In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, the club traded Anthony Beauvillier. Also, the team is still interested in Nikita Zadorov after clearing up cap space in the Beauvillier trade. Additionally, Brock Boeser is on pace to pass the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career.
Canucks Trade Beauvillier
The Canucks traded forward Beauvillier to the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 28. The organization received a 2024 fifth-round in return.
“It’s business, right? We need the cap space,” head coach Rick Tocchet said. “He’s a guy who was tradeable. We now have the cap space to get the stuff we need down the road. There’s competition in Abbotsford (of the American Hockey League) too. We’ll see what we use with that cap space down the road.”
The Canucks acquired Beauvillier from the New York Islanders in the Bo Horvat last season, along with a 2023 first-round pick and Aatu Raty. The forward played throughout the lineup with the Canucks. He started the season on the fourth line but played on the second line along with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser before the team traded him. He scored two goals and posted eight points in 22 games.
Trading Beauvillier frees up $4.150 million, which gives the Canucks room to bolster their blue line. The team has few options, as they can go out and trade for a blueliner or bring free agent Ethan Bear back. The defenceman should be ready after Christmas and could be a positive addition to the d-group. According to Rick Dhaliwal, his decision is still two to three weeks away.
Interest in Zadorov
Dhaliwal said the Canucks are still pushing for Calgary Flames defenceman Zadorov. With Beauvillier’s cap hit off the books, trading for the blueliner is more likely than it was before. However, as Dhaliwal said, the Flames don’t want to move the defender as they are winning right now. The team is also interested in Zadorov’s teammate and former Canuck, Chris Tanev.
Despite being a left-handed defenceman, Zadorov is likely the player the Canucks desire the most. He is a physical and mobile defensive defenceman and would be useful in the bottom four of the Canucks defence. He stands at 6-foot-6, 248 pounds, and Tocchet would likely love to add a big-bodied blueliner like him to his team.
Boeser’s Road to 30 Goals
Boeser opened up the 2022-23 season by saying it would be the year he finally reached the 30-goal mark. Instead, the forward started the season with an unfortunate hand injury and missed a few weeks. As a result, he started the season slow and finished with the second-lowest total in his career with 18 goals.
However, this year is different. Boeser has a league-leading 17 goals in 23 goals, one away from his total from last season. At this pace, he will have 30 goals near the midway point of this campaign. The 26-year-old scored a career-high 29 goals in his rookie season but hasn’t reached the mark since.
This season, he is on pace for 61 goals in 82 games. Although he likely won’t reach 60 goals, a 40-goal season is likely, based on how often Boeser has been able to score early in the season. Nonetheless, it is great to see the forward bounce back.
Canucks Make Roster Moves
Along with the Beauvillier trade, the Canucks made a few more roster moves. The club assigned Akito Hirose to Abbotsford in the American Hockey League while they recalled Matt Irwin and Linus Karlsson.
The Canucks are likely calling up Irwin as they are trying to find an internal fix to their blue line problems. Since Carson Soucy’s injury, the bottom four haven’t performed well. Therefore, giving opportunities to players such as Irwin is a potential solution. However, if it doesn’t work out, the Canucks will likely try and solve the problem through a trade or signing a lot earlier than expected.
