The Vancouver Canucks’ regression this season is reflected in the 180-degree change in direction at the trade deadline from a year ago.
Thirteen months ago, general manager Jim Benning bought one of the National Hockey League’s biggest deadline prizes when he acquired Tyler Toffoli from the Los Angeles Kings to upgrade the Canucks’ top-six forwards ahead of what turned out to be a five-week playoff run.
This season, hopelessly behind in the Canadian division standings after an awful opening month, the Canucks need to be sellers ahead of the National Hockey League deadline on April 12. Vancouver has a handful of veterans on expiring contracts who may get the team something now rather than nothing later.
The most frequent criticisms of Benning stem from his mistakes in free agency, but the GM has never been more vilified than he was after the 2018 trade deadline when he failed to harvest even a late-round draft pick for Thomas Vanek before selling the veteran scorer to the Columbus Blue Jackets for prospect Tyler Motte.
And Benning was never more popular, even among his most shrill and persistent detractors, than at the 2017 deadline when he convinced veteran Alex Burrows to accept a trade to Ottawa for solid prospect Jonathan Dahlen, and got Jannik Hansen to leave for San Jose in exchange for first-rounder Nikolay Goldobin.
Interestingly, history will note that neither Dahlen nor Goldobin became everyday NHL players while Motte, largely disparaged by critics at the time of his acquisition, has become the best bottom-six forward on the Canucks.
Well, who’s keeping score, anyway? There’s a lot of pressure on Benning to sell this time. It makes sense, too.
Canucks Restricted Free Agents
• Elias Pettersson, C, 22, $925k
• Quinn Hughes, D, 21, $917k
• Thatcher Demko, G, 25, $1.05 million
• Olli Juolevi, D, 22, $863k
• Adam Gaudette, C/RW, 24, $950k
• Marc Michaelis, C/LW, 25, $700k
• Jayce Hawryluk, LW, 25, $800k
Canucks Unrestricted Free Agents
• Tanner Pearson, LW, 28, $3.75 million
• Alex Edler, D, 34, $6 million
• Brandon Sutter, C, 32, $4.375 million
• Travis Hamonic, D, 30, $1.25 million
• Jordie Benn, D, 33, $2 million
• Jimmy Vesey, RW, 27, $900k
• Travis Boyd, C, 27, $700k
• Jalen Chatfield, D, 24, $700k
Canucks Draft Picks
2021: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th
2022: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th
[radioclip id=5097049]Team Needs
For the Canucks’ rebuilt foundation Benning has drafted, developed or acquired a handful of excellent core pieces at the top of the roster. But his failure to build out the lineup, spending too much money on depth players who have offered diminished returns over time, has been costly literally and figuratively.
The Canucks bottom-six forwards, especially, need to be stronger. The good news is nearly all of those expensive, aging pieces are coming off the payroll this summer and next. The bad news is that in the short-term, the Canucks could be even worse as they haven’t enough NHL-ready prospects to fill all the needs on the third and fourth lines. The Canucks need depth.
Potential Assets to Move
Asset 1: Tanner Pearson, LW
Benning has said his preference is to re-sign the second-line winger, but given Pearson’s age (28), current cap hit ($3.75 million) and poor season (six goals and 11 points in 33 games), a contract extension is risky. As a rental, however, Pearson should have value even if his current ankle injury complicates things. He is a proven two-way winger capable of playing a matchup role, won a Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings and has logged 51 playoff games.
Asset 2: Brandon Sutter, C
Under “normal” deadline circumstances, Sutter would be coveted as a moderately-priced rental. He is a right-shot centre on an expiring contract who wins faceoffs (55.5 per cent this season), kills penalties, defends leads, can chip in a little offensively and has played more than 800 NHL games. He’s expensive and isn’t the fastest skater, but acquiring teams will be looking for two months, not two years out of him. Sutter has a modified no-trade clause, but should be motivated at the chance to win elsewhere and earn his next contract.
Asset 3: Alex Edler, D
Edler would have been traded two years ago but declined to waive his no-movement clause and instead re-signed for a two-year term that was club friendly. The career Canuck would like another contract in Vancouver for next season, but that doesn’t mean he would automatically reject a move this spring, especially for the chance to win something at age 34. With his NMC, Edler will have to pick his spot – and may just say no again. But as a big-bodied defenceman proficient in a matchup role, who can play special teams and has demonstrated heightened physicality at playoff time, the Swede could bring the Canucks a solid asset in return.
[radioclip id=5097131]Asset 4: Adam Gaudette, C/RW and Jake Virtanen, RW
Yes, we know these are two players not one asset, but they fall into the same category: youngish forwards who haven’t (yet) fulfilled expectations in Vancouver, may need a new start elsewhere and have enough upside to generate interest. The 24-year-olds are having awful seasons offensively – just four goals apiece – but possess some offensive tools. As a soon-to-be RFA, Gaudette is probably easier to move. Virtanen has another year at a cap hit of $2.55 million.
Asset 5: Travis Hamonic, D and Jordie Benn, D
Staying with the two-horse asset entry, we’re including Hamonic and Benn because both are experienced, robust, competent defencemen who traditionally are popular with excellent teams trying to bulk up on depth before potentially long Stanley Cup playoff runs. At age 30, Hamonic is the younger and better player. But he received, as compensation for his bargain one-year contract with the Canucks, a full no-move clause and may be unwilling to move again this spring after taking his family to Vancouver from Calgary last fall. Benn, 33, has a modified NTC, but should be ager for a chance to help a winning team and possibly extend his NHL career.
Seattle Expansion Considerations
The Canucks solved their only expansion-protection problem when they allowed veteran goalie Jacob Markstrom to walk in free agency last fall and gave prospect Thatcher Demko the chance to seize the starting role, which he has done impressively and emphatically. Vancouver has no protection issues, which puts them in a position to try capitalizing on teams that do – cap claustrophobia notwithstanding. With expensive new contracts due for RFAs Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Demko, Benning has to be wary of every dollar he takes on.
