Best Possible Vancouver Canucks Trades by the Deadline

Of all the Great. Just great. The big plans we had detailing blockbuster Vancouver Canucks trades over the next week is on ice. Probably. Because the team has gone and played itself into contention even as Pacific Division opponents falter. Even worse, the best cards Vancouver can play are taking themselves off of the dang table.

It’s All Their Fault

J.T. Miller has not only had an incredible run of games – a 13-game, 26-point streak – the team hasn’t seen in a decade, he’s also a leader off the ice. And he’s on the best contract of any skater on the team.

Speaking of good contracts, Conor Garland‘s $4.95 million for the next four years looks just fine. He continues to drive play on whatever line he’s placed. As a middle-six forward, his line gets more shots than their opponents. And he’s not relying on the power-play to do it.

Anyone who tells you Brock Boeser is soft or one-dimensional hasn’t watched him play. Between him, Miller, and Bo Horvat no slot is safe. Boeser’s added play in the corners and is having himself a grand time in front of the net, but can also score from… well, pretty much anywhere, really.

Even the secondary scoring guys are in on the action! As eyebrow-raising as Tanner Pearson‘s new three-year, $3.25 million contract was, he’s got 14 points in his last 11 games. Last year’s miserable season is far in the rearview mirror.

Almost everyone else they could, should, or might move is by definition a pretty minor deal. Mostly they are under team control for at least another year, which means the team is under ZERO pressure to fulfil a deal. After months of speculation that the Vancouver Canucks trades were going to massively transform the team, we could get nothing. Or close to it.

Caution: Fantasy Team at Work

That the team is making a big push for a final playoff spot isn’t the only reason for a potentially quiet deadline. Teams looking to add are generally close to the salary cap, and the longer they wait the lower the player’s cap hit is. When the numbers get big enough, every day matters. We may well get an explosion of activity on the 21st itself. But those big moves involving big salaries are probably going to need working out over the Summer. So for now if deals happen they are probably going to be relatively small ones.

There’s a balancing act going on right now, as well. The new management has watched the team drag itself into the playoff race from a miserable start. They need to build a rapport with the players and fans that they may not have yet. The players – and coaching staff – undoubtedly feel like they deserve a chance to correct their course. Trades, in theory, are the last resort to get a team on the right track.

That being said, let’s have some fun, here.

Top Five Vancouver Canucks Trades

Obviously, we have no idea what’s going on in the market right now. Fans can speculate all they want, but the reality is that none of us are in that boardroom or on that phone call. We can only guess what offers are being made or what player values really are. Something is only worth what people will pay for it – but it only takes one buyer. And, as ever, whether a deal is good or bad depends entirely on the return.

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Simply The Okay-ist

Up-sa Daisy!

Talking Jaroslav Halák into accepting a trade is, in theory, possible. Most likely to a team where he thinks he can make the difference. And there are possibilities out there: the Edmonton Oilers, for instance. The Minnesota Wild. Maybe the Washington Capitals, if the Canucks are leery about trading in the conference during a playoff stretch.

A return would be nice, but the real benefit of moving him is opening a spot to Spencer Martin. Martin is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, but he’s done great this season both in the NHL and AHL. Thatcher Demko hasn’t been able to rest in weeks, so Halák hasn’t done the job. The knock-on effect is both Michael DiPietro and Arturs Silovs getting more time in professional (AHL) starts. Never a bad thing, there.

Getting Defensive

In a similar vein, both Travis Hamonic and Tucker Poolman can head on out any time. They are both NHL players, but not the ones Vancouver needs. Poolman isn’t ridiculously expensive, and there’s always some value in right-handed defenders, but he’s signed for four years. He’s overpaid for a third-pair guy, but that happens when you sign free agents to fill holes.

Hamonic has been okay for a 4-5 defender but is coming in at $3 million for another year yet. Losing both these players leaves the Canucks with Tyler Myers and Luke Schenn as the best right-side options. But then there are a bunch of “tweener” defencemen who have been able to sneak in games this season who have been… fine. Good enough for the price, in any case.

Walking Wounded (Out the Door)

The Canucks have a very good set of capologists and have for years. That is absolutely a strength of the club, which is good because they dance on that cap ceiling like Fred Astaire. But none of them will say that using long-term injured reserve relief is a good idea. Getting below it is an excellent move for any team that wants to take advantage of other clubs in tight spots. Nate Schmidt wasn’t just worth a 3rd round pick when Vancouver got him from the Golden Knights.

All this is to say that Micheal Ferland isn’t going to come back to the league, and isn’t going to officially retire. Why would he when he is collecting $3.5 million next year? Rational humans around the world agree!

The question is who would take the hit for a player they couldn’t use? Of all the Vancouver Canucks trades, this could be the trickiest, but it’s still possible. There are the cap floor teams like the Buffalo Sabres or Anaheim Ducks, sure. But there are also capped-out teams like the Minnesota Wild – carrying $12 million in penalties next season – who might find room themselves. If a late pick does it, do it.

Frankenstein’s Less Successful Experiment

It was a gamble, but a good one. Jason Dickinson has a pretty solid track record from his time with the Dallas Stars. He worked his way up from the fourth line to a middle-six centre. Spending a third-round pick to replace what was the Canucks’ entire fourth line? That was fine.

It hasn’t worked. At all. And he’s still owed $2.65 million for two more seasons. There are options in the AHL that can provide something like the value of Dickinson’s three goals and six points in 49 games. Or maybe they won’t, but that’s another gamble that is worth taking at this point.

Okay, Screw It

C’mon, make it interesting. Everyone is waiting for those Vancouver Canucks trades that rebuild the team entirely. One of the big deals bringing back an A prospect, a young NHLer, and pick(s). Make two. Get ten players/picks moved because of one team. Tyler Motte just ain’t gonna do it.

Let’s go, Patrik Allvin. Make your mentor Jim Rutherford proud.