Should the Canucks Sell at the NHL Trade Deadline?
By Dan Donkers
I wish the Canucks would make up their minds. The last five games have been maddening. A great performance against Winnipeg followed by a stinker against the Sharks. Then a decisive win against the Penguins. Then a hopeless loss against the Wild. I had pretty low expectations for last night’s game, but the Canucks and Hawks gave us one fantastic game, with the Canucks picking up the OT win.
So who are these guys?
I wrote earlier this week that this team is likely to make the playoffs, despite my wishes to the contrary. Although if last night’s game was an indicator, a first round series against the Blackhawks would be a lot of fun. The problem is it would be a difficult series to win. The reality is that any potential first round matchup for the Canucks will be very difficult. Given their lack of consistency this year, I don’t have high hopes for them making it through the first round. I have dreams, sure, maybe even fantasies, but not hopes.
Trevor Linden and Jim Benning (and presumably Canucks ownership) seem set on a “rebuild on the fly” type of model. They want to win now while also stocking up for the future. A playoff berth is certainly a goal for them and the team this year. This presents a conundrum as the NHL trade deadline approaches. This team isn’t in a position to completely sell out to win a cup this year, but they’re not ready to shut things down and ship players out this year. What should they do?
Imagine a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is a “We’ve been writing love songs to Connor McDavid and we’re trading healthy players for hurt ones” level of selling at the deadline. The teams at the low end of this scale are doing a lot of “Sabre rattling,” you might say. Now on the other end of the scale, imagine 10 is a “We’re looking at every player ever because we’re going to win the freaking Stanley Cup” level of buying at the deadline. The teams at the high end of this scale are looking to build a “Duck Dynasty” of sorts. In the middle zone you have the playoff hopefuls, some at the higher end, some at the lower end.
Going by this (admittedly arbitrary) scale, I would put the Canucks at a 4. I hope to see them be “cautious sellers” at the deadline. I don’t see them making any large deals, but a couple of small scale deals that move some veteran players and salary out in exchange for prospects or picks would be ideal.
More from Canucks News
- Canucks are in “wash, rinse, repeat” mode after Monday’s 5-1 loss
- Canucks send Jack Rathbone and Vasily Podkolzin down to Abbotsford
- Canucks acquire Ethan Bear, Lane Pederson from Carolina
- Brock Boeser, Curtis Lazar placed on injury reserve
- Canucks officially unveil Reverse Retro jersey in latest aesthetic change
There are a few players with expiring contracts who the Canucks might consider moving at the deadline. Two that stand out are Yannick Weber and Brad Richardson.
Weber has been a solid and serviceable defenseman for the Canucks, but he has mostly been a third line/seventh defenseman type of player. There might be a bubble team out there interested in his offensive upside. Unfortunately most of the bubble teams are in the west.
Brad Richardson is a more interesting case. He came to Vancouver from the AHL and has put together a good couple of years here. He’s the kind of defensive center playoff teams are looking for. He’s not actually above water in either face offs (48%) or possession (49% Corsi), but he’s not a disaster in either category. He could be an interesting addition for a team looking to add some depth. With Bo Horvat getting more comfortable in Vancouver, Richardson might become redundant here. The deadline would be a good time to move him.
Of course there are some bigger name players that could be moved. Kevin Bieksa comes to mind (although I would hate to see him go). There has been some chatter among Canuck fans about moving one of the three goaltenders in the system (Miller, Lack or Markstrom). Moving a goaltender might have the potential to bring a good return, but as the St. Louis Blues (and Ryan Miller) discovered last year, picking up a goalie at the trade deadline doesn’t always work out. Other GM’s around the league might be reticent to make a move for one at this year’s deadline.
There’s a good chance that Benning sees the team more at the 6 or 7 level of our scale, which means he might be more interested in bringing in some immediate help. If he can make deals like the one for Clenending, where the player he received is still fairly young but can help the team immediately, I’m okay with that. I would just hate to see the team give up significant prospects or picks for a run at the playoffs this year.
This is a team with some flaws, but also a lot of talent. The window isn’t closed for them, but this probably isn’t the year they autodefenestrate and win the cup. The key this year is patience. Benning should make moves with the next two to five years in mind, not just this year’s playoffs.