11 bold and highly-specific Canucks predictions for the 2022 Trade Deadline

As you read these words, the 2022 Trade Deadline inches closer. It’s now less than a week away, and all news relating to the Vancouver Canucks seems to have reached…a standstill.
From a fan’s perspective, that’s probably a good thing. The old regime was a little too leaky for most folks’ liking, and that resulted in everyone in the hockey world always having a pretty good idea what the Canucks were up to — including every rival GM.
Patrik Allvin and Co. seem to play their cards much closer to the vest than Jim Benning and Co. did, and that’s largely for the best.
Unless, that is, one is a Canucks blogger with a particular penchant for covering the trade rumour beat.
If that’s your situation, you might find the lack of legitimate rumours a little frustrating. But, you know what they say: if you can’t beat the rumour-mongers, join ‘em. So, we’ve gone ahead and collected our own official trade rumours* from our own trusted sources** that are all definitely going to happen***.
Enjoy****!
*Utter speculation
**The recesses of our own minds
***Not a legal guarantee (especially since each of these proposals occur in a vacuum and several contradict one another).
****Just roll with it!
JT Miller to Colorado
To Colorado | To Vancouver | JT Miller |
To New York | To Vancouver |
To Boston | To Vancouver | Conor Garland |
To New Jersey | To Vancouver | Conor Garland |
To Pittsburgh | To Vancouver |
To Los Angeles | To Vancouver | Brock Boeser |
To Los Angeles | To Vancouver |
Tanner Pearson | Jaret Anderson-Dolan |
The Kings were reportedly in on Tyler Toffoli before he got flipped to the Calgary Flames instead, so they’re clearly in the market for a nostalgic middle-six addition. If not Toffoli, then who better than his old linemate, Pearson?
Pearson has been having a hell of a season ever since Bruce Boudreau took over, and has been one of the Canucks’ best producers at even-strength. Combine that with Pearson’s defensive fortitude, and you’ve got a premium addition for the playoffs — if only he were a rental.
The remaining two years on Pearson’s contract probably hurts his return value a fair bit, but not enough to make him a negative asset. If the Canucks can get a B+ prospect that has fallen through the cracks on a deep team, like Anderson-Dolan, they should take it and run with it.
The remaining two years on Pearson’s contract probably hurts his return value a fair bit, but not enough to make him a negative asset. If the Canucks can get a B+ prospect that has fallen through the cracks on a deep team, like Anderson-Dolan, they should take it and run with it.
Jaroslav Halak to Edmonton
2022 Second Round Pick
Tyler Benson
With that full NMC in place, Halak only moves if Halak wants to move. But we like to think that we could sell him on the idea of going to Edmonton and being the hero that finally allows to Oilers to make some noise in the playoffs and stop wasting the primes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Who doesn’t want a statue built in their honour outside of Rogers Place?
With the job of convincing Halak done, it’s down to the Oilers to convince the Canucks to help out one of their greatest rivals. The Canucks shouldn’t make it easy on the Oilers by any means, and so the bidding for Halak starts at a second round pick. Even if he hasn’t played all that well of late, he’s still a better option than Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith. If the Canucks can get a former Giant in Benson thrown in as a sweetener, all the better.
Luke Schenn to Florida
2023 Second Round Pick
2022 Third Round Pick
Nobody really wants Schenn to be moved, but if he has to go anywhere, Florida looks like the best destination.
The word on the street is that the Panthers want to add size and PK prowess to their blueline, no matter the cost. They can do that AND troll their regional rivals a little bit by acquiring Schenn, who spent the last two postseasons winning two Stanley Cups for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Canucks have no real need to let Schenn go for anything less than a second round pick. Since the Panthers don’t have one this year, the Canucks could accept a 2023 second round pick…IF Florida were willing to add something on top of it to compensate for the delay. A 2022 third rounder might be rich, but then adding Schenn is a playoff luxury.
Tyler Motte to Tampa Bay
To Tampa Bay | To Vancouver |
Tyler Motte (50% Retained) | Cal Foote |
There are rumours abound that the Lightning are heavily pursuing Motte, seeing him as this year’s Barclay Goodrow. Unlike Goodrow, Motte is an expiring UFA, so don’t expect a first round pick plus in return for him, but that doesn’t mean that the Canucks won’t get good value.
In fact, we’ve got a pretty simple solution to propose. Cal Foote is a massive, smooth-skating RHD with a two-way profile who was drafted in the first round five years ago and has yet to fully crack the Lightning roster. Flip him for Motte, have the Canucks retain half so that there’s room under the cap to pursue another depth defender, and go win another Cup.
Vancouver fans would be happy seeing Motte win a championship, and in enjoying Foote for several seasons thereafter.
Canucks stand pat
To Anywhere | To Vancouver |
No One | No One |
Here’s our wildest prediction of all, and yet it stands perhaps the best chance of coming true of any proposal on this list.
The Canucks could very well do absolutely nothing at the 2022 Trade Deadline.
Boeser is an RFA, and Miller’s contract doesn’t expire for another year. Garland is signed for four more years beyond this one. Even Schenn is signed through next year.
Halak is a pending UFA, but he has that NMC. Motte is the only pending UFA who the Canucks might “need” to sell, but then he’s an integral part of the team’s penalty kill, and the Canucks are still very much in the mix for the playoffs.
There’s a real chance that the Canucks simply choose to continue pursuing the postseason in 2021/22, and save any further decisions for the offseason. Aside from Halak and Motte, the Canucks will still have a chance to trade every player we’ve listed above in the summer, if that’s what they’d prefer.
In reality, we probably won’t see March 21 come and go without the Canucks making any transactions. Maybe it will be Brad Hunt or Alex Chiasson flipped for a late pick, or a late pick being shipped out for a depth defender or two.
But there’s a real chance that the 2022 Trade Deadline passes without the Canucks moving any of their major tradeable assets, and that’s not even necessarily a bad outcome.
It might just be part of the process.
It might just be part of the process.
Would you say “yes” to any of the above proposals? Let us know in the comment section. And if you’d like to make some predictions of your own, you’ll have the chance to do so in this week’s WDYTT!
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