Top 3 forwards the Canucks missed out on at the NHL trade deadline
The Canucks have played excellent hockey since a pedestrian first two months of the calendar year, but the NHL trade deadline was a missed opportunity.
The NHL trade deadline is a time when the best teams in the league take advantage of the opportunity to make their ideal situations even better. And while the Canucks division rival, the Vegas Golden Knights, got better than arguably anyone else during the trade deadline season, general manager Patrik Allvin still chose not to add any significant talent, or even a serviceable piece.
If you’re a Canucks fan, inactivity was the last thing you wanted to see from Allvin. The team may have worked its way out of its recent subpar stretch from the second month of the year that saw Vancouver fade into obscurity for three weeks, but it also should have sent a message to Allvin that he needed to further address his team and that recent addition Elias Lindholm wasn’t the answer.
Canucks could have improved with one more forward at the NHL trade deadline
In the following slides, you will see three forwards Allvin could have acquired for Vancouver at the NHL trade deadline. Given cap restraints, they wouldn’t have added all of them to the organization, but just one, whether it’s the blockbuster deal listed or one of the two potential bargains, would have paid dividends.
All three players would have pitched in with scoring, two of which with depth scoring and the other, in what would probably have solidified the league’s best the top-six. Two of the three also would have given Vancouver some sound help on defense, and even the third player listed has surprisingly fared better when his team has not been in possession of the puck this season.
And given the recent news regarding goaltender Thatcher Demko’s injury, such potential play in the defensive zone among the forwards listed would have been a luxury for at least the foreseeable future.
Pavel Buchnevich could have completed the Canucks in 2024
The one major downside with Pavel Buchnevich is that he would have cost Patrik Allvin a lot in compensation, and perhaps Allvin just didn’t want to give it up. In most seasons, that would be acceptable, but when you’re one of the best teams in the NHL, and at times, the best team, and a player like Buchnevich is available, you need to make a serious push for and land him.
Sure, he would have cost some money to keep around for the remainder of this season and next season with a cap hit of $5.8 million, but think about how well players like J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Connor Garland, and even blueliners like Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek would have benefited from Buchnevich’s presence. No Elias Lindholm, you ask? There’s a reason for that.
Even if Buchnevich left the Canucks with a cash-strapped situation, there were still ways to make a trade like this happen, and someone with Buchnevich’s ability would have immediately reverted the Canucks back into the league’s highest-scoring team.
Plus, they also could have found a team to flip the ineffective Elias Lindholm to. And given the way Lindholm’s played since his arrival in Vancouver, Buchnevich would have made for a major upgrade.
Lars Eller would have added depth, special teams help
If there is one lower-liner in the NHL you can’t underestimate, it’s Lars Eller, as he’s been a rather serviceable all-around player. While it’s true he will rarely give a team over 15 goals in a season, he’s put up double-digit goals in each since 2013-14 except for the 2020-21 season, but remember, there were significantly fewer games that year.
His physical play also fits well into the Canucks persona and style, and he would have given Vancouver another center who is proficient at winning faceoffs, especially when the team found itself in the defensive zone.
Insurance is also huge for this time of the year, and although the Canucks special teams are better than what we have seen from most of the league, Eller would have provided much-needed insurance in that realm if a regular contributor missed extended time with an injury. He’s been particularly valuable across 86.0 minutes on the man advantage this season, helping the Penguins score seven goals while on the ice, including two of his own.
If Patrik Allvin didn’t want to spend big at the trade deadline, Eller, given his age, his modest cap hit, and the fact he would have merely provided depth in Vancouver, the Canucks general manager wouldn’t have needed to give up much for the longtime forward.
Victor Olofsson would have cost next to nothing
Victor Olofsson’s $4.75 million cap hit would have made any NHL fan cringe if their team was linked to him. And while that was not the case with the Canucks, there were a few surprises at the NHL trade deadline that saw players go to teams we otherwise wouldn’t have thought they would have ended up.
That’s what makes the deadline season so exciting, and what also makes it exciting is the fact that teams willing to trade a rather expensive piece may also be willing to retain a significant portion of their contract. The Sabres would have done this regarding Olofsson since he has had little to no role with the Blue and Gold and he will play elsewhere next season.
However, Olofsson would have also made excellent insurance for one of the league’s better power play units, and he would have added another piece of scoring depth. No, the addition wouldn’t have impressed anyone in Canucks circles, but when you consider Olofsson scored 48 goals across in the two seasons before his role dwindled in Buffalo, opponents would have had to have accounted for his presence on the ice.
And best yet, the Sabres wouldn’t have just held on to a significant portion of his contract; he also would have likely cost a late-round pick or a B-prospect.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)