Vancouver Canucks trade deadline approach reeks of Benning regime's short-term outlook
The Vancouver Canucks allowed the trade deadline to come and go without engaging in much activity.
Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford didn’t have an easy job. The team is on the brink of a playoff spot, and it’s easy to convince yourself they could be much higher if it weren’t for injuries, drama, and some old-fashioned bad luck.
That left the Canucks in the mushy middle approaching this year’s deadline, a spot that many other teams also held as each conference has a tight playoff race going on.
That created a frothy trade market that saw bottom-of-the-lineup players being traded for valuable draft picks. Despite that, the Canucks couldn’t find a deal they liked. They didn’t act as buyers or sellers; they just stood pat.
Their inactivity speaks volumes. It shows a refusal to punt on this season despite their Stanley Cup chances being slim. It shows a need to keep the group competitive and reach the playoffs, even if that may not be conducive to building the best team in the years beyond.
It’s reminiscent of former GM Jim Benning’s attitude, which saw the Canucks on a never-ending hamster wheel of always pushing for the playoffs and looking to create a good team, oftentimes seemingly sacrificing their chance at creating a great team in doing so.
The team, as currently constructed, is not good enough to win a Stanley Cup. Allvin virtually admitted as much when explaining why they weren’t buyers at the deadline, a stance many could agree with.
“I wasn’t necessarily looking to add an older player just to get into this year’s playoff. I think it was a bigger picture for us.”
However, the club still opted to hold onto pending free agents like Brock Boeser and Pius Suter, just as Benning did in the past. While selling off those players would’ve made the team worse this year, recouping assets would’ve put the club in a stronger position going forward. Now they lose negotiating power and potentially allow those players to walk for nothing on July 1, all without having a good chance at the Stanley Cup this season.
Follow that thinking long enough, and your team gets stuck in mediocrity. This management group isn’t close to that path, but the quiet deadline was a concerning move along those lines.
The club spent all season accruing cap space, opening up a multitude of possibilities. They could’ve used it to get better and push for this season, or take on a contract, or buy a draft pick. Instead, they got caught in no man’s land. While those moves are easier said than done, it feels like a missed opportunity.
“If we would have positioned ourselves a little bit better, that definitely would have made it easier,” Allvin said about weaponizing that space.
Allvin and Rutherford have made many savvy moves since taking over. They built last year’s group, which went on to achieve one of the best finishes in team history. They’ve earned the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard to look at what they did and say it was the best possible decision in search of the ultimate goal of building a perennial contender.