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Vancouver Canucks Should Have Been Buyers at NHL Trade Deadline

By Suraj Sukumar

Jan 2, 2017; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Sven Baertschi (47) celebrates his goal against Colorado Avalanche goaltender Calvin Pickard (31) (not pictured) with forward Henrik Sedin (33) and forward Daniel Sedin (22) during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2017; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Sven Baertschi (47) celebrates his goal against Colorado Avalanche goaltender Calvin Pickard (31) (not pictured) with forward Henrik Sedin (33) and forward Daniel Sedin (22) during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Vancouver Canucks have been poorly managed for a few years, and the results are showing after another lackluster season with the Sedin Twins

The Vancouver Canucks have been an interesting franchise since the Roberto Luongo–Cory Schneider years. After trading for Bo Horvat, which is still looked at as one of the worst deals ever, the Canucks seem to take a turn for the worse, while hanging on to their stud- pairing, Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

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While Henrik Sedin has manned that top line center spot for almost a decade, Daniel Sedin has been their go-to scorer for just as long. Similar to the Mats Sundin situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it seems the Canucks have done the absolute minimum to build around their franchise duo.

The Aging Canucks

The Sedin Twins have made Vancouver their undisputed home for quite some time. They were Stanley Cup contenders during the Luongo era, but have yet to reach the same level ever since. Interestingly enough, they have done quite well in trying to land young players, who have continued to perform in 2016-17. However, the veterans on the team deserve more.

Ryan Miller and the Sedin brothers are viable cornerstones of a franchise even today. The problem with the Canucks is the lack of quality support. Alexander Burrows was relied on as a top line forward for years, and despite the great trade, the Canucks did very little to improve their top-six. Loui Eriksson was a great attempt, but putting all your eggs in one basket has rarely worked in the NHL.

The Promising Youth

The young group in Vancouver had a strong start to the year. Horvat may never live up to the price tag, but he has all the makings of a number one center. With some consistent offense, he could make everyone forget that the Canucks lost an elite starting goalie for his services. In terms of secondary help, Brandon Sutter has been great and has locked down that second line center spot for now.

On defense, the Canucks show promise there as well. Ben Hutton has tremendous potential, while Alexander Edler, Luca Sbisa, and Chris Tanev have all been consistent for the Canucks. However, they could have traded some of their younger players, or picks, to land some depth on defense. There are plenty of moves to be made, and it seems the Canucks were unwilling to pull the trigger when it mattered most.

Next: 5 Hypothetical Trade Deals That Could Happen

The Canucks are an 18-10-3 team at home but struggled on the road. With some veteran help and some much-needed consistency, they could have been a playoff-contending team. They have the right studs at the right positions but have not done enough to build around them. Moving forward, the Canucks look like a promising team, but it remains to be seen how long veterans like both Sedins and Miller will stick around.

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