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
D Luca Sbisa
While the Canucks played a terrible season as a whole, there are some players who stood out in particular. Matt Bartkowski is one who comes to mind, and Luca Sbisa is certainly part of this conversation as well. But he isn’t quite as bad as he is made out to be.
Drafted 19th overall in 2008, Sbisa is simply one of many players who never lived up to their potential, and who are constantly bashed by fans despite being decent players. In his first season following the draft, Sbisa played in 39 games for the Philadelphia Flyers, so he seemed like a home-run pick. But, he was returned to WHL Lethbridge for the rest of the year.
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Then, in 2010, the Flyers traded Sbisa to the Anaheim Ducks. Not because they didn’t like him, but because they acquired star defenseman Chris Pronger and needed a promising return. It took Sbisa until the 2011-12 season to stay with the Ducks for a full year, but he still looked like a promising top-four D-man at the time.
Unfortunately for him, Sbisa was traded once more in 2014. Again, not because the Ducks didn’t like him, but because they needed to give something up to acquire Canucks center Ryan Kesler. Now 26 years old, Sbisa finds himself on the trade block again — this time because he didn’t become the top-four player he was supposed to be. Thrust into the position due to Vancouver’s injury woes last season, the Swiss blue liner struggled mightily.
With the acquisition of Erik Gudbranson and the emergence of Ben Hutton as a top-four player, Sbisa is finally in a position to succeed — as a bottom-pairing player. He brings physicality to the lineup, skates well and can carry the puck (even though he skates himself into trouble sometimes). But, as elaborated earlier, there might be no room for him, as Benning and head coach Willie Desjardins are planning with Philip Larsen as the new power-play quarterback.
After seeing what Vancouver and the Edmonton Oilers were willing to give up for Adam Larsson and Erik Gudbranson, respectively, you’ve got to think there’s a market for Sbisa. As said, Sbisa is a solid bottom-six player, there simply is no room for him on the lineup.
Next: RW Derek Dorsett
RW Derek Dorsett
Luca Sbisa and Derek Dorsett both signed contract extensions with Vancouver in 2015. Just one year later, both find themselves on the trade block, because things didn’t quite work out the way they were supposed to. Like Sbisa, Dorsett is a solid bottom-line player, but he doesn’t exactly fit in Vancouver’s system anymore.
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On the right wing, the Canucks currently have Dorsett, Loui Eriksson, Jannik Hansen, Jake Virtanen, one of Emerson Etem and Alex Burrows. On the left wing, in addition to Burrows/Etem, the Canucks have Daniel Sedin, Sven Baertschi and Anton Rodin. That makes nine players for eight spots — all good to this point. But, Jim Benning also went into free agency with the goal to add a middle-six two-way winger and wants to bring Brendan Gaunce into the lineup soon.
Dorsett is a valuable player on and off the ice. He is a leader in the locker room and stands up for his teammates in game situations. But as things stand today, he takes a roster spot away from the younger guys who need his ice time more than anything. Younger players like Etem, Virtanen and Gaunce can fill the hole he would leave on the ice, while players like the Sedins, Burrows, Eriksson, Alex Edler and Ryan Miller provide experience and leadership.
Dorsett carries a cap hit of $2.65 million until the end of the 2018-19 season, which isn’t ideal, but definitely affordable. The Canucks only acquired Dorsett for a third-round pick, and they should be able to get a draft pick or prospect in return if they trade him now. If there is a team looking for some toughness and leadership, Dorsett is definitely a good option.
Next: RW Alex Burrows
RW Alex Burrows
The Vancouver Canucks just decided they will not buy out Alex Burrows and I just stated he is one of the players who make Derek Dorsett expendable. But yet, Burrows is still on the trade block. The reason is simple: if the Canucks feel the need to clear a roster spot on the wing but cannot move Dorsett, Burrows is the next one in line.
After the past season, Canucks Nation was divided in the Burrows case. He certainly didn’t justify his $4.5 million cap hit, but he was still a valuable part of the team. It might not have been much, but Burrows chipped in 22 points while continuing his gritty style and getting under his opponents’ skin. Burrows has been a Canuck for 11 years and it is hard to imagine him playing in anything other than blue and green.
However, as said before, players like Burrows and Dorsett block roster spots that younger players need to develop. Brendan Gaunce is ready to take the next step in his career, Emerson Etem and Jake Virtanen would at least like a third-line role this season. If Loui Eriksson, Jannik Hansen, Burrows and Dorsett use up the four roster spots on the right side, Etem will be the fourth-line left winger while Gaunce needs to stay in Utica. Not an ideal situation.
The Canucks decided against a buyout for Burrows, but that doesn’t mean he is staying until the end of the year. Burrows is a leader who can chip in points from the bottom six, and he is the kind of player teams like to have in the playoffs. Of course, the Canucks want to make the playoffs and would like Burrows there as well. But for now, I would much rather see Jake Virtanen in the lineup.
That said, Burrows should only be traded if Dorsett can’t be moved.
Next: Outlook
Outlook
Having five or six players fighting for four roster spots is the definition of depth. And depth is a good thing. But a look at the Canucks’ depth chart shows that they could still have enough depth after executing a trade or two.
Sedin – Sedin – Eriksson
Baertschi – Horvat – Hansen
Rodin – Sutter – UFA
Etem – Granlund – Burrows
Extras: Dorsett, Virtanen, Gaunce
Edler – Tanev
Hutton – Gudbranson
Sbisa – Larsen
Extras: Tryamkin, Biega, Pedan, Stecher
If Jim Benning manages to sign another winger, Derek Dorsett, Jake Virtanen and Brendan Gaunce would likely be healthy scratches or start the season in Utica. Virtanen was an incredibly important player in the 2015-16 season — even if it didn’t show on the score sheet — and it would be huge to keep him in the lineup. Having both Dorsett and Burrows (and therefore $7.15 million in salary cap hits) as healthy scratches, would be terrible from a business point of view.
Trading either Dorsett or Burrows could partly solve that problem.
Of course, the Canucks also have to wait and see what they have in Anton Rodin. Is the Swedish league MVP really ready to play in the NHL? Can he be a second-line player? Because if not, Virtanen, Gaunce or Dorsett could fill his spot. The Canucks should wait until training camp before they pull the trigger.
The same goes for the blue line. Is Philip Larsen really the power-play quarterback the Canucks hoped to get in him? Do Alex Biega, Andrey Pedan or Troy Stecher maybe look good enough to jump into the starting lineup?
Next: Top 5 Remaining UFA Targets
Again, the Canucks need to wait and see what they have. That uncertainty is the reason why teams sign more players than they really need in the offseason. If Biega, Pedan, Stecher and Nikita Tryamkin look solid in training camp, though, Luca Sbisa definitely becomes expandable.
The Vancouver Canucks’ roster for the 2016-17 season is all but set — but a lot could change in the upcoming months.