The Vancouver Canucks were one game from the Western Conference Finals a pair years ago. It looked as if this team had the possibility to make some noise within the Western Conference. Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson were stars, and the long run looked quite brilliant. Unfortunately, this house of cards has come crashing down.
Hughes was traded to the Minnesota Wild earlier this season amid a contract dispute. Pettersson stays on the roster, but he’s playing far below the usual he had previously set for himself. In reality, the Canucks have tried to trade Pettersson on multiple occasions.
Vancouver just missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs last yr. This season, they’ll likely comfortably miss the postseason. The Canucks are currently dead last within the NHL on points. Presently, they own the highest odds to win the NHL Draft Lottery and pick first overall within the 2026 NHL Draft.
Beyond trading Hughes, the Canucks have already sold. Kiefer Sherwood was traded to the San Jose Sharks in what is probably going just the primary of multiple moves before the NHL Trade Deadline on March sixth. Vancouver cannot make a trade again until the twenty second of February, but they’re more likely to make a few moves.
With this in mind, who should Vancouver move out of town? Above all else, the Canucks must trade Evander Kane before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline comes and goes next month.
Canucks’ Evander Kane is probably going a top rental option on trade market
The Canucks brought Evander Kane back home to Vancouver through the summer in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers. Vancouver didn’t surrender much to get the veteran winger. He only cost the team a fourth-round pick. It was essentially a salary dump on behalf of the Oilers.
Kane has not turned in a superstar performance by any means. Nevertheless, he has proven to be one in every of Vancouver’s best offensive options. He’s fourth amongst Canucks skaters with 25 points. He can provide some assistance on the offensive end of the ice. His track record suggests he can offer one other level, as well.
The problem here is that Kane doesn’t offer much outside of his offense. The veteran winger is just not the very best defensively, and as a winger, he doesn’t offer the identical kind of value a middle does. This can undoubtedly impact his trade market.
At the identical time, there aren’t many higher options available on the market, no less than when it comes to rentals. Artemi Panarin was the undisputed top rental winger, but he was recently traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Nashville Predators winger Michael Bunting could rival Kane, however the separation between the 2 is not that much, no matter your rating.
It feels somewhat unlikely the Canucks sign Kane to a different contract. They all the time could, given the hometown aspect here. However the veteran winger on no account matches their current timeline. He has the kind of Stanley Cup Playoff experience that would help younger players. At the identical time, though, he could aid a contending team with that very same experience.
There are other players the Canucks can extract more value out of on the trade market. Ideally, the team finds a taker for Pettersson and they really start fresh with a brand new core. Irrespective of what happens, though, Kane must not remain with the Canucks past the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline on March sixth.