The Vancouver Canucks have made their first move on trade deadline day.
It’s not a trade but the Canucks have claimed Brad Richardson off waivers. It was first reported by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Richardson is 37-years-old is a depth forward. He is naturally a centre but has been playing the right wing with the Calgary Flames. He has played has 27 games and has scored two goals and managed two assists with the Flames.
As a result, it looks like the Canucks will send Sheldon Rempal and Nic Petan to Abbotsford. Abbotsford is one win away from clinching a playoff berth. Could this mean Tyler Motte could be traded? We shall see.
Claiming Richardson lets Canucks send Petan and Rempal to AHL for playoff purposes
— Patrick Johnston (@risingaction) March 21, 2022
The Canucks made it official soon after.
Transaction: #Canucks claim forward Brad Richardson off waivers from Calgary.
— Canucks PR (@CanucksPR) March 21, 2022
Richardson played two seasons with the Canucks from 2013 to 2015. During those two seasons, he played 118 games and scored 19 goals and managed 25 assists.
After leaving the Canucks, he spent five seasons with the Arizona Coyotes and his best moment there was a four-goal game against Vancouver on February 28, 2019.
Richardson began his career with the Colorado Avalanche after he was drafted in the fifth round by them in 2003. After a junior career with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, Richardson made his NHL debut in the 2005-06. He spent three seasons going up and down between the Avalanche and their AHL teams.
In the summer of 2008, Richardson was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a second-round pick. In LA, he transitioned into a full-time NHLer and helped the Kings win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2012.
After leaving the Coyotes in free agency in 2020, Richardson signed a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators and in the summer of 2021, signed a one-year deal with the Flames. Richardson brings a cap hit of $800,000.
At the time of this writing, it has been very quiet on the trade front for the Canucks but things could change any minute.
What do you think of the Richardson claim? Let us know in the comments below, on the Facebook comments or on Twitter.