The Vancouver Canucks are in a difficult position not only regarding the playoffs, but also the trade deadline.
The 2017 NHL trade deadline is still a little more than a month away, but it is time to start making plans. For the Vancouver Canucks, that’s not an easy task.
I can’t tell you what Canucks GM Jim Benning will do. What I could do was ask our staff to share their opinion.
Let’s dive right in.
To start, I asked our staff: who is the Canuck most likely to get traded this season?
Alex Hoegler
Ryan Miller. The Canucks may be in the playoff race, but keeping Miller doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Whether they collapse or stay in the playoff hunt by the deadline, trading Miler is better for the future. He could secure at least a first-round pick, and possibly a young roster player. He’s their best bargaining chip and will be the most coveted Canuck on deadline day.
Jeff Godley
Management stated that they will not approach any player with a no-trade or no-move clause. I doubt the Sedins, Edler or Burrows will ask to be traded. And whenever they’re asked about trading a player without a clause, Benning and Linden always call the player a “key part of their group” whom they don’t want to part with.
Between those two things, management has basically ruled out selling anyone at the deadline. The only trades we can expect are lateral moves, like trading a defenseman for a forward. The Canucks, for better or worse, will be focused on getting immediate help at the deadline, not selling off to build for the future.
Gerald Morton
I agree with Alex that Ryan Miller is the most obvious choice. But it isn’t a done deal.
He has a modified no trade clause. The clause reportedly means Miller can designate five teams to be traded to. And, since Markstrom doesn’t seem to be the go-to guy for management it will depend on their playoff position come deadline.
If the Canucks are behind two or more teams for the last spot then I think Miller goes. If not, they keep him and try to squeak into the playoffs.
Janik Beichler
Like Alex and Gerald, I’m going to go with Miller here. Either that, or the Canucks don’t make any move at all.
I’m honestly not too worried about Miller’s no-trade clause. If the Canucks tell him he won’t be re-signed at the end of the season, he will have to move on in the summer anyway. So, moving elsewhere for a few months of this season really wouldn’t make much of a difference. Like any veteran, I am sure Miller would love to compete for the Stanley Cup another time.
Plus, I like the idea of dealing him to Dallas, and Dallas is the same distance from Los Angeles as Vancouver. Why does LA matter? Because Miller wants to be close to his wife who works as an actress in Hollywood.