Vancouver Canucks: Analyzing a trade for Max Domi

General Manager Jim Benning has to make some moves at the upcoming trade deadline, and year there are some players around the NHL that could be moving area codes. One of those players is Max Domi, whom the Canucks should target.

Most big trades around the trade deadline are rentals. A guy with an expiring contract that can hopefully have a kick at a cup run with a contender. The Vancouver Canucks are surely not looking to add a wily vet to help make them cup contenders.

They are a few years away from that.

Hopefully a few years.

The Canucks could shake up their roster moving forward adding an interesting character in Max Domi. The situation with Domi and the Arizona Coyotes is a bad one. The Coyotes are this year’s dumpster fire, though they have picked up their game over the past couple months and have vastly improved their record.

As a 22-year-old player, Domi has a bright future ahead of him as he has already had a 52 point season as a rookie in 2015-16. These past two seasons have not been great for Domi and it has a lot of people wondering if the Coyotes are the problem and not Domi.

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Currently Max Domi only has four goals and 22 assists in 60 games this season. Which is a clearly a down year if you even want to compare what he did in his rookie season.

If the Canucks look to add Domi, I’m curious on what the Coyotes would want in return.

The Canucks should not be giving up high draft picks to acquire any player at this point. Jim Benning’s strength is his drafting and he needs to add picks at the deadline, not get rid of them.

If a player like Ben Hutton and a pick is the asking price, maybe throwing that towards Domi is a good idea. Domi is a former 12th overall pick in the 2013 draft, he played on the same line as Bo Horvat with the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Canucks fans would be excited for the first line of Domi,Horvat and Brock Boeser.

It comes down to the deal, Benning isn’t afraid to trade for players at this age and actually shows a history of it in his current run as a general manager, just ask Sven Baertschi or Markus Grandlund.

This deal for Domi is possible and Jim Benning hinted at adding a forward with some size and skill last Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada. Horvat and Domi played great together in the OHL and I’m intrigued to see what those players would look like playing on an NHL line together. I’d bet that Domi would be shocked in the growth in Horvat’s skating as that was his knock when he did play in London.

Next: Canucks: Time to make a decision on Ben Hutton

If the deal is right, I think the Canucks should explore it, Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet 650 has reported that the Canucks have made a call about Domi, so the ball is rolling at least.

Jim Benning shouldn’t break the bank or mortgage the future on trying to acquire Domi, but right now could be the right time to buy low on a guy like Domi. I’ve said it in my past few articles, you’ve got the extension now so shoot for the stars Benning.