Canucks offseason trade candidates: Forward Jay Beagle

The Vancouver Canucks will have to clear some cap room this offseason, making Jay Beagle a possible trade candidate.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning put himself in a salary cap find following giant offseason spending sprees in 2018 and 2019.

On one hand, you can’t fault Benning for spending money (while he had plenty of cap space) in an effort to improve the team. But the Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, Tim Schaller and Tyler Myers contracts raised plenty of eyebrows from day one.

Throw in the $36 million handed to Loui Eriksson in 2016, too. The 34-year-old is still under contract for two more seasons, and Benning is going to need to work some magic if he wants to unload it this offseason.

Benning has to clear room to re-sign Jacob Markstrom this offseason, and at least one of Troy Stecher and Chris Tanev. The contracts of Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes expire after 2020-21, and the two young stars will be in line for lucrative raises.

Simply put, Benning is going to have to unload one or two of the expensive veteran contracts that he questionably handed out. That brings us to Beagle.

The 34-year-old signed a four-year, $12 million pact in the 2018 offseason. The final two years of the deal carry a $3 million cap hit.

Vancouver simply didn’t sign Beagle for his offence. He’s never topped 13 goals or 30 points in a season, but Beagle’s physicality,  success in the faceoff circle and leadership made him a valuable part of the Washington Capitals’ 2017-18 Stanley Cup championship team.

Benning was hoping to get that version of Beagle in Vancouver, but injuries (he missed 25 games in 2018-19) haven’t helped matters in the slightest. On the bright side, Beagle has compiled a 57.6 faceoff win percentage over his two seasons with the Canucks.

Beagle would hopefully have some interest on the trade market. Teams looking to add muscle while improving their bottom-six could use Beagle. Clubs like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames have added several enforcers over the years to protect their top stars.

Other teams built around speed and skill like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs might also be keen on adding a Stanley Cup winner who can be effective in the postseason.

The Canucks could always retain some salary in a Beagle trade as well, but they just might be able to unload him for a late-round pick without having to take on any money whatsoever.

Beagle is well-respected among his Vancouver teammates and all, but Benning simply has to make some sacrifices as he looks to keep his core players intact. That’s why he has to at least shop Beagle in the offseason. There are few ways to clear cap space.