Canucks: Potential trades that could improve the defence

3. Trade With Columbus Blue Jackets

Much like the Islanders, the Blue Jackets have sacrificed offence in favour of playing a stifling style of hockey. They are tied for third in fewest goals against per game but an abysmal tie for 27th in goals for.

The Blue Jackets need to find a way to add more scoring into their lineup, even if that costs them a few more goals in their own end. Adding Brock Boeser to Columbus would immediately make them a much more dangerous offensive team, as he could help form one of the most deadly one-two punches on the wing alongside the often overlooked Oliver Bjorkstrand.

Adding Zach Werenski to Vancouver’s blue line would allow the team to have one of Hughes and Werenski on the ice for over 45 minutes each game. The Canucks would boast arguably the strongest group of left-handed defencemen in the league. This would also Edler to play a more sheltered role on the bottom pairing as he enters the twilight stages of his career.

Much like the proposed Dobson trade, Vancouver would need to add more since elite defencemen are more valuable than elite wingers. Moreover, Werenski is on a more team-friendly contract (a $5 million cap hit through 2021-22) and just had a breakout season offensively, a career-high 20 goals and 41 points. He’s proven to be more durable than Boeser as well (78, 77 and 82 games player over his first three seasons, missed seven in 2019-20).

Columbus may also be happy to recoup a draft pick since they traded away a bevy of them during the 2019 deadline, which is why a third to go alongside Boeser seems like a fair deal for both teams.

For Vancouver, this deal opens up $1 million in cap space, which could go a long way in helping them re-sign their pending free agents. More importantly, the addition of Werenski could allow the Canucks to choose not to bring back Tanev, which could free up around $5 million. This will help Vancouver re-sign Tyler Toffoli, who, along with Miller, Jake Virtanen and Tanner Pearson, will give the team enough depth on the wing to fill the void left by Boeser.

Overall, any of these trades would help Vancouver add more depth to their back end and become a more well-rounded team. Having a strong defensive core is one of the fundamental elements of any contender, and the Canucks will need to provide Hughes with some support if they want to compete for Stanley Cups in the near future.