The Canuck Way Mailbag: Virtanen, free agency, trade targets, more
Trades and Jake Virtanen
Is there any sort of market for players like Sutter, Roussel, Beagle, and Benn to free up cap without having to give up assets for other teams to help our cap situation?
— canuckftc12W (@itsnucktime) September 12, 2020
I think there is definitely a market for all of those players. Brandon Sutter is a serviceable third/fourth line center, Antoine Roussel is an effective agitator with some skill, Jay Beagle is a reliable fourth-line center with faceoff/penalty killing prowess and Benn is still a great depth defenceman on most teams. All of them are overpriced in their roles, so it may be tough to trade any of them without adding a draft pick or prospect to sweeten the pot a bit.
That being said, Benning should explore all avenues to get some of them off the books. Of all of them, Sutter and Roussel have the most marketable value because of their age and intangibles they bring to a team.
Sutter had a solid postseason and is a very effective forward when he’s in the lineup. He can win faceoffs, kill penalties, and has scoring upside as well. He could fetch a third or fourth-round draft pick or even a solid mid-range prospect. If I was a betting man, I would bet Sutter is the one traded for the biggest return this offseason.
Do you believe jim benning will find a way to get a first or second rounder this year , if so who do you think will be shipped out of Vancouver
— petey is a god (@peteyisagod40) September 11, 2020
I think Benning will work the phones a lot this offseason, especially as it gets closer to the draft in October. The Canucks do not have a pick until the third round in a strong draft, and he’s already said he wants to recoup some picks. I don’t think he will be able to get back into the first round unless he is willing to trade Brock Boeser. A second-round pick is more realistic given the assets that are probably on the trade block.
Jake Virtanen is still only 24-years-old, and he has the potential to become a very effective top-six forward in the NHL. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s in Vancouver anymore. He’s worn out his welcome with this coaching staff, and he seems to have hit a wall in his development.
He seemingly turned a corner in the regular season with a career-high 18 goals and 36 points, but once again took a step back in the postseason where he struggled to sustain any positive momentum.
Benning has now gone on record saying that he was disappointed with Virtanen’s performance in the playoffs, so a trade now seems imminent. I think if he goes that route, he could probably obtain a second-round pick for him.