Loui Eriksson's agent says he's looking at all options

With the 2019 NHL Draft exactly one week away and free agency following shortly after, trade rumours are starting to heat up.

One Vancouver Canuck, that seems to be at the forefront of this discussion, is 33-year-old Loui Eriksson.

His agent, J.P. Barry, recently took to Sportsnet650 to discuss the upcoming draft, ongoing talks with Jim Benning, and the uncertainty in Eriksson’s future.

“I talk to Jim two to three times a week,” he tells Sportsnet650. “He’s a very good communicator.

“He’s trying to figure out his roster and we talk about Loui a lot. I suspect that there’ll be a few things that pop up.”

“Sometimes the chemistry isn’t right and Loui hasn’t played at the level he’s wanted to play in Vancouver. He’s gonna have to take some personal blame for it. If there’s something that makes sense, I’m sure Vancouver will look at it.”

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It’s no secret that Eriksson’s time in Vancouver has been far from a success.

When the Swedish native joined the Vancouver Canucks in 2016, he was coming off a 30-goal season with the Boston Bruins.

Now, after three years of a six-year, $36-million-contract, he only has 32 goals to show for.

He’s also been open about the poor relationship his poor relationship with Head Coach Travis Green.

“[Green] and I don’t really get along,” Eriksson told Ronnie Rönnkvist of HockeySverige.se. “It is difficult when I do not get the same confidence that I have received from all the other coaches I had during my career.”

So after three seasons and little to show for, a trade looks to be the best case scenario for both Eriksson and the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks likely wouldn’t gain a sizeable return for Eriksson — it’s quite the opposite actually. They’d likely have to take on an underwhelming player (or an overwhelming contract) in order to make something work.

Agent J.P Barry on @Sportsnet650 talking about Loui Erikssson. J,P says he talks to Jim Benning 2-3 times a week, “for a lot of hockey reasons, it might be better for Loui to play somewhere else.” #Canucks

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 14, 2019

Swapping Eriksson for Edmonton’s Milan Lucic was a rumour that almost came to reality. Neither of them has found success with their current teams and they both carry similar-sized contracts.

They’d also both need to waive no-trade their respective no-trade clauses.

A change of scenery for Eriksson looks to be the best-case scenario for both him and the Canucks. Not to mention, the best way for the Canucks to salvage an otherwise failed experiment.

J.P Barry on Eriksson : “We will work with the #Canucks and look at all the options that come to the table.” #Canucks

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 14, 2019

You can listen to J.P. Barry’s full interview with Sportsnet650 and Rick Dhaliwal here.