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Vancouver Canucks Acquire Filip Hronek

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The Vancouver Canucks, not content with building through the draft, have already traded the conditional first-round pick they received from the New York Islanders in exchange for captain Bo Horvat. The Canucks have sent it, along with a 2023 second-round pick, to the Detroit Red Wings for defenseman Filip Hronek and a 2023 fourth-round selection.

Hronek, 25, has developed into quite a strong all-around defenseman for the Red Wings and will set a career-high in scoring whenever he records his next point this season. That may have to wait a little while, as he left last night’s game after just eight minutes of action and is dealing with an upper-body injury.

The Canucks aren’t getting him for right now, though, as their season is already over. Instead, the focus of a pickup like this will be on next year when the Vancouver management believes the team can be competitive. Hronek is signed through next season on his current three-year, $13.2MM contract, and will be a restricted free agent at its expiry next summer.

It’s that contract price tag that makes this trade a little bit confusing from the Canucks perspective. Hronek is probably still providing some surplus value on his $4.4MM cap hit, but Vancouver will probably only get one year of that before another raise (he is owed a $5.28MM qualifying offer) is due. With the way the team’s cap situation looks at the moment, it’s hard to see how that will fit in, given the big sums already owed to Quinn Hughes and Oliver Ekman-Larsson through 2026-27.

Make no mistake, Hronek’s arrival in Vancouver will make them a better team. He instantly becomes their second-best defenseman, and could form a legitimate top pair with Hughes for the next several years. But Canucks fans are going to be screaming from the rooftops, at a management group that refuses to pull the plug and rebuild.

For Detroit, dealing Hronek brings up more questions than answers, as general manager Steve Yzerman tries to get the club to the playoffs as soon as possible. Are the Red Wings now looking at acquiring someone like Jakob Chychrun? Will they use their stash of draft picks on an even bigger name?

After signing Dylan Larkin to a massive extension today, the team signaled to fans that the rebuild is over. With five picks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, and plenty of cap space, they could be preparing to make a big splash in the next few days, or this summer.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Luke Schenn

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are making their third trade of the past few hours, acquiring a former player in the process. The team announced Tuesday afternoon that they’d acquired defenseman Luke Schenn from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick.

The move, which comes after the team already shipped out Rasmus Sandin and Pierre Engvall earlier today, is a clear effort by the Leafs to add more defensive depth, even after acquiring Erik Gustafsson in the Sandin trade.

Schenn is a veteran defenseman who was originally drafted by Toronto, taken fifth overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. After spending four inconsistent seasons in Toronto, which saw him oscillate between top pairing and depth minutes, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for James van Riemsdyk. After later career stops with the Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Canucks, and Tampa Bay Lightning, Schenn returned to Vancouver as a free agent in the summer of 2021 after two Stanley Cup championships with Tampa.

He’ll now look to defeat his former team and help another former team get over a first-round series hump that’s lasted for nearly two decades. While never living up to his top-ten potential, Schenn has had some strong defensive seasons in the past and has penalty-killing experience. In 55 games with the Canucks this season, Schenn has three goals, 18 assists, 21 points, and averaged just over 17 minutes per game.

While interest in Schenn had been high throughout the trade season, the Leafs were able to acquire him without surrounding a prospect or a pick in the first two rounds of the draft. While Schenn may not immediately hold a place in Toronto’s top six on defense, he’ll be immediately called upon to enter the lineup in case of injury.

Schenn, 33, is in the final season of a two-year contract with an average annual value of $850,000. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was first to report that Schenn was heading to Toronto, while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report the return.

Penguins Had Interest In J.T. Miller

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks were discussing a J.T. Miller trade recently, according to Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Vensel’s sources indicate that talks have stalled but could re-open at some point before the deadline.

Miller, 29, has a seven-year, $56MM contract extension set to kick in next season, but the Canucks are already re-assessing the structure of their roster. This morning, CapFriendly confirmed that a trade with retained salary would extend to the entire extension. If Vancouver wanted to make Miller more enticing to contenders this year, they’d be on the hook for part of his salary through 2029-30.

Latest On Aidan McDonough

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  • Northeastern University captain Aidan McDonough has had a strong senior season for the Huskies, scoring 36 points in 31 games, and is nearing a significant decision regarding his professional career. He’ll have the ability to choose his pro destination this summer and could potentially sign with a different team besides the Vancouver Canucks, the club that selected him 195th overall at the 2019 draft. Per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, McDonough “is still very open to signing in VAN,” and his ultimate decision is “not far away.” It’s likely that quite a few teams would be interested in adding McDonough, so should Vancouver get him it would be a quality addition to their prospect system.

Buffalo Sabres Acquire Riley Stillman

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The Buffalo Sabres have added a little bit of defensive depth, acquiring Riley Stillman from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for prospect Josh Bloom. The move comes at a particularly important time as the Sabres’ top defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin, is out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

That’s not to say that Stillman, 24, will be able to replace what Dahlin brings to the Sabres, of course, but it does make compensating for his absence a little easier. This is the second time Stillman has been traded this season, with the first being when he was sent to Vancouver by the Chicago Blackhawks for Jason Dickinson.

In his 32 games in Vancouver, Stillman averaged just over 16 minutes of ice time, registering five points. He contributed to their penalty kill and should be able to add some muscle and defensive depth to the Sabres’ blueline.

He’s under contract through next season at a $1.35MM cap hit and will be a restricted free agent after that point. Should he impress in a Sabres uniform, the team will have the option to keep him around for the foreseeable future.

While he won’t be the difference between the Sabres making or missing the playoffs this season, the team has played well enough to stay in the mix for a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. It’s unknown whether this deal is all Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has planned for this deadline, but at the very least he’s rewarded his players with a competent defensive reinforcement that has some team control to boot.

For the Canucks, this move is part of the team shifting their focus towards the future, ever so slightly. They exchange a decent if relatively inconsequential defender for an intriguing prospect who has been on an upward trend.

Bloom, 19, is a six-foot-two winger who plays for the North Bay Battalion in the OHL. He’s scored 19 goals and 42 points in 40 games for North Bay this year and is regarded as a well-rounded, intelligent player who could have an NHL future.

While this trade might hurt the Canucks’ defensive ranks in the short term, it’s hard to argue with the team exchanging a defender like Stillman for a prospect like Bloom. If the Canucks intend to be serious about re-tooling and building for the future, these are the sorts of deals the front office should be making. It’s a reasonable exchange of present assets for future value on each side, and it’s a trade that fits the current goals of both franchises quite well.

Vancouver Canucks Activate Thatcher Demko

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The Vancouver Canucks have their goaltender back. After nearly three months, Thatcher Demko has been activated from injured reserve. Arturs Silovs, who was up in his absence, has been reassigned to the AHL.

It hasn’t been a good season for the Canucks, but things might not have been so bad had Demko not been injured 15 games into the year. The 27-year-old goaltender was struggling but has shown in the past an ability to carry poor performances from his teammates and turn them into wins. Last season, he appeared in 64 games and, with largely the same defensive group, posted a .914 save percentage.

That earned him a seventh-place Vezina finish and expectations that Demko would become one of the best goaltenders in the league. His five-year, $25MM contract certainly was paying him to be a reliable starter, and for the Canucks to go anywhere, they needed him to lead the way.

Now, after a brutal season that has seen captain Bo Horvat dealt away, head coach Bruce Boudreau fired, and the Canucks win just 23 of 59 games, Demko’s return is too little, too late. He now must face the very real possibility of a trade, if the team decides that the “major surgery” president Jim Rutherford referenced includes the goaltending position.

Getting back on the ice is the only way forward for Demko, regardless of where his future takes him. There’s still reason to believe he can be the goaltender he was through the first few years of his career, and a healthy stretch run would go far in building his confidence back up. The Canucks are back in action tonight against the Dallas Stars, where Demko is a game-time decision.

J.T. Miller Not Traveling With Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks have a third of their roster on injured reserve, and now another player is hitting the trainer’s table. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reports that J.T. Miller did not travel with the team to Dallas and is dealing with an injury that could keep him out a week.

Miller, who will turn 30 in a few weeks, is still producing offensively despite the team’s struggles this season. He has 20 goals and 54 points in 59 games, but fans are already pulling their hair out when considering his future contract. Miller’s seven-year, $56MM kicks in next season, making him the highest-paid player on the Canucks.

Ethan Bear Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Vancouver Canucks will be without Ethan Bear for the next little while, after he suffered an injury last night. Bear was moved to injured reserve today, with Noah Juulsen recalled in his place.

Vancouver is quickly running out of options for a team that is expected to move at least one defenseman at the deadline. Bear joins eight other players on IR (regular or long-term) for the Canucks, including Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Travis Dermott, and Tucker Poolman.

Canucks Acquire Vitali Kravtsov

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The Canucks are expected to be adding a young forward to their lineup as they’ve acquired winger Vitali Kravtsov from the Rangers.  Going to New York is winger William Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick.  Both teams have announced the deal.

Kravtsov was the ninth-overall pick in 2018 but has struggled in limited NHL action and has just three goals and three assists in 28 games this season.  He also played in 20 games back in 2020-21 and produced at a similar rate, notching two goals and two helpers in 20 contests.

Last season, Kravtsov opted to return to the KHL instead of reporting to New York, picking up 13 points in 17 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk during the regular season before adding seven goals in 15 playoff contests.  That was enough for New York to give him a one-year, one-way $875K contract for this season.  He’ll be arbitration-eligible this summer and will be owed a $840K qualifying offer.

To make room for Kravtsov on the roster, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that center Curtis Lazar has been placed on injured reserve.  It’s the second trip to the IR for the 28-year-old who has five goals and 124 hits in 45 games this season.

As for Lockwood, the 24-year-old has been up and down this season, getting into 13 games with Vancouver where he picked up an assist along with 37 hits while averaging just over 10 minutes per game.  He has been more productive with AHL Abbotsford though, collecting a dozen goals and six assists in 26 contests.  He’s on a one-year, two-way deal with $750K in the NHL and should remain in the minors with his new team.

It’s certainly an underwhelming return for Kravtsov, once viewed as a key piece of the future for the Rangers.  However, his struggles in the NHL and the potential for him to return to the KHL certainly deflated his value.  But this move, coupled with the waiving of Jake Leschyshyn earlier today, will open up some extra cap space for New York to try to add another piece down the stretch; Chicago winger Patrick Kane has been speculatively linked to them recently and these deletions would be enough to squeak him in at 25% of his AAV.  Meanwhile, it’s about as low-risk an acquisition as possible for Vancouver who will now try to see if Kravtsov can become more of an impact player with a new organization.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Kravtsov was being traded to Vancouver.

Thatcher Demko Expected Back In Next Few Days

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The Vancouver Canucks haven’t had Thatcher Demko in net for an entire game since November. More than anything, his absence has been a considerable part of the organization’s collapse this season. Demko’s strong play likely shrouded some of the issues the team faced last year, and when he struggled at the beginning of this season, they were revealed.

His injury, which has kept him out since a game on December 1, went through several levels of severity as he dealt with setbacks. Demko is now, finally, expected to be back for the Canucks in the next few days, according to Sportsnet broadcaster Brendan Batchelor.

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