Canucks: Will Nikita Tryamkin return to Vancouver?

The Vancouver Canucks own the NHL rights to Nikita Tryamkin. Rumor has it that he wants to return to the NHL. Should Vancouver give him another shot?

It was a hard day for the Vancouver Canucks back in 2017 when the hulking Nikita Tryamkin turned down a two-year contract extension and bolted back to Russia to join the Yekaterinburg Automobilist of the KHL. According to CBC News, the six-foot-seven defender had other plans.

Tryamkin was high on Benning’s list to ink an extension, but the blueliner wasn’t happy with his overall ice time on the west coast and he sure wasn’t willing to be sent down to Utica for conditioning. He had this to say in an interview that was translated by Google.

“Sometimes I just did not understand why. I could play 20 minutes, I could play 16, I could play 12. And on what it depended, I did not understand.”

It struck deep in the hearts of Canucks fans when the news broke that he wouldn’t be returning to Vancouver, instead, he ditched North America entirely and signed for three years overseas. Looking now though, the three-year contract is nearly up in Russia, it expires on April 30th and it will leave Tryamkin without a professional hockey contract.

According to the subscription website, “The Athletic”, Harman Dayal reports that Tryamkin is frustrated with the KHL and is eyeing a return to the National Hockey League. Summing up the article, Tryamkin has turned sour in Russia after his captaincy was stripped and his role on the team seeing a slow decline through the course of the year. His goal is to sign in Vancouver and restart his NHL career.

Watching the Canucks win games and lead the Pacific Division, who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Especially with new superstars since 2017. The addition of Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes could go a long way in convincing someone across the world to join the party.

As you can see above, Tryamkin is checking in on Canucks’ practice in New York. This is something he has done before, a simple wave from the comment section to say, “Hey, don’t forget about your friend, Nikita. I’m still here.”

The Canucks are facing some serious questions on defense next season. Three of the main roster’s six defencemen have expiring contracts and with Vancouver tight to the cap, it might be wise for Benning to let someone walk in favor of the towering Russian. He’s cheaper, he’s bigger and the Canucks could use a little more grit.

Could you imagine the space Tryamkin could create for a player like Hughes? How about the protection he would provide for Pettersson? Even a backend duo of giants in the likes of Tryamkin and Tyler Myers is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. For now, it’s just rumored, but when the month of May rolls around, it’ll be interesting to see how the Canucks respond.