“We’re going to hear a lot of crazy rumors with Vancouver. I think Vancouver’s going to be the rumour centre of the NHL over the next little while,” Elliotte Friedman said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast. Doubling down on the idea that they might be among the busier teams this season, he added, “You’re going to start hearing a lot of things about the Vancouver Canucks.”
This all comes as Rory Boylen of Sportsnet takes a look at a few teams and what they might be planning ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. Not surprisingly, the Canucks were one of them.
Boylen noted, “the Canucks are firmly in the “buyers” category for the first time in years; the question isn’t will they be active in the market, but how active?” He then goes on to say the following:
“Jim Rutherford is the experienced president of hockey operations, and he has a history of attacking the trade market well ahead of the deadline. So, within two months of the March 8 trade deadline, the Canucks are a team to watch because they could be one of the more active and aggressive teams out there.”
Among the pieces that could be moved, Boylen mentions the team’s first-round pick, forward Andrei Kuzemnko, young talent Nils Hoglander, and/or prospects. Kuzmenko has been in the rumor mill for weeks. The team is frustrated by his lack of production and willingness to adapt to their style of play. The organization has maintained a patient approach. That said, there is only so much time they’re willing to wait. He’s among the more likely trade candidates if a team will take on his cap hit.
What Are the Canucks Rumored to Be Looking For?
Acknowledging the team already added Nikita Zadorov, among others, the Canucks will keep their eyes on the market. Boylen points to the blue line as a continued area where the team is less likely to make improvements. Instead, he believes the team will focus on a forward.
He wonders if the Canucks will “take a big swing on a top-six winger or an impact centre.” Without a ton of cap space to play with, this is where a player like Kuzmenko or Hoglander could be moved out to clear money. If this is true, it suggests the Canucks would be looking for a sure thing. It would need to be someone with guaranteed production, which is why links to Jake Guentzel out of Pittsburgh make sense.
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