The NHL’s Olympic roster freeze is one week away, and the expectation around the league is that we’re likely to see more moves made before many of our players head off to Milan. The Canucks have made it clear that they are open for business, and if the price is right, nothing should be off the table.
It’s tough to say if anything will materialize on the trade front for the Canucks within the next week, but it is not too early to take a look at the players who are likely to be wearing new sweaters before the end of the year.
The UFA’s
Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger, and David Kampf are all unrestricted free agents that Vancouver will be shopping around. There isn’t too much in the way of value for any of those pieces individually, at least not to the standard of Keifer Sherwood or Quinn Hughes, but cumulatively, they could return some more picks for this upcoming deep draft.
Evander Kane is a notable UFA who has already been gaining traction around the league. The Canucks have given Kane’s agent permission to speak with other organizations to help facilitate a trade. Kane could be seen by contending teams as a good piece to add for some additional forward depth and toughness in preparation for a lengthy playoff run. Canucks are rumoured to be willing to retain salary on Kane’s deal, and would be looking for a pick or prospect in return.
Conor Garland
Garland is an interesting piece that the Canucks could consider moving before his new 6×6 contract and subsequent no-move clause kick in next year. Currently, the tenacious small forward is on pace for 47 points this year, and currently holds a cap hit of 4.95 million AAV without having any trade protection.
He was signed to an extension on July 1st of last year, back when the Canucks still had aspirations of being a playoff contender. Now that plans have changed, Garland could fetch a reasonable price on the trade market. As a player set to turn 30 this year, his new contract does not fit well into a full rebuild plan, but could plan out nicely for another team with long term contending goals.
Jake DeBrusk
When Jake DeBrusk signed in Vancouver as a UFA in the summer of 2024, he was under the assumption of joining a team on the up. The Canucks had just capped off a successful regular season and made a strong playoff appearance that left fans excited for next year. Two years and a hundred misfortunes later, the Canucks are now transitioning into what may be a lengthy rebuild.
Although DeBrusk has a full no-move clause until 27-28, the 29-year-old winger may be willing to waive it to go to a true contending team. DeBrusk does still carry a 5.5 million AAV for the following 5 seasons, so any interested team would have to be able to facilitate that contract, but contending teams with a little bit of cap space lying around should be keen at the prospect.
Elias Pettersson
Perhaps the most intriguing player whose name will no doubt be brought up in the coming weeks and months is Elias Pettersson. Before rampant speculation begins, Petterson does hold a full no-move clause, and his 11.6 million AAV would be a hard pill to swallow for just about any team. It’s not unfair to say that Pettersson has had a poor showing over the last couple of seasons and is well removed from the player who earned that original 11.6 million-dollar extension. That being said, if Pettersson was willing to move, and even more so if the Canucks were willing to retain some of his cap hit, there would no doubt be teams inquiring on what the cost would be.
If the Canucks did retain, say 20-25% of Pettersson’s cap hit, bringing his AAV down to 8.7-9.3 million annually, the Canucks would undoubtedly be able to command a sizable return. Afterall, Pettersson is still only 27, and his deal brings him until he is 33, just past the cusp of the so-called “prime years”.
Pettersson is not a lost cause, and the Canucks don’t have to move him unless the offer is more than adequate. However, if Vancouver really wants to kick this rebuild into high gear, shopping for Pettersson is a strong way to do that.
Awaiting the Trade Frenzy
The Canucks have all but hung a neon sign in front of Rogers Arena saying “Open For Business”, and the expectation is that talks are perpetually happening. It is entirely likely that we see moves made before the Olympic roster freeze in a week’s time, but it is hard to say which domino will be the first to fall before this faux trade deadline. Either way, it is expected that the fire sale will be far from over.
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