If the Calgary Flames are looking to make a trade that isn’t just about prospects and picks, the Vancouver Canucks should probably be their first phone call. It is rumored the Canucks are interested in landing another defenseman. Having plucked Nikita Zadorov from Calgary in a previous deal, it now sounds like Vancouver is out of the running on Ethan Bear. They aren’t necessarily done shopping, and if someone like Chris Tanev or Noah Hanifin are of interest, Andrei Kuzmenko is an interesting target in return.
This would be the kind of deal where the Canucks get a top-four d-man and the Flames get a highly-touted winger with a high-ceiling and potentially bright future. It’s a risk on both sides. Still, it’s the kind of deal that could pay off handsomely.
The Canucks and Flames Can Solve Each Other’s Needs
What the Flames have a lot of is defensemen. More specifically, what the Flames have a lot of and are likely willing to move before the trade deadline are defensemen. Tanev and Hanifin will be two of the biggest names available and the Canucks would love to have either. But, to get, Vancouver has to give.
Meanwhile, the Canucks aren’t sure what to do with Andrei Kuzmenko. He’s struggling and president Jim Rutherford said Monday “the team won’t lock itself into a long-term position on the second-year player.” The Canucks are keeping an open mind, not necessarily looking to trade him, but not closed off to the idea.
Meanwhile, the Flames have the ability to play the market. If they can land a 30-goal scorer as part of a return, that’s a win for GM Craig Conroy. He’s already proven to be open to making hockey trades. Look no further than a deal he pulled off with the New Jersey Devils. He moved Tyler Toffoli for Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick in the hopes that Sharavgovich would replace Toffoli’s scoring. Sharangovich hasn’t been great, but he hasn’t been bad, either. More importantly, it speaks to Conroy’s potential motivation.
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If Calgary isn’t prepared to rebuild, they could do much worse than Kuzmenko. In fact, it’s an easier pill to swallow if one of Tanev or Hanfin are moved for a legitimate scorer. Kuzmenko — a player who scored 39 goals in his rookie season — is exactly that.
There’s a Catch for the Canucks Moving Kuzmenko
The issue here is that neither defenseman is signed beyond this season. The Canucks may be looking to dump Kuzmenko’s contract and go another direction. If so, they could be open to multiple options. But, if they aren’t just moving cap space, they need some guarantees.
Giving up on someone with Kuzmenko’s skill set and knowing Hanifin or Tanev could bolt in free agency is a problem. As such, a sign-and-trade would potentially be on the menu. And, the Canucks would want more than just the defenseman.
Kuzmenko may be struggling, but he’s anything but a bust. There’s value there and he should command a decent return. At the very least, a pick or prospect should be a target for Vancouver. From there, only if the Canucks knew that the player they were getting back was open to being more than just a rental should Vancouver even consider this. That is, unless Vancouver has eyes on another winger and can trade for that player filling two holes by moving one struggling forward.
Next: Canucks Not Signing Ethan Bear, Capitals Believed to Be Favorite
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