Canucks Trade Target Intel

Dec 19 2017, 1:26 pm

In years past, fans of the Vancouver Canucks have seen some rather dubious decisions during the trade deadline period made by their franchise’s front office. But gone are the years of acquiring players like Keith Carney, Eric Weinrich, and Bryan Smolinski. Last year saw Canucks GM Mike Gillis make some unexpected moves when he acquired forwards Maxim Lapierre and Chris Higgins for 2011’s infamous playoff run.In the end however, they turned out to be shrewd acquisitions as both have remained as important components to the current squad. With Mike Gillis as likely to confirm a rumor as Gary Bettman is to be applauded any time soon, Crosschecked takes a look at some players who might be in the Canucks’ sight lines.

One of the issues the Canucks had in last year’s cup run was their inability to stay healthy. By the end of Game 7 against Boston,  it appeared as though one of the only players to remain relatively intact was Lapierre. Therefore, you’ll find the common theme between players mentioned is their durability. In addition, they’re also the types of players who are willing to work hard and to a certain extent, dish out as much punishment as they take.

Adrian Aucoin
Age: 38
Height: 6-2 Weight: 215lbs
Contract: UFA at end of season with a cap hit of 2.00M

Sitting 3rd on the Coyotes in ice-time and 1st among Phoenix defenseman in +/-, Aucoin’s been a reliable player for the Coyotes. He may be benefiting from playing in Dave Tippet’s defensive system, but bringing him back for a second tour with the Canucks would bring some stability to the bottom pairing. With Aucoin anchoring the 5/6th position, there would be a lot less adventures out on the ice as opposed to when two of Alberts, Rome, and Ballard are playing.

Chad Larose
Age: 29
Height: 5-10 Weight: 181lbs
Contract: 1 more year remaining with a cap hit of 1.70M

Don’t look at Larose’s physical stats and immediately write him off; he finished last year 4th on the Hurricanes with 196 hits and is 3rd this year with 95. He’s a quick forechecker and in his most recent playoff appearance, was one of the more consistent sources of points for Carolina finishing near the top of each scoring category for the team. At 29, he fits the same bill as Lapierre and Higgins did in that he can still be a regular contributor long-term.

Jay Harrison
Age: 29
Height: 6-4 Weight: 211lbs
Contract: 1 more year remaining with a cap hit of 0.700M

Harrison is another guy who could be a good long-term acquisition for the Canucks. He’s a big guy who is a willing combatant and is just a -2 on a team that has given up the 4th most goals this season. Not only is he a good defensive option, he’s also able to contribute at the other end of the ice. His 7 goals and 95 shots are good enough to lead Hurricane defenseman while logging an average 21:13 minutes of ice-time a night, the 4th highest ATOI in Carolina.

Bryan Allen
Age: 31
Height: 6-5 Weight: 226lbs
Contract: UFA at end of season with a cap hit of 2.900M

Another former Canuck who could provide some reliability on the backend. Think Andrew Alberts, but more reliable, with better positioning. He’s also pretty durable, having played at least 72 games in six of the last seven seasons.

Jason Chimera
Age: 32
Height: 6-3 Weight: 213lbs
Contract: 2 more years remaining with a cap hit of 1.875M

It’s an acquisition that might be a bit out of the question as Chimera recently signed an extension with the Capitals, but with their season in such turmoil, nobody is really “untouchable” (except for Ovechkin). Chimera’s got speed to burn and as indicated by his 15 goals, is able to contribute offensively as well.

Matt Hendricks
Age: 30
Height: 6-0 Weight: 211lbs
Contract: 1 more year remaining with a cap hit of 0.825M

If the Canucks are looking for depth in the bottom six, they need not look any further than Hendricks. He hits, fights, and is good in the faceoff circle, all assets that Vancouver could use in someone who could not only ‘protect’ their players, but also not be a total deadweight on the ice.

Matt Martin
Age: 22
Height: 6-3 Weight: 210lbs
Contract: 1 more year remaining with a cap hit of 0.628M

He’s got 7 goals and 14 points playing on the Islanders 3rd line. He’s got size. He’s young. And yet none of those things are the most attractive asset Martin brings to the table. With 277 hits on the year, he’s on pace for 379 according to TSN.ca. If he were to keep that pace, he would smash Wild super-pest Cal Clutterbuck’s current record of 317 hits in a season. As previously mentioned, he is young so the Islanders may not want to part with him, but having Martin in Vancouver would certainly change the perception we have as a team that is “weak” or “easily intimidated”.

Derek Dorsett
Age: 25
Height: 6-0 Weight: 192lbs
Contract: RFA at end of season with a cap hit of 0.562MThough not the biggest guy, Dorsett plays with a lot of heart and shows a willingness to stand up for his teammates as shown by his 15 fighting majors this year. He may sometimes go out of his way to do so (his most recent fight was against 6’7″ John Scott), but his feistiness should help deter some of the abuse our players received.
Daniel Winnik
Age: 26
Height: 6-2 Weight: 210lbs
Contract: UFA at end of season with a cap hit of 0.950MIf the Canucks are looking at better bottom 6 options or a 13th forward, they need look no further than divisional rivals Colorado. Winnik is a tenacious player with good size which he uses to his advantage when defending. The Avalanche previously acquired him from Phoenix for a fourth round draft pick, so there wouldn’t be a huge price to pay if Gillis wanted to deal within their division.
Paul Gaustad
Age: 30
Height: 6-5 Weight: 212lbs
Contract: UFA at end of season with a cap hit of 2.300M
Forget for a moment that he didn’t stick up for Ryan Miller when he was bulldozed by Milan Lucic. Gaustad is essentially a bigger version of Malhotra who still has full use of both of his eyes (too soon?). He is making a bit much for someone who would likely be playing on our fourth line, but with Buffalo’s season looking worse than Lindsay Lohan, the cost to acquire him might be a bit less.
Steve Ott
Age: 29
Height: 6-0 Weight: 190lbs
Contract: 2 more years remaining with a cap hit of 2.950MRumor has it that the Canucks are interested in Ott, which doesn’t really come as a surprise. He’s a physical, defensively responsible player who has the ability to chip in offensively. He’s also really skilled at getting under other player’s skin; think of him as the Western Conference’s Brad Marchand, but without the big nose.

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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