Report: Canucks in trade talks with Senators for Erik Karlsson

Aug 22 2018, 11:08 pm

Good morning, Canucks fans.

Hope you enjoyed your summer, because OMG WTF is happening??

One of the most respected insiders in hockey, Elliotte Friedman, dropped this nugget Wednesday morning.

The Vancouver Canucks, supposedly a rebuilding team, have “stepped in” on the Erik Karlsson talks.

This will be baffling for most, and for good reason.

Karlsson has been on the trade block ever since things went sideways for the Senators last season, but this is the first time the Canucks have been mentioned as a suitor.

While Karlsson is undoubtedly one of the best defencemen in the game, he’s also 28-years-old. The assets to acquire him would need to be significant – and young. You can’t get a player of Karlsson’s calibre without trading a premium young asset – perhaps a Quinn Hughes or Elias Pettersson, plus more.

Calling other general managers is part of Jim Benning’s job, but the fact this has leaked to the media should lead fans to believe that their conversation was more than a 30-second one.

Raymond, Ballard, and a third-round pick isn’t going to get this done.

The Canucks are probably still long shots to land the Sens’ captain, who is likely to get dealt given that he’s entering the last year of his contract and Ottawa is a mess. Friedman mentioned a Western Conference team is likely to land him. The Vegas Golden Knights, who were reportedly in on Karlsson at the trade deadline, make a lot of sense.

Immediate Canucks fan reaction to this news was, as you can imagine, one of confusion:

GM Jim Benning swindled the Sens in the Alex Burrows / Jonathan Dahlen trade, but this seems unlikely:

More likely:

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