Vancouver Canucks: 3 Players Currently on the Trade Block

The Vancouver Canucks’ roster for the 2016-17 season is all but set. There are a few players left, however, who could be moved before the first game is played.

In the offseason, teams often put themselves in difficult situations in an attempt to build roster depth. The Vancouver Canucks are a prime example for that, adding right-handed Erik Gudbranson, Philip Larsen and Troy Stecher to a group of right-side defensemen that already saw Alex Biega and Nikita Tryamkin signed late last season. Despite getting rid of unrestricted free agents Dan Hamhuis, Yannick Weber and Matt Bartkowski, they will have a difficult time deciding who gets a roster spot and who doesn’t.

The issue with that isn’t so much the process of determining who the best six players are, but rather the contracts some of the other guys are on. Chris Tanev, Alex Edler, Ben Hutton and Erik Gudbranson aren’t going anywhere. Luca Sbisa is paid $3.6 million this year and $4 million in 2017-18, so he probably won’t be sent to the AHL no matter what he does. Biega and Larsen both signed one-way contracts and Nikita Tryamkin has an out-clause that allows him to go back to Russia if the Canucks won’t keep him with the big club. Last but not least there is qualified restricted free agent Andrey Pedan who might be asking for a one-way deal as well.

With that, we have nine D-men fighting for six or seven spots while none of them make AHL money. That is fine or even good from a fan’s or coach’s point of view, but not so much for those who actually have to pay the bills.

In cases like that, trades are often the only option. Which leads us to the Vancouver Canucks’ current trade block — here are three players Jim Benning could be shopping right now.

Next: D Luca Sbisa