Vancouver Canucks Should Be Active At The Trade Deadline

Sitting on top of the Pacific Division the Vancouver Canucks owe it to their fan base to be active prior to the trade deadline.

The Vancouver Canucks have only made the playoffs once in the past six seasons and has not advanced past the first round of the postseason since the club’s trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010-11. The timing has never been better in the past decade for the Canucks to become serious contenders in the Western Conference.

The Pacific Division along with the West’s wild card race is a jumbled mess that could see a strong two-week run by multiple teams takeover the division or two weeks of struggles have a team completely fall out of playoff contention. There are roughly eight teams still in a legitimate position to make a run for the postseason, however, the Canucks have all the pieces needed to secure a playoff berth.

General Manager Jim Benning hasn’t received nearly enough credit for the moves he made last summer by acquiring J.T. Miller, along with signing Tyler Myers and Jordie Benn. Even the addition of Michael Ferland was a logical signing based on the cap hit and term but unfortunately, injuries have appeared to derail the winger’s first season in Vancouver.

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Benning took his young core featuring the likes of Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and Bo Horvat and surrounded them with character and grit. Pettersson won the Calder Trophy a year ago, Hughes is arguably the front runner for the same trophy this year. Boeser is one of the best young-goal scorers in the league while Horvat has transformed into the second-coming of Trevor Linden at only 24-years old.

However, all four of the young core needed to be complimented by experience and grit in order to maximize their on-ice abilities. Benning did a marvellous job of bringing in hard-working, veteran leadership this past offseason in the form of Miller, Myers, and Benn.

He was criticized for the high price he paid to acquire Miller, however, the trade has worked out better than even the most optimistic expectations as Miller formed instant chemistry with Pettersson. Benning gave Myers a large contract to improve the club’s defensive depth to ease the load on the likes of Hughes, Chris Tanev and Alex Edler. The addition of Benn has also made several rival general managers question why they didn’t try harder to sign the defensive defenseman.

Benning had all the skill needed to succeed, what he lacked were the little things in hard-working grinders. Combining the two has provided the right mix to explain why the Canucks sit at the top of the Pacific Division. However, what Benning needs now to push his club over the top is a pair of trade deadline acquisitions.

If the Canucks are able to acquire a top-six forward and blueline insurance then the division is theirs for the taking. The way the team is currently built, assuming they can stay healthy, they don’t need a massive addition like how the Arizona Coyotes acquired Taylor Hall. They simply need complementary pieces to cement the team’s depth.

Wayne Simmonds‘ name has been mentioned in the rumor mill and he could be a perfect fit as a third-line grinder who could play up in the lineup. Simmonds could join Brandon Sutter and either Jake Virtanen or Antonine Roussel to form a pesky third line, or if Simmonds joins Horvat and Boeser on the second line, the price is likely reasonable to acquire the pending free agent.

Chris Kreider would provide additional size up front for the Canucks, something the team could use in the playoffs. Whether the New York Rangers would move the winger appears to change by the day, however, his goal-scoring next to Pettersson’s playmaking could be invaluable for the remainder of the season.

It’s unclear if Vancouver would want to pay such a high price that the Rangers would be asking for Kreider, but the 6-foot-3 winger could be the type of player that pushes the Canucks over the top compared to anyone else rumored to be available.

As for defensive depth, Andy Greene could be an interesting fit as he’d provide additional experience and leadership. He’s seen it all in his 14-year career, including a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. He’d also likely come at a reasonable price.

Greene’s teammate Sami Vatanen has plenty of experience in the Pacific Division given his time with the Anaheim Ducks. He’d cost significantly more than Greene or even someone like Mike Green, but given his divisional experience and puck-moving ability, he could be an interesting fit.

If the Canucks were able to rotate three defensive-pairs each featuring one of Vatanen, Edler, and Hughes, all of which with great puck-moving ability, getting out of their defensive zone and placing the puck on the stick of their playmaking forwards would give their opposition fits.

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Vancouver is an interesting team to watch prior to the trade deadline. They don’t need to acquire a big fish but if they can add-on complimentary depth then the Pacific Division would be theirs to lose.

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