We are just three days away from the NHL Trade Deadline, and there are a lot of directions how the Vancouver Canucks can approach this week.
Reports have come out that they’re looking to add to the forward group and how Canucks ownership values making the playoffs. So, by all accounts, it’s looking like they’re going to add. But how significant are they going to add?
TSN’s Darren Dreger shared what the Canucks are targeting at this years deadline:
“What I’m mindful of is the conversation that I’m sure Patrik Allvin has had with general managers around the league that didn’t start in the last week or two. Players that we’re not speculating on. Centres that may be available in the right scenario.“I’ve heard some stuff that Vancouver most definitely is targeting centres that we haven’t speculated on. They’re not on trade bait lists. So, we’ll see if that pans out. But most definitely, they’re looking for a centremen.”
Dreger followed that up by stating that this was not in an Elias Pettersson exchange. The club is looking to add centre depth behind Pettersson. But what’s more intriguing is how he mentions that the Canucks are targeting centres who have term on their contract that nobody has speculated on. Centres that are not on trade bait lists.
We’ve covered Frank Seravalli’s Trade Targets board on Daily Faceoff. The latest centremen on Seravalli’s Trade Targets board are Brock Nelson, Scott Laughton, Jake Evans, Casey Mittlestadt, Trent Frederic, Ryan Donato, Yanni Gourde, Dylan Cozens, Ryan O’Reilly, JG Pageau, Trevor Zegras, Michael McCarron and Brayden Schenn.
So, why not give a look around the league and find some centres with term that the Canucks could potentially be targeting:
Pavel Zacha
Stats: 62 games played, 12 goals, 37 points, plus-2 rating.Time on Ice: 19:23Age: 27Height/Weight: 6’3″, 206-lbs.Contract: UFA, 3 years x $4.75 million. 10-team no-trade clause.
Since he was traded to the Boston Bruins, Pavel Zacha has turned into a top-six centre, currently playing on the top line between Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak. The Czechia centreman had 57 points in 82 games in his first season and topped that last year with 59 points in 78 games. His numbers are down this season, as he’s only on pace for 49 points, but that can also be linked to the Bruins’ struggles, as they currently sit sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Which is why he might be available.
The Bruins are already dealing with injuries with their top two defenceman, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, out for the foreseeable future. Boston is also expected to move off of their unrestricted free agents, Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau. So would it really be outlandish to assume they would trade away Zacha?
We know that the Canucks and Bruins talked trade earlier this year, mostly during the height of the JT Miller and Pettersson negotiations. Were they talking about a Pavel Zacha return? If so, then now that the Bruins are heading toward being sellers, maybe the two are still talking about Zacha.
The only speed bump would be Zacha’s 10-team no-trade clause and if Vancouver is on that list.
Cole Sillinger
Stats: 54 games played, 9 goals, 29 points, minus-15 rating.Time on Ice: 17:18Age: 21Height/Weight: 6’1″, 202-lbs.Contract: RFA, 2 years x $2.25 million.
This one would kind of be a shocker, but hey, Dreger said this player isn’t on anybody’s radar.
Cole Sillinger is on pace to have a career season and has excelled in the elevated role he’s been given this season. He’s been thrust into a top-six role this season, shifting to second-line centre once Sean Monahan was injured.
Like Zacha, these two teams have had discussions regarding a Pettersson trade, and we highlighted Sillinger as a potential target in said trade.
The only hiccup here is that Sillinger is set to miss time. Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell announced that Sillinger “will be out for a little while” after sustaining an upper-body injury last week in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. However, that might make him more available for trade, given that the Blue Jackets are in the top Wild Card spot and are looking to add at this year’s trade deadline.
Could a futures-type trade make sense for the Blue Jackets if they can then flip that return for an asset to help them now?
Marco Rossi
Stats: 61 games played, 21 goals, 51 points, plus-16 rating.Time on Ice: 18:19Age: 23Height/Weight: 5’9″, 182-lbs.Contract: RFA, 1 year x $863,334.
Marco Rossi is the only one here without term. However, his team-controlled RFA status was enough to include him on this list.
The Austrian centreman has consistently played in a top-six role this season, even spending time playing on the top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello.
But why would the Minnesota Wild want to move off of one of their top-six centers when they’re weak down the middle of the ice? Well, this is more of a pipe dream. However, there have been rumblings about Rossi and his long-term future in Minnesota. It started a few years back, but there were even talks this season, during his breakout campaign, when this was mentioned by David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period.
“This may be something to keep tabs on in the off-season, as I’d be fairly surprised if a move occurred mid-season, but word around the league suggests the Minnesota Wild are still willing to listen on centre Marco Rossi. Again, nothing is imminent, but as we reported last season, Wild GM Bill Guerin didn’t hang up when teams asked about Rossi, and that still seems to be the case. But given how well the club’s performing, there’s no need to screw around with a good thing. Rossi is eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer.”
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also mentioned this on Monday’s episode of 32 Thoughts – The Podcast:
“The one thing I kind of wonder about there, is that there has been some rumblings about Rossi and what his long term future would been there. But I think that kid’s had a tremendous season. The thing to me is, on a team where you’re battling all these injuries all the time, that kind of availability [playing all 61 Wild games this season] is not a small thing. So even if there was ever any question about where the future was for him, I can’t imagine that’s a thing that’s going to be now.”
Both insiders are reporting that the Wild might not move him now but could in the future. However, do their recent injuries change that plan? The Wild were contending with the Winnipeg Jets for first in their division but have since fallen off and are now six points behind the Dallas Stars for second in the division and two points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for third.
We all know about the Brock Boeser links to Wild, with him being a Minnesota native. But they have also been linked to the number one centre on trade bait lists, Brock Nelson, who is also from Minnesota.
Here’s a hypothetical: Boeser and a pick to Minnesota for Rossi. That pick from Vancouver, plus a prospect – of which the Wild have many of – to the New York Islanders for Nelson to replace the Rossi down the middle of the ice. Now we’re talking.
Dawson Mercer
Stats: 62 games played, 13 goals, 26 points, plus-10 rating.Time on Ice: 17:45Age: 23Height/Weight: 6’0″, 180-lbs.Contract: RFA, 3 years x $4 million.
Dawson Mercer has played most of the season as a winger, but he does have history of playing as a centre.
The Canadian forward is currently enjoying a top-six role with Timo Meier and Nico Hischier.
The only reason this trade may not work out is that the New Jersey Devils were already searching for a centreman for this year’s trade deadline. Sure, Mercer is playing as a winger now, but that might change now with the recent Jack Hughes injury. They could use Mercer as an in-house replacement down the middle of the ice.
However, not only do they have to replace Hughes at centre, but they’re also going to need to replace his goal-scoring. The Devils offence has dried up recently, having scored just two goals over their past three games and nine in the five games since returning from the 4 Nations Face-off.
Could they be a team interested in some added goal-scoring? Boeser perhaps? This Canucks management group has long been interested in Mercer, and the Devils showed interest in a potential JT Miller trade earlier this season. Have they already discussed Mercer as a return?
Josh Norris
Stats: 52 games played, 19 goals, 31 points, minus-6 rating.Time on Ice: 18:24Age: 25Height/Weight: 6’2″, 196-lbs.Contract: UFA, 6 years x $7.95 million
Josh Norris’ availability has been spoken about a lot this season. The 6’2″ centreman has spent time on the top line with Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux but is now playing second line time with David Perron and Drake Batherson.
The biggest gripe around Norris is his availability. Outside of the Covid-shortened 2020-2021 season – which was 56 games – Norris has never played more than 66 games in a single season.
The Senators haven’t officially made Norris available. However, teams are reportedly calling the Senators on him, and they are listening. There were rumblings earlier in the season that the Senators might enter the Pettersson sweepstakes and were willing to involve Norris in that potential package.
Let’s not forget about Norris’ connection to Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. If the club wants to retain the best defenceman in franchise history, bringing in one of his closest friends – who he played with at the University of Michigan – could help sway him.
Barrett Hayton
Stats: 61 games played, 16 goals, 34 points, plus-3 rating.Time on Ice: 15:55Age: 24Height/Weight: 6’1″, 200-lbs.Contract: RFA, 2 years x $2.65 million.
Barrett Hayton averages the least amount of ice time on this list but has been a mainstay in the Utah Hockey Club’s top six all season. He has spent time centring the top line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, but with the emergence of Logan Cooley, he is now centring the second line with Alex Kerfoor and Dylan Guenther.
Utah are pushing toward the playoffs in their inaugural season and might be looking to make a bigger move. This could lead to Hayton getting squeezed out and available for the Canucks to take advantage of. There hasn’t been any real rumours on Hayton being available, but he could be an under-the-radar add.
Trevor Zegras
Stats: 34 games, 7 goals, 16 points, minus-7 rating.Time on Ice: 17:03Age: 23Height/Weight: 6’0″, 180-lbs.Contract: RFA, 2 years x $5.75 million.
Trevor Zegras would slightly miss this criteria as he was on Seravalli’s latest Trade Targets board. However, there really isn’t much discussion about him moving, at least this year. There have been rumblings over the previous few years that Zegras might be available because he isn’t the prototypical Pat Verbeek-type player.
Zegras started his NHL career playing centre, but has shifted to the wing, considering the Ducks’ centre depth of Ryan Strome, Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish. The American forward is currently playing on the second line with Carlsson and Alex Killorn.
There haven’t been any serious rumours about Zegras moving. However, there are reports that the Ducks are listening when teams call on his availability.
While it was a different regime, the Canucks tried to move up in the 2019 draft to select Zegras. He was stolen right under their nose, one pick before Vancouver, who ultimately selected Vasily Podkolzin. Maybe the organization still has an interest in the highly skilled forward. Zegras would undoubtedly breathe some fresh air into a struggling offensive system.
What do you think, Canucks fans? Which of these off-the-radar top-six centres would you like the Canucks to acquire? Let us know in the comments below!
Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!
