Welcome Matt: Can Canucks trade Tyler Myers before this season's deadline?

The Vancouver Canucks have 30 games between now and the March 3 trade deadline, and those games should determine whether Tyler Myers stays in Vancouver for the remainder of the season.

Myers was the subject of TSN’s Insider Trading yesterday, as you can hear on Sekeres and Price today with Darren Dreger. He reported that there is trade interest in Myers, particularly from teams that play with more structure than the Canucks.

.@DarrenDreger on trade interest in Tyler Myers heating up:

"There's a growing belief…it may not be that far-fetched, and come closer to the March 3 deadline, maybe there is a right fit for Tyler, the #Canucks & the team that wants him."@GreatClips | https://t.co/cJDRTvYYmt

— Sekeres and Price (@sekeresandprice) December 21, 2022

Speaking of structure, Myers played with more of it last year to the point where he flipped the narrative about his game. No longer an offensively-inclined puck rusher, he paid more attention to his own end and used that 6-foot-8 frame to defend with decent success.

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This year has been a step back, but even with that he’s drawn interest from the Ottawa Senators. That’s no surprise.

Not only is Myers the rarest commodity in the NHL (right-shot defence), with his size, mobility, and puck skills, he’s the type of player who is going to get every opportunity to prove he can’t play.

The issue with Myers is his $6 million salary for this year and next. It’s an even bigger impediment than his 10-team no trade list.

Given the flat cap of the pandemic, moving him by this deadline will mean the Canucks have to retain money, which they don’t want to do because it will affect next season, or take money back.

Come the summer, once his $5 million bonus is paid in July with the start of a new league year, Myers will be very tradeable as he is due just $1 million in salary and will appeal to teams on tighter budgets.

But whether the Canucks can find a taker by this deadline, and open up that cap space for next season, may well depend on these next 30 games. If Myers can convince these teams with better structure that he can help their playoff aspirations this spring and be worthwhile next season, then the Canucks will be overjoyed move money out and get something worthwhile in return.