade possibilities in front of them. The team has already bolstered its defense with the acquisition of Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames, but it may not stop there. Drance specifically names Nashville Predator Dante Fabbro and former Canuck Chris Tanev as two of the team’s potential trade targets, with the two right-shot blueliners likely to replace either Noah Juulsen or Tyler Myers in the team’s regular lineup if acquired.

But while defense is an area that the Canucks might stand to improve, Drance writes that “a top-six forward is seen as an area of greater need” for Vancouver. Up front, much of the conversations regarding what the Canucks might do centers around forward Andrei Kuzmenko.

Although the 27-year-old had a stellar rookie season with 39 goals and 74 points in 2022-23, he’s lost his spot next to Pettersson this season and has been at times a healthy scratch.

While he’s still managed 19 points in 33 games and does factor in on the power play when in the lineup, head coach Rick Tocchet’s demands of his players away from the puck has led to Kuzmenko’s overall role eroding.

For what it’s worth, Drance notes that Kuzmenko’s agent, Dan Milstein, told The Athletic that “he and his client remain committed to making it work for Kuzmenko in Vancouver.” But although this isn’t a situation where a player is responding negatively to a reduced role and is seeking an exit, an exit could still very well be in store.

Moving Kuzmenko could clear as much as $5.5MM off of the Canucks’ books, which would open up significant new avenues for external additions. NHL teams are making calls on Kuzmenko’s availability, according to Drance, and one team reportedly is reportedly “showing real interest” in acquiring the Russian forward. His will be a name to look out for among fans of clubs in need of skilled additions up front.

In terms of who the Canucks could potentially acquire, Drance names two specific forward trade targets as he did on defense: Pittsburgh Penguins star Jake Guentzel and Buffalo Sabres winger Jordan Greenway. Guentzel, who the Canucks’ front office has familiarity with from their time in Pittsburgh, would be an absolutely massive addition. The pending unrestricted free agent would likely only be moved if its clear the Penguins are out of the playoff hunt by the deadline, and if he’s available he’d likely be the top name on the trade market. He’s scored 18 goals and 43 points this season and has two 40-goal seasons on his resume.

As for Greenway, the 26-year-old was traded to Buffalo just last season. The big six-foot-six power forward would add some size and snarl to the Canucks’ forward corps, something the team does not have in abundance. His acquisition cost would likely be far less steep than Guentzel’s, though he does come with an additional year on his contract at a $3MM cap hit.

Regardless of which particular player the Canucks ultimately target in earnest, one thing is clear: Vancouver is unlikely to sit this deadline out. They’re a team whose stellar form so far this season has inspired legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations, and with dreams of a championship come dreams of the game-changing deadline acquisition that pushes a team over the top.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images