The Vancouver Canucks are in the midst of a retool after a tough first half to the 2022-23 season. They have a 29-33-5 record through 67 games. The trade deadline passed on March 3, and the club made 10 trades in the first full season under general manager Patrik Allvin and president Jim Rutherford.
The organization planned on retooling its roster while clearing up cap space. The Canucks aimed to add players in their 20s who needed a second chance instead of prospects and draft picks in the trades they made. The most notable deals they made involved former captain Bo Horvat and the club receiving Filip Hronek. Here is how all 10 trades rank from the ones they lost to the ones they won.
10) March 1: Canucks Acquire Hronek from Red Wings for 2023 First and Second-Round Pick
The biggest trade the Canucks made during the week of the trade deadline was acquiring Hronek from the Detroit Red Wings for a conditional 2023 first-round pick from the New York Islanders and their own 2023 second-round pick. The Canucks need to fix their blue line, and since they’re retooling, acquiring Hronek is a good move. He is a top-four defenceman and will likely be a good addition to the team’s blue line.
However, trading a first and second-round pick in an impressive 2023 Draft is a tough move for a team with a poor prospect pool. The organization definitely overpaid to acquire Hronek, as this trade was an example of poor asset management from the club. The Ottawa Senators acquired a top-pairing defenceman in Jakob Chychrun for conditional first and two second-round picks from the Arizona Coyotes. Adding him only cost the Senators an additional second-round pick compared to what the Canucks paid for Hronek. The club lost this trade despite the blueliner being a welcomed addition.
9) Jan. 30: Canucks Trade Horvat to Islanders for Beauvillier, Raty & 2023 First Rounder
The Canucks traded Horvat to the Islanders for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty and a conditional 2023 first-round pick. The Canucks and Horvat struggled to agree on an extension which led to the trade. The centre signed an eight-year, $68 million extension with the Islanders, which the Canucks could not afford.
As for the return, the Canucks added Beauvillier, who has scored seven goals and posted 16 points in 18 games since joining while averaging 18:17 in time on ice (TOI). Meanwhile, Raty is a welcomed addition to the team’s poor prospect pool, although his potential is likely a middle-six centre. Lastly, the conditional first-round pick is the one traded for Hronek.
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All in all, the return for Horvat is underwhelming at the moment. The early results on Beauvillier aren’t too bad, while Raty’s potential is yet to be seen. Meanwhile, most of the value in the trade came from the first-round draft pick, which is now gone. Therefore, this trade doesn’t look as great as it initially did and should be marked as a loss for now.
8) Oct. 7: Canucks Acquire Stillman from Blackhawks for Dickinson and 2024 Second Round Pick
Before playing the first game of the season, the Canucks cleared up some cap space by trading Jason Dickinson’s three-year, $7.95 million contract to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Canucks cleared his $2.650 million cap hit while trading away a 2024 second-round pick and adding Riley Stillman. Dickinson has nine goals and 24 points in 64 games this season for the Blackhawks.
Although the Canucks lost this trade, it isn’t as bad as the others since they had to add a sweetener to move Dickinson’s cap hit. If the organization added a player better than Stillman, who is no longer with the club, it would’ve been a better deal for the team. Also, Dickinson never lived up to the bottom-six centre the team hoped he would be, making him a prime trade candidate.
7) March 3: Canucks Trade Kalynuk to Rangers for Future Considerations
Trading Wyatt Kalynuk to the New York Rangers for future considerations isn’t a win or a loss for the Canucks. He spent his time with the Canucks in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Abbotsford. He played 46 games, scoring four goals and posting 17 points. The Canucks received future considerations, which shouldn’t be much.
6) Oct 27: Canucks Acquire Studnicka from Bruins for DiPietro and Myrenberg
The Canucks traded goalie Michael DiPietro and 19-year-old defenceman Jonathan Myrenberg to the Boston Bruins for Jack Studnicka. DiPietro’s agent received permission from the Canucks to talk to teams and help facilitate a trade. The 23-year-old was an important prospect for the organization after they drafted him with the 64th overall pick in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft. However, he lost his place in the team’s depth chart after not seeing much action during the 2020-21 season. DiPietro played one game with the Providence Bruins in the AHL. He posted a .943 save percentage (SV%) and 2.00 goals against average (GAA) in his appearance. Since the trade, he’s spent the majority of his time playing with the Maine Mariner in the ECHL, posting a .916 SV% and a 2.47 GAA.
As for Myrenberg, he was the team’s best right-handed defensive prospect, although that says more about the team’s prospect pool than anything. Meanwhile, Studnicka is a bottom-six forward for the organization. He has played 36 games with the team, scoring four goals and posting six points. He has averaged 10:40 in time on ice this season.
Similar to the Kalynuk trade, this deal isn’t a win or a loss for the Canucks. Although, that can change if Studnicka develops into a better player than expected or DiPietro takes off with his new opportunity in the Bruins franchise.
5) Feb. 27: Canucks Trade Stillman to Sabres for Bloom
The Canucks traded Stillman to the Buffalo Sabres for 19-year-old prospect Josh Bloom. This was a win for the Canucks as they freed up $1.350 million in cap while adding a prospect to their team. Stillman was a depth defenceman for the club who didn’t impress through the 32 games he played with the Canucks. He posted five points and a minus-14.
Meanwhile, Bloom is a 2021 third-round pick selected with the 95th overall pick. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound winger is playing with the North Bay Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League. He has 21 goals and 49 points in 46 games this season. The organization added a prospect who has the potential to become a bottom-six forward for the club.
4) March 3: Canucks Trade Lazar to Devils for 2024 Fourth-Round Pick
The Canucks signed Curtis Lazar as a depth sandpaper player. The club expected him to provide them with two-way play and help on the penalty kill. Instead, after 45 games, scoring three goals and posting five points, the organization traded him to the New Jersey Devils for a 2023 fourth-round pick.
This deal is a win for the Canucks. Not only did they add draft capital, but they also cleared Lazar’s three-year, $3 million deal. At 28 years old, Lazar fits a team like the Devils, who are trying to compete. He brings a lot of energy to a playoff team. However, with the Canucks in their current state, he isn’t very useful.
3) Feb. 28: Canucks Trade Schenn to Maple Leafs for 2023 Third-Round Pick
During the past two seasons and the previous 18 games in 2018-19, Luke Schenn became a fan favourite while playing with the Canucks. The blueliner brought physicality and leadership to the organization. However, the organization traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2023 third-round pick.
Although Canucks fans did not want to see Schenn go, the club won this trade. They were able to increase the value of a 34-year-old bottom-pairing defenceman and add a third-rounder in exchange. Schenn will also be a free agent this offseason, and the Canucks could sign him again.
2) Oct. 28: Canucks Acquire Bear and Pederson from Hurricanes for 2023 Fifth Round Pick
Ethan Bear fell out of the Carolina Hurricanes lineup during his time with the team. He started on the top pair with Jacob Slavin in the 2021-22 season for two months before getting COVID and remaining out of the lineup in January 2022. Once he returned, he struggled to crack the Hurricanes lineup, and as a result, the organization traded him to Vancouver.
The Canucks sent their 2023 fifth-round pick to the Hurricanes for Bear and Lane Pederson. The Columbus Blue Jackets claimed Pederson off waivers after he played 11 games with the team.
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However, this trade is a win for the Canucks based on how well Bear has played since joining. The 25-year-old stepped into the Canucks top four immediately and looked like he belonged. He’s shown amazing chemistry along with Quinn Hughes. With the two together, the Canucks have scored 4.80 goals per-60 at five-on-five, while without them, they’ve scored 1.90 goals per-60. Similar to Hronek, he improves the team’s blue line, but the team only gave up a fifth-round pick to acquire him.
1) Feb. 25: Canucks Acquire Kravtsov for Lockwood and 2026 Seventh-Round Pick
The Canucks traded a 2026 seventh-round pick and William Lockwood to the New York Rangers for Vitali Kravtsov. The 2018 ninth-overall pick is a player with the potential to become a top-six forward but has struggled to develop as a member of the Rangers. He got lost in the organization’s roster shuffle. Nothing is guaranteed with Kravtsov’s upside, but the Canucks could rebuild the forward. Working with the Sedin twins could help with that, improving his puck protection and learning how to cycle the puck. Although Rangers general manager Chris Drury traded the forward, he noticed something special in him (from ‘Canucks: A rebuild of Russian winger Vitali Kravtsov could pay dividends,’ The Province, February 26, 2023).
“He really does zip it (puck) around and with his skill and vision, he can make a pass that many can’t,” he said. “And his speed is so shifty. Being able to move laterally like that can cause a lot of trouble for defenders, who are all over the ice.”
Kravtsov has posted one point in the seven games he’s played for the Canucks this season. However, this trade is exactly the type of move the organization should make if they plan on retooling. They add a player with upside while giving up a late-round pick and Lockwood, a player who spent most of his time with the organization in the AHL.
Canucks Retool Underway with Their Trades
All 10 trades the club has made indicate the Canucks will continue to retool their roster. The Hronek and Horvat trades allowed the organization to add players, but the value the club gave up didn’t add up to the return. Although trading for Stillman allowed the Canucks to free up cap space in the form of Dickinson’s contract, the club gave up a second-rounder for a depth defenceman with a heavy cap hit. The trade results weren’t terrible because the organization offloaded Stillman in the trade for Bloom, which was a slight win.
The Kalynuk trade wasn’t a win or a loss, as the team didn’t lose much in it. DiPietro was permitted to find a trade partner, which led to the Canucks adding a bottom-six forward. The club won the Lazar and Schenn trades as they added a fourth and third-round pick in the process. They added Bear to improve their blue line, and Kravtsov is a smart gamble to add a potential top-six forward.
