According to a report from Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130, the Vancouver Canucks have been looking at Arizona Coyotes’ young talents, Max Domi and Tobias Rieder.
If Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning decides to be a buyer at the trade deadline, he should only be looking at young forwards that can be key pieces of this rebuilding process.
Benning — who received a multi-year extension on Wednesday — has a knack for finding reclamation projects, with Sven Baertschi and Markus Granlund as primary examples. It’s an art of Benning to trade for struggling young players, then have them become vital parts of the roster.
Well, it looks like Benning once again inquiring about a couple of young stars in Max Domi and Tobias Rieder of the Arizona Coyotes, per Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130:
From a source : "I hear the #Canucks have inquired about Max Domi and Tobias Rieder out of Arizona. Making calls is easy, striking deals is not, asking price is high"
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) February 16, 2018
Last week, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that the Coyotes were making Domi available. The 22-year-old Domi has four goals and 26 points in 58 games this season. He struggled last season as well, and hasn’t been able to replicate hi strong 2015-16 rookie season. That year, Domi had 18 goals and 52 points.
More from The Canuck Way
- Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
- What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
- Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
- Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
- 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg
As for Rieder, the 25-year-old German has just 19 points in 57 games this season. His career high in points is 37, set in 2015-16. Like Domi, the young forward could probably use a fresh start to maximize his skill set.
The Coyotes dealt another struggling forward in Anthony Duclair to the Chicago Blackhawks last month. As the team braces for a sixth consecutive non-playoff year, it’s obvious they feel the need to make more drastic change.
Given that both players are young, talented and inexpensive, Benning would surely love to add Domi and/or Rieder to the team.
But can Benning really offer much for either player? Both the Canucks and Coyotes are in rebuilding mode. Benning is not giving away first or second-round picks for either player. He’s not giving up any of his top prospects, namely Elias Pettersson, Olli Juolevi or Jonathan Dahlen.
The only player the Canucks could probably trade that would make sense is Jake Virtanen — who has yet to reach his full ceiling like Domi. But Vancouver is being patient with Virtanen, so it’d be a major surprise if they gave up on him this early.
Next: Canucks roundtable: Debating Benning's extension
The trade deadline is 10 days away, so Benning still has time to see if he can find Domi and/or Rieder at reasonable prices. But for now, his goal should be to find trade partners for Thomas Vanek and Erik Gudbranson.