Adam Gaudette is the best trade chip for the Vancouver Canucks

After being selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, Adam Gaudette has become one of the more prominent young players for the Vancouver Canucks.

Last year, in just his second full NHL season, Gaudette scored at a 46 point pace and flashed his high offensive potential. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old has found it hard to replicate that success, as he currently only has two points in 20 games this season.

With that said, Gaudette’s offensive production shouldn’t be the biggest worry for Canucks fans. Rather, it’s his defensive game that needs improvement.

There’s no doubt that Vancouver’s biggest weakness is on defence, as the team has been one of the most permissive clubs in the league for years now. Even so, another area of need that has often gone under the radar is the gaping hole at centre on the third line. Brandon Sutter has usually been the player who occupies that spot but he’s only a short-term solution and isn’t a very good one at that, either.

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Many hoped that Gaudette would be a fixture for the team down the middle behind Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat, but his defensive shortcomings are too blatant for that to become a reality. He certainly has the offensive chops for such a role, but there’s no point in playing him there if he gives up as many chances as he creates.

What this team needs is a reliable two-way centre who can kill penalties and provide secondary scoring, similar to what Manny Malhotra brought to the club a decade ago (where has the time gone?). Unfortunately, Gaudette just isn’t that type of player, and at 24 years old, there likely isn’t a lot more developing left for him either.

A solution, then, would be to trade him for a defenceman of similar age. The Canucks desperately need a young right-handed blueliner who is solid in his own zone and play alongside Quinn Hughes. In other words, a long-term replacement to Chris Tanev. Unfortunately, Gaudette’s trade value is nowhere near a player of that calibre and he’s only likely to net a bottom-pairing defenceman who might be a long-shot at becoming a top-four fixture someday.

The question then becomes, what would be more valuable for Vancouver? Gaudette, or a depth defenceman who has a limited ceiling?

Personally, I’d like to hold on to Gaudette for the time being and see how he fares for the remainder of this season. If his two-way game doesn’t make a jump, then the Canucks should definitely gauge his trade value in the summer.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Would you like to see Gaudette traded for a defenceman? Let us know in the comments below!