Vancouver Canucks: 5 Potential Trade Destinations for Radim Vrbata
As the Vancouver Canucks are doing their best to stay in the playoff race, there is one name that keeps popping up in trade rumours: Radim Vrbata.
The Vancouver Canucks are going for the playoffs. General Manager Jim Benning has said it many times: tanking is against the club’s standards — and most fans agree with that.
So it comes to no one’s surprise that the idea of trading away one of Vancouver’s top goal scorers is met with a lot of scepticism. But yet, getting rid of right winger Radim Vrbata, who is currently the team’s third-best goal scorer, could end up being a win-win situation for the Canucks.
In 2014-15, Vrbata finished the season with 31 goals and 63 points in 79 games. As we all know, 30-goal scorers don’t grow on trees, and the Canucks could be more than happy to have one on their team. This season, however, things have changed.
After 43 games in the 2015-16 campaign, Vrbata sits at 11 goals and 21 points. Decent numbers for sure, but he is on pace for “only” 39 points in 79 contests. Vrbata’s 11 goals rank third on the team, but the 34-year-old forward — who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end — has become expandable.
With the return of long-time injured centre Brandon Sutter, the Canucks will have 15 forwards on their roster. Considering that Vancouver is currently in something like a “rebuild-on-the-fly”, it would only make sense to push guys like Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann or Emerson Etem into bigger roles, while getting rid of an aging veteran.
So why would teams trade for Vrbata and what could we expect in return? As explained above, Vrbata is certainly declining, but he still knows how to score. There are teams who want to add a scoring winger to their group of forwards every year, hoping to improve their playoff or Stanley Cup chances. One important note: since the Canucks are still trying to make the playoffs, they will likely try to trade him to an Eastern Conference team.
Unfortunately, the return would be rather small. Vrbata is aging and he is a pending UFA. Vancouver needs a defenceman, but this won’t be the right deal to acquire one. Hope for a lot, but don’t expect more than a second-round pick.
Here are five potential trade partners.
Next: 1. Montreal Canadiens
1. Montreal Canadiens
If there is one club that is mentioned every time Vrbata rumours come up, it is the Montreal Canadiens. There have been reports stating Montreal was not interested in Vrbata, but there have also been reports stating they were. We’ll find out eventually.
Why they need Vrbata: The Canadiens started the season with nine straight wins but failed to establish themselves as the league leader. They have since fallen to fifth in the Atlantic Division, losing 11 of their 13 games in December. Now second in the Eastern Conference wild card standings, the Canadiens need to find a way to win games and make the playoffs.
An obvious area of weakness for the Canadiens is the right wing. They have Brendan Gallagher as No. 1 on the depth chart but depth is the wrong word for what comes next. Former Vancouver Canuck Dale Weise, Paul Byron and Brian Flynn are the forwards who follow after Gallagher. It would not be a stretch to say none of those forwards deserve a top-six role on a team that wants to win the Stanley Cup.
Where Vrbata would slot in: If Vrbata came to Montreal, he could slot in anywhere on the right side. He would be an option for the first or second line, but the third line is also a possibility. After all, Weise is producing at a very similar rate as Vrbata — 11 goals and 20 points in 41 games. Wherever Vrbata might play, he would add some good scoring depth.
Next: 2. Florida Panthers
2. Florida Panthers
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Why they need Vrbata: The Florida Panthers’ development was the exact opposite of the Canadiens this season. The Panthers started 2015-16 as an average team, looking like a bubble playoff team, but are now leading the Atlantic Division. They recently had a 12-game winning streak snapped by the Canucks.
If there is one thing the Panthers need in order to stay in the playoff race and actually have a chance to win a series once they get there, it is goal scoring. Florida is one of three teams who have surrendered less than 100 goals against, but their 118 goals scored rank 16th in the league. Vrbata is a player who could certainly help.
Where Vrbata would slot in: The Panthers’ top scorer is soon-to-be 44-year-old Jaromir Jagr with 15 tallies. Vincent Trocheck, Aleksander Barkov and Reilly Smith are tied for second at 11 goals — which happens to be the same amount Vrbata has this season. Jagr and Smith are both right wingers, leaving the third-line slot that is currently owned by rookie Logan Shaw. However, Vrbata could also move up and down the lineup, slotting in on one of the top-six lines.
Next: 3. Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
Why they need Vrbata: Before the season, many media outlets and fans predicted the Tampa Bay Lightning to be a top-three team in the Eastern Conference. However, things didn’t quite go as planned. Star centre Steven Stamkos has “only” 35 points in 44 games, Tyler Johnson sits at 14 points in 31 games. The rest of the team isn’t scoring as much as they did last season either.
It is not like the addition of Vrbata could change that right away, but another scoring winger never hurts. The Lightning is currently tied with the Canadiens, holding the top wild card spot. Something needs to change if they want to stay there — or even get back into a divisional playoff spot.
Where Vrbata would slot in: Tampa Bay is a club that would acquire a rental to improve secondary scoring. Vrbata is not a guy that would move right into their first or even second line. He could, however, push Ceric Paquette down to the fourth line and play as a third-line left winger.
The Lightning’s current second-line left winger is Alexander Killorn, who has 18 points so far this season, so his position would be an option for Vrbata as well.
Next: 4. Pittsburgh Penguins
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Why they need Vrbata: It is never smart to acquire someone from the Toronto Maple Leafs to improve your team. All kidding aside, Phil Kessel is hardly scoring at a higher pace than Vrbata, having recorded 12 goals and 25 points in 43 games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference wild card standings and 20th in the league. They rank 26th in the NHL in goals for. Sidney Crosby has “only” 34 points in 42 contests. Is Vrbata good enough to fix that? There is only one way to find out.
Where Vrbata would slot in: Maybe Vrbata could be the player who finally buries Crosby’s passes in the net? Could he be the Penguins’ new first-line right winger? Perhaps.
If not, the Penguins would certainly find a different place for him. Vrbata knows how to score, which is something the Penguins aren’t doing enough. Canucks fans are trying to get rid of him because he doesn’t score enough anymore, but he is certainly someone who would be helpful in Pittsburgh.
Next: 5. New Jersey Devils
5. New Jersey Devils
Why they need Vrbata: What are the New Jersey Devils doing on this list? Aren’t they one of the worst teams in the league right now? No. In fact, the Devils are only one point behind the Canadiens and therefore one point out of a wild card spot. Their biggest weakness: goal scoring.
New Jersey just cracked the 100-goal mark, now sitting at 101 goals — 28th in the league. Because of that, they have a goal differential of minus-9. They are lacking a lot more than one winger, but Vrbata would be a big step in the right direction.
The big question is: do the Devils really want to trade a pick for a rental or would they rather keep the pick and quite possibly miss the playoffs?
Where Vrbata would slot in: As of today, the Devils’ top-two right wingers, Kyle Palmieri and Lee Stempniak, are their second and third-best scorers with 32 and 31 points scored, respectively. However, Vrbata could transition to the left wing and would instantly be the Devils’ No. 1 on that position.
Next: Are the Canucks Canada's Best NHL Team?
The Devils currently have five injured players, including Mike Cammalleri, Jiri Tlusty and Ryane Clowe. Clowe was advised not to play again, but once Tlusty and Cammalleri return, things will change again. With everyone healthy, Vrbata could play anywhere from first-line left wing to third-line right wing.
*All stats and standings via NHL.com