The Vancouver Canucks have had a rollercoaster season at both ends of the ice so far, and though they have won three of their last four games, the Canucks are still the primary subjects of trade chatter around the NHL.
NHL insider Kevin Weekes had reported on Friday that embattled Canucks forward Nils Hoglander was beginning to draw trade interest around the league, namely in the Metropolitan Division, even after signing a three-year contract extension in October.
While that may be true, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported in Saturday night's "Saturday Headlines" that the Canucks are not exactly dying to make a trade just for the sake of making one.
"Vancouver's down defensemen. They've also struggled a bit defensively. They have one of the most aggressive front offices in the league, everybody knows it," Friedman said of the Canucks. "Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin, they're not afraid to do anything. They have made it very clear, 'We're not going to do something just because other people think we're desperate.'"
What are the Canucks looking to trade for?
The Canucks already passed on potentially getting involved in the David Jiricek trade sweepstakes, but based on Friedman's comments, it sounds like the Canucks would indeed be looking to go for an upgrade on defense of some kind.
Following the Filip Hronek injury, veteran defenseman Tyler Myers is in a tough spot now that he has been shoehorned into a top-pairing role. By extension, Noah Juulsen and Vincent Desharnais are pressed into regular, every-night roles at the NHL level, which they may not necessarily be equipped for.
With Derek Forbort and Thatcher Demko potentially returning from their injuries in short order, the Canucks may also be waiting to see how the team performs in the interim before considering any upgrades or otherwise bold moves.
"The Canucks have indicated, 'Yes, we're looking, but we're not going to do anything because people think we're desperate,'" Friedman reiterated.