The Canucks are interested in trading for a talented, young defenceman. However, the expected price could be too steep for their liking.
When Jim Benning announced to the media he had no interest in moving Chris Tanev, it was disappointing. The Vancouver Canucks look committed to the one of the worst defences in the NHL and adding Olli Juolevi won’t make an appreciable difference.
However, Elliotte Friedman caught the attention of Canucks fans with his latest entry of 31 thoughts. The sentence was short, but ignited a discussion this offseason was begging for.
"5. Stealth team for Noah Hanifin: Vancouver."
Six little words was all it took, but the rumour implied something very interesting. Going for Noah Hanifin would be bold. It makes sense since the Canucks have likely kept tabs on Hanifin since his time with the U.S. Development Program. Jim Benning, Judd Brackett and John Weisbrod know the program all too well.
Granted, this is just a rumor. But, Friedman doesn’t report things frivolously. Just don’t ask him how a market is treating their management from an outside perspective. It makes too much sense. The Canucks have interest in a player that they know well and need to make a major change to their defensive group.
What Hanifin would offer
Adding Hanifin would give the Canucks blue line a much-needed face lift. Vancouver is getting a 21-year-old defenceman just coming off his entry-level deal. Hanifin is already comfortable on a Carolina’s second pairing, putting up 32 points this season.
The Boston native shines brightly in the advanced stats department as well. At 5v5, he has a CF% of 56.19, a FA/60 of 39.49 and also contributes positively in terms of scoring chances and high danger shot attempts.
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If there is one thing I could see as a minor red flag is his deployment. Hanifin gets 62% of his starts in the offensive zone. There’s an argument that Hanifin is sheltered, but most teams do this with young defencemen. As you saw from the World Championships, Bill Peters is as conservative as coaches get. Would Travis Green treat him differently in this hypothetical situation? I think that answer depends on Hanifin’s contract.
Regardless, the Canucks will get an established NHL defenceman, taking some of the pressure off Juolevi. Of course, Hanifin is likely not ready to hold the top pairing on the Canucks today, but who knows? A potential trade will have a lot of moving parts, leaving options wide open.
The price will be high
If the Canucks got Hanifin, they are taking another shortcut and getting an NHL-ready player. On top of that, this wouldn’t be a cast-off like Benning’s prior acquisitions. With these facts in mind, it also means Hanifin will be rather expensive to bring to Vancouver.
This means that the seventh overall pick could be on the table. For many of you, that could be a non-starter altogether. In my opinion, I could part with that pick if the trade was one-for-one. However, I don’t think Carolina will part with Hanifin that easily.
Let’s say the Canucks don’t move their first rounder. The Hurricanes have a lot of assets and may want roster players to make a big move to get close to the playoffs. That means either Alex Edler or Chris Tanev. I wish Jim Benning good luck in trying to get Edler to waive, but Tanev might be more willing.
Another option is sending a package involving Juolevi, Sven Baertschi and a possible draft pick. That sounds expensive, but you are not getting Noah Hanifin for Nic Dowd, Markus Granlund and a seventh round pick. You can’t just dump your garbage in a quantity for quality trade. It’s a pipe dream, but maybe Carolina would like to add someone like Erik Gudbranson.
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Although, I’m not holding out much hope. There will be a steep price to pay and I have a feeling Juolevi or the seventh overall pick have to be in the trade. Even worse, Carolina may ask for someone like Elias Pettersson or Brock Boeser, which will likely kill any trade talks. At the end of the day, it’s fun to talk about, but I don’t see this trade happening. Vancouver is interested, but I’m not sure they are willing to pay the price.