Vancouver Canucks: Trading D-Man to Jets on Draft Day
By Alex Hoegler
The Vancouver Canucks need to load up on draft picks and the Winnipeg Jets need help on the blue line — meaning both teams should work on a trade.
For the second straight season, Vancouver Canucks fans are more excited about the draft lottery than seeing their team in the playoffs. Once again, the front office’s direction of rebuilding on the fly didn’t pan out, and now they have no choice but to tear it all down this offseason.
What do most rebuilding teams do nowadays? They trade away veterans and stockpile as many draft selections as possible. The Canucks only have one first-round pick this year — but will get another from the San Jose Sharks via the Jannik Hansen trade if they win the Stanley Cup.
If the Canucks want to add another draft selection in 2017, they should call upon another western Canadian team to do business. And who is that team? None other than the Winnipeg Jets.
The Jets Need Defence
Winnipeg, like Vancouver, frustrated its fans once again as they missed the postseason for the fifth time in six years. Despite a plethora of young talent, the Jets weren’t even close to qualifying for a playoff berth this year.
This was despite having 82 points from Mark Scheifele, 74 from Blake Wheeler, and 64 each from Nikolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine (who also had 36 goals). So what was the reason for another letdown year in Winnipeg? In a word — defence.
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This team allowed 3.11 goals per game — fourth-most in the NHL. They didn’t get much help in goal, as the Jets’ netminders combined for a mere .900 save percentage. But this blue line is too talented with Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers, so there was no excuse to have such problems keeping the puck out of the net.
It’s pretty clear Winnipeg needs more help on its blue line, and the Canucks might be able to help out their friends from a few provinces away.
Winnipeg is unlikely to pick in the top 10 after finishing 20th in the league standings (the Vegas Golden Knights are also a sure thing to pick before them). The Jets have a very deep pool of prospects, and picking outside the top 10 in a fairly weak Draft class is unlikely to have repercussions on their long-term future.
If the Jets hold a pick anywhere outside of the top 10, then general manager Jim Benning should pick up the phone and try to do business with the Jets.
The Canucks Need Draft Picks
Why? Because Vancouver has depth on defence but not enough enticing prospects nor early-round selections in 2017. Winnipeg has more than enough young talent on their current roster and in the farm system, but they don’t have enough depth on the blue line.
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Losing Nikita Tryamkin (who bolted back to the KHL) definitely hurts — but the Canucks still carry more than enough quality defencemen through the rebuilding phase in Chris Tanev, Alexander Edler, Ben Hutton, Troy Stecher and Olli Juolevi.
Vancouver would be foolish to trade those last three names away, so consider them untouchables.
What to Offer
Tanev has been the Canucks’ best stay-at-home blueliner for some seasons now, and he could very well be the final piece to get Winnipeg into the playoffs. For what it’s worth, his younger brother Brandon plays for the Jets — so a trade could be intriguing for Chris.
If Winnipeg is looking to add a more legitimate puck-moving defenceman who can quarterback the power play, then Edler may be their best option. His days of being a 40-point blueliner are long gone, but Edler could still be a difference maker for a Jets’ group that could use more offence from the back end.
As everyone knows, quality top-four defencemen are hard to come by. The Edmonton Oilers had to trade a 20-30 goal scorer in Taylor Hall just for a B-level blueliner in Adam Larsson. So if the Jets want to add another top-four blueliner, the price will be high.
So why not do a trade? Vancouver needs to restock its farm system with as many prospects as possible. A selection in the middle of the first round won’t do much for a Winnipeg team that has more than enough young players with plenty of upside. What they don’t have is quality defencemen.
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If the Canucks want to get through this rebuild quickly, then they’ll have to load up on as many high draft picks as possible. If commissioner Gary Bettman announces a trade between the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets at the draft — then fans can feel confident that their teams are finally heading in the right direction.