After winning the Pacific Division and hitting 50 wins for the third time in franchise history last season, I don’t think anyone thought the Vancouver Canucks would be in this position 47 games in. But here we are. They are in real danger of finishing outside the top 16 and could be sellers at the trade deadline, setting up anticipation for the Draft Lottery, not the playoffs, for the eighth time in the last ten years.
Related: 4 Trade Destinations for Canucks’ Miller
While there’s still time for that not to happen, fans should get ready for the possibility of players being jettisoned for draft picks and/or prospects leading up to March 7. With that, let’s discuss five (not named J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson) that fall into that category.
Pius Suter
Pius Suter is in the final year of his two-year contract that he signed in 2022 and has been a useful player for head coach Rick Tocchet. He can play both center and wing, line up on the power play and penalty kill and be effective in both a top and bottom-six role. All things that should entice a playoff-bound team around the trade deadline. So far this season, he has shuttled up and down the lineup playing with almost everyone and was at his best when J.T. Miller had his leave of absence, scoring five goals in five games in December. He has fallen off a cliff offensively since then, though, with only four points (all assists) in his last 21 games, now on pace for 20 goals instead of upwards of 30. Regardless, general manager Patrik Allvin should be able to find a team willing to give up a second or third-rounder or possibly a mid-range prospect to acquire him.
Kevin Lankinen
Despite the Canucks reportedly wanting to sign Kevin Lankinen long-term, they should still entertain the idea of moving him if they are out of the playoffs and he’s not re-signed by the trade deadline. A lot of teams need goaltending depth heading into the grind of the postseason and considering his surprising season so far filling in for Thatcher Demko, he could fetch a pretty significant asset on the trade market. He’s having a career season almost across the board as his save percentage (SV%) is the only stat that is not currently a career-best. As of this writing, he has a 2.63 goals-against average (GAA), .903 SV% and four shutouts alongside a solid 16-8-6 record. Of his 29 starts this season, only five have been really bad starts (RBS) and 18 have been rated as quality starts (QS) – one off the 19 he recorded in his rookie season with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020-21.
The Canucks would not be in striking distance of the playoffs without him, and I am sure other teams have taken notice. His cap hit is a ridiculously low $875,000, making the money a non-issue for GMs looking at upgrading or solidifying their goaltending. For teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils (now that Jacob Markstrom is injured), Ottawa Senators, and Philadelphia Flyers who are seemingly in the market for one, Lankinen would probably be at the top of their list if Allvin decides to put him on the trade block.
Brock Boeser
Lost in the shuffle of the J.T. Miller/Elias Pettersson “will they/won’t they” trade saga is Brock Boeser. He will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in the offseason and as of right now, it’s been all quiet on the extension front. If the Canucks aren’t going to re-sign him before the trade deadline and they are out of the playoff race, it would be best to trade him for something. As March 7 gets closer and closer, contenders will get more desperate to upgrade their teams and could overpay to acquire a scoring winger like Boeser.
Boeser would be worth at least a first-round pick and maybe more depending on which teams get involved in the trade talks. Like many of the Canucks’ star forwards, he is struggling to produce at the same level as last season, but he’s still on pace to hit 30 goals. I’m sure at least one GM would be willing to give up a high pick and/or a combination of picks, prospects, and roster players for a winger like that.
Nils Hoglander
Set to make $3 million AAV in 2025-26, Nils Hoglander is in the midst of the worst season of his career. He recently broke out of an awful 34-game scoring drought and is on pace for only five goals this season, which is a far cry from the career-high 24 he had last season. At his best, he’s one of the most hardworking, tenacious and effective forecheckers in the NHL, and is useful all over the lineup because of it. The goals for some reason are just not coming this season, and it probably has something to do with his deployment and the fact that he does not have the confidence of his head coach.
Hoglander was seemingly in Tocchet’s good books all of last season as he played almost every game and spent most of his ice time alongside Pettersson in the top six. This season, not so much. Despite being healthy, he’s played only 43 of the Canucks’ 47 games and has been aligned with Pettersson for a measly 88:30 at even strength. He’s been mainly stapled to the bottom six or sat in the pressbox in favour of American Hockey League (AHL) players like Linus Karlsson, Arshdeep Bains or Max Sasson, even after stretches of games where he’s played well. Case in point, last game against the Edmonton Oilers where he sat after arguably his best games of the season versus the Buffalo Sabres (Jan. 21) and Los Angeles Kings (Jan. 16).
Of all the players discussed so far, Hoglander is probably the one that is the likeliest to move. There have been rumours about that fact already this season, as Kevin Weekes reported in December that the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals have looked into his availability. Despite his lack of production, he’s still a quality middle-six player who can score when given the opportunity. His energy and forechecking skills are also things every playoff team wants in their lineup as players with those attributes usually break out in the postseason.
Vincent Desharnais
Finally, there’s Vincent Desharnais, who has also found his name in the trade rumours lately. Signed in the offseason to a two-year deal worth $2 million AAV, he was brought in to replace the likes of Ian Cole and Nikita Zadorov. Suffice it to say, he’s failed to do that and has been, for the most part, a liability on the back end. For a defenceman getting paid that type of money, you would expect him to be at the very least a regular in the lineup. But he hasn’t, and whenever he does draw in, he has been underwhelming and incapable of moving the puck cleanly out of his zone. All in all, it just hasn’t worked out in Vancouver and he probably will be jettisoned for a mid-to-late round draft pick or maybe even future considerations.
Will the Miller Trade Saga End Before March 7 or Drag Into the Offseason?
Whether the Canucks turn their season around or not before the trade deadline, it appears they will be active before then. They were reportedly close to a deal with the Hurricanes before they decided to acquire Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall, and rumours of an impending Miller/Pettersson trade don’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon. It will be interesting to see if Allvin can get what he wants because it doesn’t seem like he’s found a team that is willing to give him the desired package of players, picks and/or prospects. Unfortunately, considering the very public feud between Miller and Pettersson, he is dealing from a position of weakness, so he might have to take a lesser package or wait until the offseason to see if the offers improve.
Regardless of what happens with Miller and Pettersson, the Canucks will be in the thick of the trade rumours and speculation leading up to March 7, and it will only get worse if they fall further out of the playoff race. Buckle up Canucks fans, because this rollercoaster has seemingly only just begun.
