In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, the organization made two trades adding Ethan Bear and Jack Studnicka. Addtionally, head coach Bruce Boudreau won his 600th game. Lastly, Quinn Hughes looks to make his return to the lineup against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Canucks Trade for Bear
The Canucks added defenceman Bear and forward Lane Pederson from the Hurricanes on Friday. The Hurricanes are retaining 18%, $400,000, of Bear’s salary and acquiring a 2023 fifth-round draft pick in the trade. The blueliner has yet to play a game this season as the organization was looking for a potential trade. Bear is a 25-year-old, right-shot defender filling a position of need for the Canucks. The 2015 fifth-round pick has 13 goals and 47 points in 190 games through four NHL seasons with the Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers.
Pederson is a 25-year-old, right-shot centre. He has spent most of his pro career playing the American Hockey League (AHL) and will likely continue to with the Canucks as a depth forward. He’s played in 44 NHL games, scoring one goal and posting five points.
The Canucks added to a position in need with Bear in the trade. They didn’t have to give up too much for a player who will likely play in the bottom-four defence pairing. The organization has been interested in acquiring Bear for a while now. The club also placed Tucker Poolman on injured reserve last week, which is why adding Bear is good timing. The defenceman lined up on the fourth pair alongside Riley Stillman at practice on Monday.
Canucks Add Studnicka
Prior to the Bear trade, the Canucks added Studnicka from the Bruins. In return, the Bruins received goalie Michael DiPietro and defensive prospect Jonathan Myrenberg.
Studnicka, a 2017 second-round pick, is a right-handed centre. He’s playing 38 NHL games in his career, scoring one goal and posting seven points. Additionally, he’s spent most of his time in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, scoring 33 goals and posting 91 points in 112 games. He’s been productive in the AHL but has yet to establish himself as an NHL player. However, the Canucks add to a point of need with a right-shot centre. If Studnicka can find his game with the Canucks, he will be a useful addition to the club. He lined up on the third line at practice on Monday alongside Nils Hoglander and Tanner Pearson.
Related: Canucks Hoping Studnicka Can Become NHL Regular After Trade
Meanwhile, the Bruins add DiPietro after the Canucks gave the goalie permission to seek a trade in the summer. DiPietro was affected by the pandemic season in 2020-21 as the club’s third goalie, which led to him not getting much playing time. Meanwhile, losing Myrenberg may hurt the Canucks the most. He may have been the team’s top right-handed defence prospect, which is a position the club lacks.
Boudreau Picks Up 600th Win
The Canucks picked up their first win of the season over the Seattle Kraken last Thursday, which meant head coach Boudreau had picked up his 600th win as an NHL coach. He is the 22nd coach in NHL history to reach the mark and the fifth active coach to reach the mark. Boudreau has a points percentage of .633% in his career, second best to Scottie Bowman (.657%) among coaches with 600 wins. However, the Canucks head coach wasn’t worried about reaching the milestone.
“I haven’t been thinking about that since the third game,” he said. “I just wanted to get the win for the guys and and let them feel better.”
Hughes’ Return From Injury
Hughes has been out of the Canucks lineup since the team took on the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 22nd. He missed the team’s last four games with a lower-body injury, however, he should be back in the lineup soon. The defenceman noted he had been dealing with the injury before the season started (from ‘Canucks: Quinn Hughes good to go, Jack Studnicka’s ‘sick’ practice,’ The Province, October 30, 2022).
“I missed a week before the season, then practised at UBC and then we then left for Edmonton (season opener),” Hughes recalled Sunday after returning to the practice ice. “I was dealing with it then and it was a little sore, but I thought it was behind me.
“After every game it got worse to a point where we had to shut it down. If we played today (Sunday) or yesterday (Saturday), I probably would have been in.”
Hughes added he is excited to take on his brother Jack and the Devils on Tuesday. The Canucks are looking to pick up their third win in a row and first with their top defenceman back in the lineup.
