For the past few days, trade rumours regarding Vancouver Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers have been swirling.
Before free agency began, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was the first to report that the Canucks had a “deal on the table” with the San Jose Sharks. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal later confirmed that the Canucks are “definitely” trying to trade Myers.
This week, Seravalli added that there were multiple discussions between Vancouver and San Jose about a one-for-one trade involving him and forward Kevin Labanc.
The NHL insider elaborated on the report as a guest on Sportsnet 650 on Monday.
“My understanding was that the deal was on the table was Tyler Myers straight up for Kevin Labanc, another guy that the Sharks had been trying to move,” said Seravalli.
On July 1, GM Patrik Allvin was asked about the rumours regarding Myers. He said that if a legitimate offer involving the blueliner was made, the deal would have already gone through.
“If there was a deal out there on the table, why wouldn’t have a deal already been done?” Allvin told reporters. “I’ve made it clear that Tyler [Myers] is part of our team going forward.”
However, Seravalli says that the reason a trade wasn’t made was likely due to the Sharks taking too long to bite.
“My understanding was that the Canucks were absolutely exasperated that this was on the table and sat out there for so long.”
As for why it didn’t go through, Seravalli says “That’s a question for the Sharks to answer, not the Canucks.”
Myers, 33, is entering the final year of a contract paying him $6 million, which is well above his market value, though he’ll be paid $5 million of his remaining salary as a signing bonus on September 1.
Any team acquiring the 6-foot-8 blueliner after that date would need to pay Myers just $1 million, though he would still count $6 million against their salary cap.
Last year, in his fourth season with the Canucks, Myers netted one goal and 17 points over 68 games.
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