Trade winds blowing? Penguins, Bruins, Utah have eyes on Vancouver Canucks
Is there a trade brewing with the Vancouver Canucks?
There’s been no shortage of rumours lately of course. J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson have been talked about seemingly non-stop in hockey circles, not to mention the fact that the Canucks have been in search of a top-four defenceman all season.
The New York Rangers have been reportedly talking trade with the Canucks, but we may have received a clue as to who else is interested.
Three NHL GMs are reportedly in attendance at tonight’s game between the Abbotsford Canucks and Montreal’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Among the spectators there, according to Anthony Marcotte of BPM Sports, are Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney, and Utah Hockey Club GM Bill Armstrong.
“That is very unusual. I don’t remember seeing so many important leaders present at the same time for a game at Place Bell,” Marcotte said on social media (translated from French).
Laval is only a two-hour drive from Ottawa, where many scouts and hockey executives are taking in the World Juniors. Was this merely something to do on an off-day at the tournament?
Or is there a special reason they’re there?
“I think this has more to do with the Canucks as it seems obvious that a big name will be traded,” said NHL insider Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports in Quebec in a post translated from French.
Interesting. #LetsGoPens GM Kyle Dubas, #UtahHC GM Bill Armstrong & #NHLBruins GM Don Sweeney are all scheduled to attend today's Laval vs Abbotsford AHL game tonight. Of course, the Rocket is the #GoHabsGo affiliate, but more interesting – Abbotsford is the #Canucks affiliate. https://t.co/F9i6IaZU6i
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) January 3, 2025
Who could they be eyeing?
Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Kirill Kudryavtsev lead Abbotsford in scoring this season with 16 points, followed by Nils Aman, Danila Klimovich, and Ty Mueller (15 each). It would take a special player for Vancouver to move Lekkerimäki, though.
Arshdeep Bains (12 points in 13 AHL games), defenceman Elias Pettersson (11 points in 28 games), Linus Karlsson (nine points in nine games), and Aatu Räty (10 points in 13 games) are other notable players expected to play.
As for players Pittsburgh, Boston, and Utah could offer up? Penguins defenceman Marcus Pettersson has been in the rumour mill plenty this season. Former Canucks defenceman Nikita Zadorov is now in Boston, but a reunion seems farfetched. But what about Ian Cole, a pending UFA in Utah?
Bruins centre Trent Frederic is a pending UFA, and CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal linked him to the Canucks a few weeks ago. Another pending UFA that’s been linked to the Canucks in the past is 6-foot-5 Utah centre Nick Bjugstad.