Vancouver Canucks should target rugged defenceman being shopped by Stars
Salary cap dump trades in the NHL may be coming to an end.
With the cap increasing from $95 million to $104 million next season, there’s less of a pressing need for teams to shed inefficient contracts.
The Dallas Stars are an exception to that rule.
Currently, Dallas has almost $11 million in cap space, with 18 of their 23 roster spots filled.
However, they have key two restricted free agents to sign. Namely, star sniper Jason Robertson. The Filipino-American winger is expected to command a contract around the same value as Mikko Rantanen’s $12 million per year deal.
Young centre Mavrik Bourque also needs a new deal, and AFP Analytics projects that contract to be worth $2.9 million per season. Captain Jamie Benn is also without a contract.
But, it’s the pending Robertson deal that looms large for the Stars. If Dallas wants to retain Robertson specifically, they’ll have to move out some cap commitments, and defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin has become an obvious candidate.
Frank Seravalli reported earlier this week on Frankly Hockey that the Stars were “trying hard” to move Lyubushkin and the last year of his $3.25 million contract.
Surely, the Stars don’t want to give up an asset with their depleted draft capital. However, smart NHL GMs shouldn’t let them get away with a good old-fashioned hockey trade.
With Dallas in a bind, the Canucks should be all over trying to pry Lyubushkin and an asset out of GM Jim Nill and the Stars.
Dallas recently gave up a second and fourth-round pick for Tyler Myers back in March, with the Canucks getting a sweetener in the deal for retaining $1.5 million on the contract.
It’s certainly conceivable that they’ll do the same again in a Lyubushkin trade. The catch is that Dallas has drained their draft capital as they continue chasing their first Stanley Cup since 1999.
Here’s a look at Dallas’ picks over the next three drafts.
(PuckPedia)
Perhaps the Canucks could target Dallas’ 2028 third-round pick for taking on Lyubushkin. Or, maybe they could trade a later round 2026 pick for Lyubushkin and Dallas’ second-rounder in this year’s draft.
While gathering more draft capital should be Vancouver’s primary goal, there’s a rationale for having Lyubushkin on the roster next season.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound defenceman is a classic stay-at-home blueliner who isn’t afraid of physical contact.
And, for a Canucks team that was pushed around too much last season, that would be a welcome addition.
Vancouver could also use another right-shot defenceman to push Victor Mancini for minutes next season. If they aren’t going to target an everyday defender in free agency like Jamie Oleksiak, Lyubushkin could be the perfect veteran stopgap.
The Russian defender has played for five NHL teams throughout his career, and appears set to join a sixth soon.