The Vancouver Canucks are doing what they can to keep struggling defenseman Vincent Desharnais in the lineup without affecting the team in a negative way. They know that if Desharnais does not play, he loses his game fitness as well as his trade value.
On the other hand, if Desharnais does play and plays poorly for the Canucks, as he has more often than not, it makes for an equally bad situation.
It was reported on Friday that the Canucks were already looking to move Desharnais and find "a better fit" for him, so it appears to be a matter of when, not if, a trade is completed, regardless of playing time or performance.
Still, though, we all know that Desharnais is an NHL-caliber defenseman, just not one that should be playing in a role above the bottom defense pairing. He is a rugged, 6-foot-7, 226-pound force who can defend and make hits, but also struggles with the puck on his stick.
If the Canucks trade Desharnais without retaining any salary, they would free up a valuable $2 million in salary, which they can then use to pursue another trade, for another defenseman or otherwise, now or in the future.
The 28-year-old did play in Monday night's thrilling 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche, playing six minutes more (16:24) than the Canucks defenseman who played the least (10:39), Erik Brannstrom. It is clear, however, that Desharnais's hold on a spot in the lineup will become tenuous at best once Derek Forbort gets over the flu and Filip Hronek returns from his lower-body surgery; the latter is expected to happen before the NHL trade deadline.
That all being said, which NHL teams should or could be willing to take a flier on Desharnais and improve their depth at the defense position via a trade with the Canucks?