Vancouver Canucks: Chris Tanev trade to Tampa Bay makes sense
By Alex Hoegler
With the Vancouver Canucks starting a rebuild, and they should look at trading top defenseman Chris Tanev to the Tampa Bay Lightning for help on offence.
The Vancouver Canucks are going to need a roster shakeup after finishing near the very bottom of the NHL standings for the second-straight year. Last week, team president Trevor Linden confessed that the team is set for a rebuild — and those usually consist of trading away top veterans for young assets.
Vancouver’s best trade chip is probably 27-year-old defenseman Chris Tanev, who happens to be the team’s most reliable and talented player on the back end. With the emergence of both Ben Hutton and Troy Stecher, coupled with prized prospect Olli Juolevi, the Canucks’ blue line has one bright-looking future.
That makes Tanev expendable, and Jason Botchford from the Vancouver Province came up with an interesting trade scenario with the Tampa Bay Lightning:
"“If you’re building a young defence and want a stabilizing force to lead by example, one with strong character and someone who plays the proper way, you want Tanev…A popular option people throw out includes dealing Tanev and a pick for Drouin and the bad Ryan Callahan contract ($5.8 million a year for the next three)."
There are plenty of reasons why Botchford is right about this trade proposal.
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Benefit for the Lightning
Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman has just over $1.8 million in cap space.
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Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat are restricted free agents. All three will command over $3 million per season — easily. Yzerman also needs to net the team a reliable backup goalie.
Yzerman is going to have to deal away one of those forwards. If he can also rid himself of Ryan Callahan‘s bad contract, he’ll have plenty of cap flexibility to add another piece in the offseason.
Furthermore, the Lightning really need another top-four defenseman. Victor Hedman may be a Norris Trophy-caliber blueliner, but he can only do so much. A pairing of him and Tanev could put the Lightning over the top.
Benefit for the Canucks
This trade would also be a huge win from the Canucks’ point of view.
Getting Drouin would easily set them at forward for years to come. Bo Horvat may have led the Canucks in scoring, but he’s better suited as a second-liner. Even with the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft, Vancouver may miss out on the chance to draft a bonafide superstar scorer. (thanks, NHL draft lottery system).
Drouin would bring blazing speed and incredible puck-possession skills (59.3 corsi-for percentage in 2016-17) to a Vancouver team that is weak in both departments.
Yes, losing Tanev would be a blow to their blue line. But by the time the Canucks figure to be competitive again, he’s going to be on the wrong side of 30.
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Of course, Yzerman could also be offered better defensemen and more assets for Drouin’s services, too. But if general manager Jim Benning swings a deal that brings over Drouin and sends Tanev to Tampa, this may go down as one of the greatest trades in Vancouver Canucks history.