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Vancouver Canucks: Re-Sign Radim Vrbata, Trade Jannik Hansen

By Jeff Godley

Oct 29, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Vancouver Canucks left wing Daniel Sedin (22) and right wing Radim Vrbata (17) and center Henrik Sedin (33) celebrate a goal against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Canucks 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Vancouver Canucks left wing Daniel Sedin (22) and right wing Radim Vrbata (17) and center Henrik Sedin (33) celebrate a goal against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Canucks 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 4, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Radim Vrbata (17) speaks with referee Jon McIsaac (45) during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Radim Vrbata (17) speaks with referee Jon McIsaac (45) during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports /

Put Vrbata with the Sedins – and keep him there

After this year, would Radim Vrbata ever want to stay in a Vancouver Canucks uniform?

Maybe, just maybe.

What will it take to convince Vrbata to stay with the Canucks?

Here is how: to retain Vrbata, Canucks management will have give him some form of guarantee that he will play with the Twins.

Is this feasible? Hard to say exactly. Canucks coach Willie Desjardins would obviously need to be on board with this.

Either way, Vrbata needs to be kept on the Sedin line to have the biggest impact on his trade value and the team’s production.

Vrbata publicly complained about not having consistent linemates throughout the pre-season. He has been proven right about that being a problem. There is no way he rejoins the Canucks unless he is told up front that that problem will not be repeated.

From a line-up perspective, keeping him makes perfect sense for both parties: the Canucks need 2014-15 Vrbata with his 31 goals back. So the coach should play him on the line that helped him get those 31 goals in the first place.

Vrbata is a sniper who needs play-making linemates to pass him the puck. There are no better setup men on the team than the Sedins.

Vrbata was moved away from the Twins in the name of balanced scoring. Here’s the problem with that strategy: this year, the Canucks’ problem has not been a lack of balanced scoring. Their problem has been a lack of scoring, period.

The team has gone through stretches where only the top line has produced. At other times, the Sedin line has gone dry while the other three lines have carried the load.

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They can’t seem to get both of these things at the same time. The Canucks scoring has been anything but “balanced”.

So the focus needs to shift to squeezing as many goals as possible out of whoever can score them. That means putting Vrbata on the Sedin line, and keeping him there.

This is obviously what Vrbata has wanted since the year began. He signed in Vancouver two summers ago in order to play with Henrik and Daniel. They enjoyed some obvious success.

Vrbata can hardly turn down a chance to enjoy that same success the year before signing his last contract.

What is best for the Canucks happens to be what is best for Vrbata’s bottom line. That’s what Jim Benning needs to convince the soon-to-be 35-year-old of.

Re-signing Radim Vrbata helps Vrbata increase his value and gives the Canucks a relatively inexpensive top-six sniper who will be highly motivated to leave this season’s woes behind.

One problem solved, but another has been created: what to do with Jannik Hansen?

Next: What about Jannik Hansen?

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