Canucks trade talks included Shane Wright and Frank Vatrano: report
It’s been a busy offseason for the Vancouver Canucks.
They have a pair of new presidents, a new general manager, and an entirely new coaching staff.
Gone are players like Marcus Pettersson, Nils Höglander, Teddy Blueger, Curtis Douglas, and Evander Kane. Meanwhile, they’ve added Brendan Gallagher, Paul Cotter, Jamie Oleksiak, and Luke Schenn.
But is a bigger move coming this summer?
Elias Pettersson trade talk isn’t likely to go away soon. He has a no-movement clause though, as do veterans like Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Filip Hronek, Thatcher Demko, and Kevin Lankinen.
But perhaps they’ll make an addition to the lineup.
In an interview with Bob Stauffer on CHED in Edmonton, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal mentioned a pair of players that have been involved in trade talks.
“The Canucks do like Shane Wright. They’ve approached Seattle about him, but the ask was very high,” said Dhaliwal, who suggested Seattle would want players like Zeev Buium or Tom Willander in return.
Wright was the fourth overall draft pick in 2022, but has failed to live up to the hype. The 22-year-old posted 44 points (19-25-44) in 79 games in 2024-25, but saw his numbers drop last season, scoring just 27 points (12-15-27) in 74 games.
As a buy-low option, Wright could make sense for the Canucks, but it doesn’t sound like Seattle is ready to give up on him completely.
“The Ducks did call Vancouver”
Will Frank Vatrano be on the move? (Sergei Belski/Imagn Images)
The other player Dhaliwal mentioned was Frank Vatrano, a 32-year-old forward with the Anaheim Ducks. Vatrano is coming off the worst season of his career, scoring just nine points (5-4-9) in 50 games. And with two years left on a contract that carries a $4.57-million cap hit, his value is at an all-time low.
“Anaheim’s going to have to attach some sweeteners to get rid of guys like Frank Vatrano,” Dhaliwal said. “Someone told me today the Ducks did call Vancouver to see if they’d take Vatrano off their hands.”
Vatrano is just two years removed from a 37-goal, 60-point season in Anaheim, and the Massachusetts native scored 45 points (21-24-45) in 2024-25. He suffered a fractured shoulder last season, causing him to miss 22 games.
Rebuilding teams like the Canucks have picked up distressed assets like Vatrano in the past, when they come with a draft pick. The best-case scenario is when a player like Vatrano rebuilds his value and recoups additional value in a trade.
We’ll see if Canucks GM Ryan Johnson gives that a shot.