Canucks: Potential trades that could improve the defence
With the season currently in limbo, no one knows if the Stanley Cup will be awarded this year, and how the salary cap might be affected going forward. However, this uncertainty won’t stop the Vancouver Canucks from thinking of ways to improve the team for the future.
J.T. Miller’s breakout season and the continued improvements from the young forward group helped Vancouver develop into a strong offensive squad, as the team ranked eighth in goals per game when the NHL officially hit pause on the 2019-2020 campaign. Jacob Markstrom‘s emergence into a star goaltender and Thatcher Demko’s development into a stellar backup also provided much-needed stability in net.
With that being said, the Canucks’ obvious flaw lies on the blueline. Even with Quinn Hughes having a historical rookie season, the team in a tie for 21st in the league in goals against per game.
Unfortunately, Vancouver doesn’t have any blue-chip defensive prospects who could replace ageing blueliners such as Alex Edler. Moreover, the impending free agency of both Chris Tanev (a pending UFA) and Troy Stecher (a pending RFA) coupled with Vancouver’s difficult salary cap situation might force the team to explore a different method of improving their back-end: through trade.
Here is a look at three trade ideas to fix the blue line.
1. Trade with Chicago Blackhawks
If the Canucks keep both Markstrom and Demko this summer, there’s a good chance that the team will lose one of their netminders to Seattle in the 2021 expansion draft. Although Demko is almost six years younger than his Swedish counterpart, it makes more sense for Vancouver to re-sign and keep Markstrom since he’s more proven and many of the best goalies in the league still compete at a high level into their mid-30s.
With Corey Crawford’s injury history and advancing age, the Chicago Blackhawks could be one of the teams interested in trading for Demko, potentially anointing him as their future starter. The Blackhawks’ blueline is filled with upcoming talent, so it seems logical that they would be willing to trade from a position of strength in order to fill a desperate need in the net.
Ian Mitchell seems like the ideal target for the Canucks, as Adam Boqvist is most likely untouchable and Chicago’s other defensive prospects aren’t as valuable as Demko. Mitchell is a reliable defenceman who could step in and contribute as early as next season.
More importantly, he’s a right-handed shot who could replace Tanev or Stecher if they leave in free agency. The value of Demko and Mitchell should be similar as well; a potential starting goaltender for a potential top-four defenceman sounds like a fair deal for both teams.
2. Trade with New York Islanders
The New York Islanders Islanders seem to be the antithesis of the Canucks as they are currently ninth in the league in goals allowed per game but a lowly 22nd in goals for. Although some of their offensive struggles can be attributed to their tight style of play, there’s no doubt that New York also needs to infuse some more firepower up front.
Oliver Wahlstrom seems to be the only prospect in the Islander’s pipeline that could develop into a top-six forward one day, which is why a potential 1st line winger like Vasili Podkolzin could attract their attention; it isn’t hard to see the young Russian forming a lethal duo with Mathew Barzal one day.
In return, the Canucks receive Noah Dobson, who could become the long term partner of Hughes on the top defensive pairing. The reason Vancouver adds in this deal is because defencemen are always worth more than wingers when swapping players of similar caliber.
The fact that Podkolzin is at least one more year away from breaking into the league while Dobson is already NHL ready also forces the Canucks to add a sweetener in the trade.
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.
Next. Canucks: Pettersson will dominate at new level. dark
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.