As the trade deadline draws closer, the Vancouver Canucks are still being linked to Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky. Here’s the latest.
The Vancouver Canucks may be in a tight playoff race, but general manager Jim Benning will surely stay away from sacrificing future assets for rentals at this year’s trade deadline.
If anything else, Benning would likely sell some off his top trade chips in blueliners Chris Tanev and Alexander Edler. But he’s not in a position to get aggressive and move out top prospects and draft selections just to enhance the chance of making the playoffs.
This is still a rebuilding project, folks.
That being said, the Canucks continue have been heavily mentioned in the Andre Burakovsky trade rumour mill, as the Washington Capitals continue to shop the 23-year-old Austrian winger. Burakovsky, a 2013 first-round pick, simply hasn’t been able to live up to expectations.
Appearing on TSN 1040 (h/t NicholsOnHockey.com), insider Darren Dreger gave the latest update on the Canucks’ pursuit of Burakovsky.
"“I think it’s still there.I mean, Burakovsky is still in play and he’s still with the Washington Capitals…I don’t know what the specific ask was from Vancouver, but I know that some of the other teams that were involved, the ask was too high.”"
Dreger added that the Capitals want a “third-line forward” in return, and that somebody told him they thought Vancouver “was kicking tires awhile back.”
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Burakovsky wouldn’t cost the Canucks too much in a trade, and this would be a Benning-like move, if you will.
Remember when he gave up a second round pick to get the talented but underachieving Sven Baertschi from the Calgary Flames in 2015? That one worked out nicely for the Canucks.
The 6-foot-3 Burakovsky has six goals and 12 points in 44 games this season.
His most productive campaign was back in 2015-16, when Burakovsky had 17 goals and 38 points. He put up 35 and 25 points in 2016-17 and 2017-18, respectively.
Given his lack of production over the last three seasons, Burakovsky isn’t going to come with a heavy price tag in a trade. He’d bring good size and more depth to a Vancouver roster that could use more muscle.
I’m not so sure Benning would have a player of equal value to offer in a trade, and he might be keen on holding onto every draft pick he has this year — especially if he’s not able to acquire more at this year’s deadline.
But given his age and potential, Burakovsky might be a worthy add for the Canucks. There will be other interested teams, of course. Should the asking price be reasonable, however, Vancouver might want to think about making a play for him.
Surrendering a mid-round pick for a player like Burakovsky wouldn’t do much harm for a rebuilding team like the Canucks. It’d be a low-risk move, and it could boost their chances of reaching the postseason. We’ll see if Vancouver continues to explore a trade for Burakovsky, or if they’ll focus strictly on selling.