Canucks and Leafs have had trade talks on Tyler Motte: report

Mar 17 2022, 7:29 pm

Weeks after fans in Vancouver and Toronto were buzzing about a potential J.T. Miller trade, perhaps a different Canucks forward could be heading east.

The Maple Leafs have talked to the Canucks about a potential trade for Tyler Motte, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is looking to improve his fourth line, which currently includes Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmonds, Friedman adds.

Former Canucks executive Laurence Gilman, who is now an assistant GM with the Leafs, was spotted scouting the Canucks recently.

Motte is in the final year of a contract that carries a reasonable $1.225 million cap hit, and is due a big raise this summer as a pending unrestricted free agent. The 27-year-old is enjoying the finest season of his NHL career, with 15 points (7-8-15) in 46 games.

While Motte is largely seen as a fourth-line winger, he’s a vitally-important player for the Canucks, as they’ve continued their miraculous run following the hiring of Bruce Boudreau in December.

The Michigan native has found success on a surprisingly-effective line with Juho Lammikko and Matthew Highmore this season. Motte is also one of the Canucks’ most relied upon penalty-killing forwards.

At this point, it’s probably a bit misleading to call Motte a fourth-liner. Among Canucks forwards this season, Motte ranks seventh in average ice time and ninth in points.

All this heightens the importance of Canucks GM Patrik Allvin to either re-sign Motte to an extension or move him to a contender before Monday’s trade deadline. Motte has also caught the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to Irfaan Gaffar from The Fourth Period. If the season ended today, the Leafs and Lightning would play each other in the first round of the playoffs.

The Canucks also have to think about playoff implications with regards to Motte. They’re just one point back of the final playoff spot in the West, and a player like Motte could make or break their postseason plans.

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