Welcome Matt: Canucks should make these two last-minute moves before trade deadline

Injuries, suspension, and uneven play are all rearing their heads for the Vancouver Canucks right now, and it illustrates the need for more depth by the March 8 trade deadline.

Have said that if they wanted to take another big swing, I could support another deal like the one that added Elias Lindholm. Devil in the details, of course, but if Canucks management does go bigger-game hunting over the next few weeks thinking this is their year, well, there have been worse times to do so.

But the more I watch, and forecast to the playoffs, the more I’d like to see them add a depth forward and a depth defenceman.

In fact, I think Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin could time this perfectly by book-ending the Lindholm trade with a couple of additions right at the deadline.

The Canucks, and Rutherford in particular, wanted to move early and integrate a big piece into the lineup well before the postseason. Job done with Lindholm acquired on January 31.

Now, perhaps patience is their best friend. Let other teams respond to their move — the Winnipeg Jets already have by trading for Sean Monahan — and wait out the sellers to the deadline. As we’ve discussed, with more teams falling off the playoff races, this could well be a buyer’s market by early March.

On defence, Carson Soucy continues to miss time with that hand injury. That, coupled with Nikita Zadorov’s suspension, forced Mark Friedman back in the lineup Sunday for the first time since November 30 and led to Jett Woo being called up from Abbotsford.

They are fine regular-season replacements, but another defenceman to partner with Noah Juulsen as the emergency pair would lead to easier breathing against good teams in the postseason.

Ditto up front. Sam Lafferty has been sat down for Phil Di Giuseppe after going five games without a point and eight without a goal.

Again, Di Giuseppe works in-season. But ideally they have a better option than him and Linus Karlsson come playoff time.

Woo is up now and there may well still be time for an Abbotsford forward to come up and make an impression. But unless that happens soon, can’t see the coaching staff trusting prospects or AHL players in the playoffs.

So one more forward, one more defenceman, both of them at the deadline for reasonable prices.

Do that, then take bows on the evening of March 8.

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