The NHL trade deadline is March 7 and it feels like no Vancouver Canuck is safe, well, outside of Quinn Hughes.
I’m not saying they will miss the playoffs but a few in the media is starting to:
Just another reason to dislike Tkachuk
“I actually FaceTimed Quinn when he was figuring it out — when people were saying, ‘Quinn might come, Quinn might not come,’” Tkachuk said. “I think he was all about coming, but I just don’t think he got cleared by Vancouver to play.
“Yeah, a little shady business to begin with there. We all know who they were cheering for.”
Can Pettersson get the Vancouver Canucks to the playoffs?
“Player who must step up: Pettersson. Could it be anyone else? Miller was traded on Jan. 31. Pettersson has three assists and zero goals through eight games since, and that’s not even mentioning his disappearing act at the 4 Nations tournament. Pettersson has got to get his game going if Vancouver is going to make the playoffs.
Why the Canucks won’t — but should — make a trade deadline blockbuster
“BUT: They should trade Elias Pettersson.
“No, really, they should. Or at the very least, they should be having some extremely honest conversations about whether they want to be married to him and his $93 million contract until 2032. I’ve been a fan of his for a while now, but this season worries me, and the 4 Nations was downright terrifying. It’s possible he’s just not the same guy he was once, and if that’s true then the Canucks need to get out now, in what’s likely to be their last chance. The off-season? That could be too late to have any kind of market. Dangle him now, let him be the deadline’s biggest prize, hope some GM who thinks he’s getting fired in April offers something decent, and then make a run for the getaway car and book it out of town.”
Are we seeing Brock Boeser’s last days as a Canuck?
“On one hand, there’s still reportedly mutual interest in keeping Boeser a Canuck. As my colleague Frank Seravalli pointed out last week, someone still needs to do the scoring on this team. Boeser is off his pace from last season, but he’s still tracking for close to 30 goals, and his 5-on-5 play driving metrics haven’t actually changed that much from last season’s.
“He can still be part of the medium-term solution. On the other hand: it’s risky for Vancouver to go beyond March 7 at 12 p.m. with Boeser unsigned. What if the two sides don’t agree on a deal and he walks for nothing in the summer? Considering it’s a seller’s market and Boeser could net a package including a first-round pick and respectable prospect, the Canucks have to at least entertain offers for him.”
“Whichever road the Canucks choose, Boeser is bound to attract suitors from across the league. Here are four teams that could benefit from having a player like him join its roster.
Minnesota Wild
Starting with perhaps the most obvious destination, there are plenty of reasons why Boeser seems like a good fit for the Wild.
Aside from the fact it would be a homecoming for Boeser, he fills a hockey need for the Wild. Despite sitting third in the Central Division, four points before the Colorado Avalanche with one game in hand, the Wild have just a plus-five goal-differential.
Since star winger Kirill Kaprizov was injured on Jan. 26, the Wild were shut out on back-to-back nights heading into the 4 Nations break and to make matters worse, general manager Bill Guerin said on Saturday that Kaprizov may be sidelined for longer than expected.
Without their perennial 40-goal man, the Wild’s top-six doesn’t generate nearly as much offence. As it stands, Boeser’s point total would be fifth-highest on the Wild, a noticeable improvement on the right wing and could provide a boost to their struggling, Kaprizov-less power play that’s sitting 24th in the league at 19.2 per cent.
Florida Panthers
The defending Stanley Cup champions are no strangers to taking big swings in pursuit of greatness and with their competitive window as wide as ever, there’s no reason to believe that this year will be any different.
Is it possible that this club also pursues a top-six winger like Boeser, who could reasonably supplement some of the offence in Tkachuk’s absence?
Boeser wouldn’t outright replace the injured Tkachuk, who has twice eclipsed 100 points and is a point-per-game in four consecutive seasons, but he’s on pace for 27 goals and can provide some goal-scoring ability to complement the Panthers’ big guns.
Last season’s 57-goal man Sam Reinhart has the first-line right-wing spot cemented, but Boeser could be an upgrade on Evan Rodrigues, who has performed well for the Panthers as a secondary scorer but has never eclipsed 43 points in a season — something Boeser has done seven times and is on pace to do again this year.
This deal could be lucrative for the Canucks going the other way. Florida currently still holds its first-round pick for 2026, a draft class largely believed to be deeper than 2025. If the Canucks can fetch a first-rounder for Boeser — and the Mikael Granlund trade package suggests that is very doable — then having an additional 2026 first-round pick can be an incredible asset, especially if the Canucks decide to make additional moves at the deadline.
Los Angeles Kings
So how would Boeser fit? For starters, he could assist in sparking their dismal power play, which sits at 15.2 per cent and is good for second-worst in the Western Conference, behind only bottom-feeding Anaheim. Boeser has 14 power play points so far this season, hit a career-high of 25 last season and has never dipped below 14 in a full year. He’s also got 40 power-play goals since the 2021-22 season, despite missing some games in nearly every year in that time.
Much like the Wild, the Kings are also in search of a difference-maker come the post-season. They haven’t won a playoff round since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014 and the Oilers have bounced them from the playoffs three years running. If they do face a familiar foe this spring — entirely possible given the makeup of the Pacific Division — Boeser has some experience scoring against the Oilers, with 10 goals and six assists against Edmonton since the start of the 2023-24 season.
For the Canucks, the Kings have some draft capital, but more intriguingly they have some solid, if not underused, young players that might be of interest to Vancouver. Might they try to nab 23-year-old Alex Laferriere, which would free up a spot for Boeser on the Kings’ second line? Or perhaps Brandt Clarke, the defenceman selected eighth overall in 2021 but has not been given runway with the Kings and has spent the majority of the season playing fourth-line forward or sitting in the press box?
Utah Hockey Club
This one could also be a bit far-fetched, especially considering they’re actively competing with the Canucks for the second wild-card spot in the West, but this is a team that could benefit from a player with Boeser’s acumen and at this stage of his career.
With just under $6 million of projected cap space before the deadline, Utah could reasonably make the numbers work on a Boeser trade. Of course, since the team isn’t in a playoff position, it makes little sense to acquire Boeser as a rental, so general manager Bill Armstrong will likely only make this trade if he believes his team can sign Boeser to a long-term extension. With some contracts coming off the books for Utah at the end of this season, it’s possible it has the cash to do that.”
Pettersson is in the first season of an eight-year contract that carries an $11.6 million annual cap hit. Vancouver engaged in trade talks about Pettersson concurrent to those regarding Miller. His no-movement clause kicks in this summer. How much runway will the Canucks give him before making a call on his future? If they do trade him, it would be at the ebb of his value — his disappearing act in the 4 Nations Face-Off didn’t help.”
And Boeser?
“Boeser, 28, has a $6.65 million cap hit. He has 18 goals and 17 assists in 50 games this season after topping 40 goals for the first time last season. He played in 81 games, which speaks to how he has shaken off questions about his durability. The Canucks are listening on him, but it makes more sense to them to hang onto Boeser.
That said, there has not been much traction on a contract. “I love it in Vancouver. So, yeah, it’s actually frustrating that nothing’s got done,” he told Sportsnet this week. “Obviously, it’s not all out of my control.”
“Teams that want a bigger defenceman can ponder Ristolainen (6-foot-4) and Soucy (6-5). The Flyers’ defenceman can throw the body but hasn’t been a viable point producer since 2019-20. He makes $5.1 million against the cap through 2026-27, and Kevin Kurz of The Athletic recently reported that the Flyers “haven’t got many calls” on him.
Soucy is in the second season of a three-year deal ($3.25 million AAV). Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman says he believes the Canucks have made him available after acquiring Marcus Pettersson from the Penguins earlier this season.”
The Canucks’ primary mission before March 7 is to find another forward who can help fill the scoring void created by the J.T. Miller trade.
Moving on from Miller brought Filip Chytil to Vancouver. But is Chytil enough to make up for Miller’s production, given he had three straight seasons of more than 80 points? Chytil had three points in his first four games, which was a promising start. But the deadline could still provide the Canucks with a window to add another impact forward in their attempt to return to the playoffs.”
What does the Lankinen signing mean for Thatcher Demko?
But there’s a lot that would need to play out. And he does have a not so inexpensive deal that stretches into next season that someone going to have to figure out is it worth buying on Thatcher Demko given what we’ve seen with his injury history.
Prospectives
“Vancouver Canucks prospect Anthony Romani hit an impressive milestone in the OHL on Wednesday. The Barrie Colts forward recorded his 100th career goal in what was his 212th career game. Romani is one of 11 active players with over 100 goals in their OHL career, joining recognizable names like Nick Lardis, Colby Barlow and Michael Misa. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL draft, Romani is up to 11 points in 18 games with Barrie. He is closing in on 200 points for his OHL career and needs just 16 more in order to reach the milestone. The Colts have already clinched their spot in the 2025 OHL Playoffs and are projected to capture the Central Division title this season.”
Detroit moved out an average-sized puck-moving defenceman in Hronek and hoped it would replace him long-term with ASP. He is a very intelligent and hardworking defender with a cannon of a shot, though his size will be an issue defending NHL forwards.”
The Power Rankings
“Never count out ol’ Jimmy Rutherford to make the deadline interesting. That man shoots from the hip and we have nothing but respect for that. What does that mean for the Canucks? We’ve got no idea. Maybe it means a fire sale. Maybe it means they’re surprise buyers. Maybe it means Elias Pettersson (the forward) is gone, and maybe Boeser too. Maybe it means a Boeser extension and some reinforcements for the playoff push. Whatever happens, we can’t wait to watch ol’ Jim do his thing.”
How the games were won and lost
“Though the win wasn’t a work of art by any means, it was 2 points the Canucks needed as they look to salvage this trip after back-to-back losses this weekend in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Some underlying issues remain. It’s not as if the Canucks stacked up quality looks against a sturdy Kings defensive outfit Wednesday, and they blew a 2-0 lead in the third period, but the Canucks need points and secured 2.”