VANCOUVER – It’s easy to cheer for the Vancouver Canucks’ rebuild when they lose 6-0, like they did Saturday at home against the Edmonton Oilers. It’s harder when they trade Kiefer Sherwood for a couple of draft picks that may or may not produce a National Hockey League player three or four years from now.
Two months after notifying teams that Sherwood and the Canucks’ other free-agent-eligible players were available for trade, general manager Patrick Allvin sent his leading goal-scorer to the San Jose Sharks on Monday for second-round picks in 2026 and 2027 and minor-league depth defenceman Cole Clayton.
Unable to pry a first rounder from someone in a relatively deep draft year, the Canucks made their best deal for Sherwood six weeks ahead of the March 6 trade deadline and a couple of weeks before the Olympic roster freeze.
A pair of seconds from the Sharks is fair compensation for a 30-year-old winger on an expiring deal and whose next contract wasn’t going to fit the Canucks’ rebuild – or even just their salary chart on right wing where Brock Boeser and Conor Garland signed long-term extensions last July 1.
But the return was still slightly disappointing if only because Sherwood, one of the most relentless hitters in the NHL and the Canucks’ leading scorer with 17 goals, was the most valuable and easily-tradable piece the organization had to move this winter.
And Sherwood was a Canuck success story – a late-bloomer who was signed for depth from the Nashville Predators two years ago and turned himself into a middle-six winger whose shot, motor and combativeness puts him on every opponent’s radar.
Sherwood made the Canucks better. And his trade Monday will make them worse. But that’s a rebuild.
“I’m really thankful for everything that the city and this organization has given me,” Sherwood told reporters as he stood in front of the Canuck backdrop, a Canucks cap on his head, at Rogers Arena. “They say you earn it, but you’ve got to have the opportunity. You know, as a guy that has been a late bloomer, (Vancouver) was everything I could have hoped for and more. This is really a special place to play.
“That’s the hard part at times about the business, you get attached to certain cities and communities. I feel like this city, and this place to play, this organization, they do things the right way. They really live and breathe hockey. I know, no matter what people feel like, the organization is going to benefit from this with the picks and whatnot. So I’m just really grateful for everything. I couldn’t have asked for more coming into this.”
That soliloquy is how Sherwood began his final press conference in Vancouver, which by its very existence reflected the character of the person and the player.
It is hard to express just how low a priority the media is for most players who have just been traded, but Kiefer Sherwood wanted to speak to us. Well, not us so much us as the community.
He was accountable on the ice, accountable in the dressing room and, on Monday, made himself accountable for a trade in which he bore no responsibility.
“I saw some of the guys, and I guess that’s when it started to sink in a little bit, just giving everyone hugs,” Sherwood said of his suddenly former teammates. “Like I said, there’s a lot of special guys in there. When you spend more time with the team, you get closer to certain guys and make relationships for life. So I just want what’s best for them.
“I just want to say how thankful I am for them and all the memories that we’ve built together over this time.”
After months of uncertainty, the trade brings closure for Sherwood, who revealed that his wife, Ariel, is expecting their first child in April. He expressed gratitude to Allvin and Canucks president Jim Rutherford for providing clarity to his professional situation now.
“I mean, tough one,” Allvin said of the trade. “Kiefer Sherwood has been a great addition here to our team. We believed in him as a player (when we signed him) and I think he has taken tremendous steps here over the two years. He’s a well-liked player on the ice, well-liked person in the community. He’s going to be missed.
“We were looking to accumulate more draft capital here for this year and also for moving forward. We felt the respect to Kiefer and his family, where his situation is, if we were … pleased with the return, we felt we weren’t going to just sit and wait for something else.”
The Canucks were already missing Sherwood, who came out of the lineup with an upper-body injury four games ago. Vancouver has been noticeably less physical without the undrafted winger from Columbus, Ohio, who obliterated the single-season NHL hits record last year with 482.
Sherwood was unsure if he’ll be able to play when the Sharks visit Vancouver on Jan. 27.
“You know, I love the guy,” Canucks coach Adam Foote said. “Love his play, how he brings it every night. You know, we’re going to miss a guy like that. You never want to see that happen.
“I’m a coach, and I want all the good ones. I want them all to stay, but there’s reasons why it doesn’t happen.”
Allvin said he expects more trades before March 6.
The Canucks will try to sell potential UFAs Evander Kane and Teddy Blueger, and are willing to listen on any trade conversations other teams want to have about Vancouver’s veteran players.
But Allvin reiterated he does not believe in stripping the roster of experienced players in order to build a new team from scratch.
“We definitely need to keep players around,” he said. “I don’t want to see what happened here the other night, losing 6-0. It’s not good for anyone, it’s not good for the fans, it’s not good for the players.
“We’re extremely fortunate to have good veteran players here, good people more so, to teach our young guys. But I’ve said it before, (if a trade) is making sense for us long term, we’ll definitely look into it.”
At 0-8-2 in their last 10 games, tied for their longest winless streak in 28 years , the Canucks face the New York Islanders Monday night at home.
“Any year you underperform or teams go in a different direction, you lose good players and good guys,” Garland said philosophically. “We’ve dealt with it in the past. We’ve had years where we’ve brought guys in as well. But it’s one of those years we’re going to see guys go out. Woody’s a fun teammate to have. You know, he’s a gamer. He’s a really good player, he’s been awesome for us. We’ll miss him in the room and on the ice quite a bit.”
ICE CHIPS – Foote and Allvin said the Canucks and Thatcher Demko are gathering further assessment on the goaltender’s lower-body injuries. The organization hasn’t ruled out shutting him down for the season … Allvin said he does not expect injured defenceman Derek Forbort to return this year. He came out of the lineup for maintenance two games into the season and hasn’t played since. “It’s sad because it’s more so a setback from a previous injury,” the GM explained. “When we took him out, honestly, it was just for a day to rest. He ended up having an injection and that flared up. There is a small chance that he might be back, but I don’t count on it now.” … Centres Blueger and Filip Chytil, both out since Oct. 19, are expected to play this week.
