11 low-cost players Canucks could target in a trade
The Vancouver Canucks, against all odds, seem like they’re ready to compete for the Stanley Cup this season.
So, will they follow the path of most contending teams, and look to add a player prior to the trade deadline?
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin has been one of the busiest guys in the NHL when it comes to making trades. There have been 14 trades made in the NHL since the beginning of September, and Allvin has made a league-leading four of them.
Now, there’s a solid argument that the Canucks should target a top-six winger, especially since Andrei Kuzmenko has struggled. However, the cap-strapped Canucks will be hard-pressed to trade for anyone with a hefty salary.
Allvin has also tended to target younger players during his tenure. With that in mind, here are 11 low-cost, younger players that the Canucks could look to target before the trade deadline.
1. Dante Fabbro, RD (Nashville Predators)
- 2023-24 Stats: 31 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 PTS
- Cap Hit: $2.5 million (expires in July)
Coquitlam native Dante Fabbro isn’t a new name on Canucks trade target lists. However, he’s worth including primarily based on the fact that the Canucks are still linked to him in trade rumours.
Fabbro has averaged just 17:21 per game with the Nashville Predators, sixth among their regular defencemen (but still ahead of former Canuck Luke Schenn).
That might work in the Canucks favour. Fabbro is still a perfect, relatively low-cost acquisition target for the Canucks. He’s provided positive possession metrics at even-strength and has helped Nashville on the penalty kill.
2. Will Borgen, RD (Seattle Kraken)
- 2023-24 Stats: 39 GP, 1 G, 13 A, 14 PTS
- Cap Hit: $2.7 million (expires in 2025)
The Canucks could still use another right-shot defencemen. If the Seattle Kraken fall out of the race and decide to sell, Will Borgen would be a worthwhile target.
Carson Soucy’s old partner in Seattle is 6-foot-3 and hits like a truck. He’s a good, complimentary defenceman who’s signed at a reasonable cap hit.
3. Mathieu Joseph, LW/RW (Ottawa Senators)
- 2023-24 Stats: 25 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 PTS
- Cap Hit: $2.95 million (expires in 2026)
Mathieu Joseph has been a bright spot for an incredibly disappointing Ottawa Senators team.
His 3.41 even strength points per-60 currently leads the NHL, and is narrowly ahead of stars like Connor McDavid and Elias Pettersson.
All but one of Joseph’s 19 points have come at even strength. He’s arguably the best, low-cost bet to provide a boost to the Canucks top-six.
4. Morgan Frost, C (Philadelphia Flyers)
- 2023-24 Stats: 29 GP, 6 G, 7 A, 13 PTS
- Cap Hit: $2.1 million (expires in 2025)
Despite good underlying numbers, Morgan Frost hasn’t been a favourite of Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella.
Frost has been in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch for the Flyers. When he’s been in, he’s basically played low-end, second line minutes, and his even-strength production matches that of a low-end, second line centre.
MORGAN FROST SCORES IN HIS FIRST GAME BACK FROM BEING SCRATCHED
— Nasty Knuckles (@NastyKnuckles) January 6, 2024
5. Dmitri Voronkov, C/LW (Columbus Blue Jackets)
- 2023-24 Stats: 37 GP, 7 G, 13 A, 20 PTS
- Cap Hit: $925,000 (expires in 2025)
The Columbus Blue Jackets might not be good, but they’re bursting with young talent.
One of their best young players is 23-year-old forward Dmitri Voronkov. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Russian quietly deserves to be in the Calder conversation right now.
Voronkov was reportedly homesick last month and was considering returning to Russia. Perhaps there’s a scenario where the Blue Jackets try to trade him instead of potentially losing him to the KHL for nothing.
6. Yegor Chinakhov, RW (Columbus Blue Jackets)
- 2023-24 Stats: 30 GP, 10 G, 7 A, 17 PTS
- Cap Hit: $800,000 (expires in 2024)
Another young Russian in Columbus, Yegor Chinakhov is a slighter and more dangerous goal-scorer than Voronkov.
If the Canucks decide to target a low-cost flier to boost their offence, Chinakhov would be worth a look.
7. Jake Evans, C (Montreal Canadiens)
- 2023-24 Stats: 39 GP, 2 G, 10 A, 12 PTS
- Cap Hit: $1.7 million (expires in 2025)
There’s nothing flashy about Jake Evans, but he’s the type of depth piece that a Cup contender might consider adding. He takes more faceoffs in the defensive zone on average than almost any other NHLer. He also has playoff experience and provides value on the penalty kill.
9. Cole Smith, LW/RW (Nashville Predators)
- 2023-24 Stats: 39 GP, 5 G, 11 A, 16 PTS
- Cap Hit: $775,000 (expires in 2024)
Cole Smith seems like he’s built for playoff hockey.
The late-blooming 28-year-old is one of the league leaders in hits over the past two seasons since becoming a regular NHLer. His offensive production has also spiked this year, and he leads all Predators skaters in shorthanded ice time per game.
8. Brett Leason, RW (Anaheim Ducks)
- 2023-24 Stats: 33 GP, 6 G, 5 A, 11 PTS
- Cap Hit: $775,000 (expires in 2024)
Calgary native Brett Leason has provided the Ducks with some decent offence from the bottom-six. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound winger is also one of Anaheim’s top penalty killers.
10. Radim Zohorna, C/W (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- 2023-24 Stats: 29 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 PTS
- Cap Hit: $775,000 (expires in 2024)
We looked at Radim Zohorna in the offseason as someone who could be the next Dakota Joshua.
While he isn’t near that echelon, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Zohorna has played a career-high 29 NHL games this season. He would provide some size in the Canucks bottom-six and can play all three forward positions.
11. Michael Kesselring, RD (Arizona Coyotes)
- 2023-24 Stats: 21 GP, 4 G, 5 A, 9 PTS
- Cap Hit: $925,000 (expires in 2024)
The Canucks have made it a priority to target defencemen with size, and Michael Kesselring certainly fits that description.
šØ FIRST NHL GOAL šØ
Michael Kesselring buries off the rush and has a new souvenir. šŗ pic.twitter.com/cN2KGbcQsX
— NHL (@NHL) December 12, 2023
Standing at 6-foot-4, Kesselring combines range, physicality, and a propensity for jumping up into the rush. He’s made a good impression during his first prolonged NHL stint this season in Arizona, however the price on a 24-year-old defenceman playing just over 14 minutes per game can’t be sky-high.
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