Who the Canucks could trade if they decide to blow it up
Is it time to blow it up?
Because really, things can’t get much worse.
The Vancouver Canucks haven’t been this bad through 16 games since the 1997-98 season. During that campaign, they fired the coach, president/general manager, and traded away a number of core players.
It hasn’t even been 12 months since the previous coach and GM were fired by the Canucks, but one thing we haven’t seen is a major shakeup of the roster.
So, who should the Canucks get rid of if they plan on hitting the reset button? Who can they actually get rid of?
Veterans with favourable contracts
- Bo Horvat (pending UFA, $5.5M cap hit)
- Conor Garland (signed until 2026, $4.95M cap hit)
- Luke Schenn (pending UFA, $850K cap hit)
- Kyle Burroughs (pending UFA, $750K cap hit)
Bo Horvat is the most intriguing trade chip Vancouver has, outside of Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and perhaps Thatcher Demko — a trio that are likely untouchable in a trade.
“I hope we can sign him,” Canucks President Jim Rutherford said of Horvat on Sportsnet 650 last week.
“If we canāt sign him, the better we play, the better return weāre going to get for him. So, it works out for everybody.”
If Horvat is dealt, a conceivable return based on recent history would be what the Chicago Blackhawks netted for Alex DeBrincat: a high first-round pick, a second-round pick and a third-round pick.
Something equivalent to that seems right for Horvat based on his contract, track record, and career-best scoring rate.
Conor Garland is tradeable, but don’t expect much in return. He’s comparable to Oliver Bjorkstrand, who was traded to the Seattle Kraken in the summer in exchange for third and fourth-round picks.
Luke Schenn and Kyle Burroughs are both fan favourites and pending unrestricted free agents who could fetch mid-to-late-round picks at the trade deadline.
Veterans with unfavourable contracts
- J.T. Miller (7-year contract extension kicks in next season with $8M cap hit)
- Brock Boeser (signed until 2025, $6.65M cap hit)
- Tanner Pearson (UFA after next season, $3.25M cap hit)
Mere months ago, J.T. Miller trade articles were being written daily.
Now, his new contract is a huge hindrance to his trade value.
Although he’s scoring at close to a point-per-game clip, Miller’s defensive game has been downright horrendous this season.
J.T. Miller š¬š¬š¬ #Canucks #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/7GIpyM8R6X
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) November 10, 2022
The best time to deal Miller was likely at last year’s trade deadline. Now, the Canucks might be stuck with him barring something unforeseen.
Brock Boeser, who is being paid like a top goal-scorer, hasn’t scored in 10 games this season.
Tanner Pearson’s play has almost made him untradeable, but you can maybe envision a team dealing for him based on his “reliable” two-way game and Stanley Cup experience, once his injured hand is healed. He has one year left on his contract beyond this season, which carries a $3.25 million cap hit.
Inexperienced NHLers with value
- Vasily Podkolzin (RFA after next season, $925K cap hit)
- Nils Hƶglander (pending RFA, $891,667 cap hit)
- Jack Rathbone (RFA after next season, $850K cap hit)
- Andrei Kuzmenko (pending UFA, $950K cap hit)
- Spencer Martin (UFA after next season, $762,500 cap hit)
All three of Vasily Podkolzin, Nils Hƶglander, and Jack Rathbone seem to have fallen out of favour with a Canucks coaching staff that’s trying to win every game.
It was previously rumoured that the Carolina Hurricanes tried to pry Hƶglander out of Vancouver in the Ethan Bear deal. The Canucks held firm, but they clearly haven’t been giving Hƶglander every chance to succeed since Bruce Boudreau took over.
Podkolzin’s game has fallen off this season, and Rathbone has trouble getting into the lineup consistently, even with injuries on the back end.
All three could be part of a larger trade. Or, if the Canucks fully embrace the tank, all three of them could potentially be sent to the AHL.
Andrei Kuzmenko is a pending unrestricted free agent, and could get moved if he doesn’t sign a contract extension. Spencer Martin seems unlikely to get moved, but he could have some value at the trade deadline for a team lacking goaltending depth.
The untradeables
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson (signed until 2027, $7.26M cap hit)
- Tyler Myers (UFA after next season, $6M cap hit)
A lot of different players need to share blame for the Canucks horrid start, but it’s hard not to look at Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Tyler Myers as two of the biggest scapegoats.
Ekman-Larsson’s struggles are well-documented. He looks a step slower and more tentative than he did last season. Myers missed the first couple games of the season due to injury and also hasn’t looked comfortable since returning.
Both of these players are paid like top-pairing defenders, but they’re playing at a bottom-pairing level.
Unfortunately, both contracts are untradeable without attaching a significant sweetener.
So, how do the Canucks improve this blue line without moving on from Myers and Ekman-Larsson?
For Myers, the best bet might be to wait until next offseason to move him. He’s only owed $1 million in actual salary next year after his $5 million bonus is paid.
For Ekman-Larsson, it’s hard to see any route except a buyout. The earliest the Canucks could buy him out is June 15th, 2023. Here’s how a buyout would affect the Canucks.
This is what it could cost the Canucks to buy out Oliver Ekman Larsson. CapFriendly.com
It’s expensive, but arguably the team’s best option if Ekman-Larsson continues to play like a replacement-level defenceman.
Not untouchable, but likely staying
- Ethan Bear (pending RFA, $1.8M cap hit)
- Jack Studnicka (RFA after next season, $762,500 cap hit)
- Ilya Mikheyev (signed until 2026, $4.75M cap hit)
- Travis Dermott (pending RFA, $1.5M cap hit)
- Curtis Lazar (signed until 2025, $1M cap hit)
- Riley Stillman (RFA after next season, $1.35M cap hit)
Clearly, none of the players above are classified as untouchables. Aside from Ilya Mikheyev, no player’s cap hit is higher than $1.8 million (Ethan Bear).
However, all six of these players were recently brought in by the Canucks. And, outside of Mikheyev (who has played well since joining Vancouver), none have a ton of trade value.
Probably untouchable
- Elias Pettersson (RFA after next season, $7.35M cap hit)
- Quinn Hughes (signed until 2027, $7.85M cap hit)
- Thatcher Demko (signed until 2026, $5M cap hit)
I’m not advocating for any of these players to be traded.
However, when things are this bad, you have to consider everything.
Pettersson is eligible to sign an extension next offseason. He previously said that he “wants to play for a team that’s winning.”
If that’s not Vancouver, then the Canucks need to figure out what they can get back for him.
The Canucks have to be extremely careful with trading players like Demko and Hughes, considering they’re two of the only Canucks signed long-term on team-friendly deals.
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