Riley Stillman’s rocky ride with the Vancouver Canucks has come to an end.
The Canucks have traded the 24-year-old defenceman to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for 19-year-old left wing prospect Josh Bloom.
It’s the second trade the Canucks have made in three days, after acquiring Vitali Kravtsov from the New York Rangers on Saturday. The NHL’s trade deadline is set for Friday at noon PT.
Bloom was a third-round draft pick by the Sabres in 2021 and has 58 points in 59 OHL games this season, split between the Saginaw Spirit and North Bay Battalion. The Oakville, Ontario, native has good size at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds and led Saginaw in goals last season with 30.
Here’s the scouting report on Bloom from Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects:
Quick thoughts on Josh Bloom – now with Vancouver
• Plus-rated skater. He moves very well for a bigger guy.
• Strong release
• Decent hands
• Good size
• Gets to the net
• Has improved his game substantially in the last 2 seasonsI like it. pic.twitter.com/1sNJ6vs833
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) February 27, 2023
“We would first like to thank Riley Stillman for his time here in Vancouver and we wish him the best in Buffalo,” said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin. “We are excited to add another young prospect in Josh Bloom and we look forward to working with him and helping his development in the years to come.”
Stillman came to Vancouver as part of the Jason Dickinson salary dump trade, which also saw the Canucks give up a second-round pick. Though he brought the size and toughness the Canucks desired, he struggled mightily on an already defensively-challenged team.
Stillman has been in and out of the lineup since joining the Canucks, appearing in 32 games since the trade. He has one more year left on his contract beyond this season, paying him $1.35 million per year.
Bloom signed his entry-level contract last April, which kicks in when he turns pro and carries an $859,167 cap hit at the NHL level.
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