2023 Trade Deadline Live Blog: Canucks stand pat, Miller and Boeser remain with the team

The NHL Trade Deadline is just three hours away, and the Vancouver Canucks are expected to be among the league’s busiest in the trade market.

The team has already spent the last week making a flurry of trades, sending out Luke Schenn and Riley Stillman for picks and prospects, and bringing in a new defenceman in Filip Hronek. But there’s still lots of work to be done, and we’ll be covering all of the biggest Canucks news today.

Let’s get started.

After news this morning that talks between the Canucks and Penguins regarding JT Miller seem to have fallen through, the original insider Bob McKenzie suggests that Miller’s name is still out there.

UPDATE: Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports that a source has confirmed to him that a Miller to Pittsburgh trade will not take place today.

Multiple sources, including Rick Dhaliwal, have reported that the Canucks would like to move Conor Garland, but that it’s going to be difficult for them to do.

The Canucks have already made a rather unexpected move this morning, sending Curtis Lazar to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2024.

Lazar was just a single year into a three-year deal, and to say it’s been disappointing for everyone involved would be an understatement. Lazar has struggled to stay healthy throughout, and was only able to muster five points in 45 games this season.

The Canucks desperately need to shed cap space after adding Hronek on Wednesday, and getting Lazar’s cap hit off the books fits that bill. The Devils are in an arms race with the rest of the Eastern Conference, and Lazar could be a useful depth option for Lindy Ruff in the stretch drive to the playoffs.

The addition of a fourth round pick also brings the Canucks back to the net-neutral number they were at before trading a pair of high picks for Hronek.

The trade deadline front has been relatively quiet so far, but we do have a few former Canucks on the move.

The Flyers have traded Zack MacEwen to the Kings in exchange for Brendan Lemieux and a fifth round pick in 2024. MacEwen has just nine points in 46 games with Philly, and gives the Kings a little bit of truculence in their bottom six.

Meanwhile, the Penguins have brought back Nick Bonino for a second go-around from San Jose in exchange for a fifth and a seventh. The Montreal Canadiens are also involved as a third party broker to retain part of Bonino’s salary, and they’ll be receiving a fifth rounder as well for doing so.

Bonino was part of both Penguins’ runs to the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017 after the Canucks traded him for Brandon Sutter in 2015. Pittsburgh GM Ron Hextall needed a PR win after the panned Mikael Granlund trade, and is probably hoping that his comradery with Pens’ veterans and head coach Mike Sullivan will give the team a lift in the push for a playoff spot.

We’re one hour away from the deadline! Things might get a little crazier in the late afternoon, but for now all is relatively quiet.

In the meantime, be sure to check out our article this morning on Filip Hronek, who spoke with Vancouver media earlier today. In the short media availability he touched on the potential of playing with Quinn Hughes as well as providing an update on his shoulder injury.

Troy Stecher has joined the Calgary Canucks- I mean Flames.

Still no word on the return, but the entire Canucks free agent class of 2021 has officially joined the Flames in some capacity after. Incredible.

UPDATE: Stecher has ended up being a part of a four player trade between the Flames and the Coyotes, which involved Stecher and Nick Ritchie heading to Calgary in exchange for Connor Mackie and Nick’s brother Brett.

And that’s time! The trade deadline has officially passed, but there’s still likely a few deals waiting to be registered with the league, so stay tuned!

Well, that was anticlimactic.

There have been teases of the Canucks planning something big before the deadline, but nothing else came to fruition.

On one hand, that’s a bit of a relief, considering the direction the Canucks’ front office seemed prepared to take after trading two top 40 picks for Filip Hronek. Now, with no cap space left heading into next season, they’re up a creek without a paddle.

There will be another opportunity for the Canucks to get some deals done at the NHL Draft in July, but for now the team is likely standing pat on a nearly identical roster to one they started the week with. Not great for a team with a one way ticket to the NHL’s basement.

We will be keeping an eye on the Canucks to see if something late pops in (although that’s unlikely at this point) as well as Patrik Allvin’s press conference at 1 PM.

Let’s close out this live blog with one late piece of Canucks trade news.

If trading a defenseman for future considerations doesn’t sum up the Vancouver Canucks today, I don’t know what does.

Thanks for reading! We’ll have Allvin’s presser quotes for you in a bit!

Join us on March 3rd for the Daily Faceoff Live: Trade Deadline edition as Frank Seravalli and the panel break down all of the latest rumours, news, and rumblings from around the NHL. The show will be live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter from 9 AM-1 PM PT to keep you up to date on all things trade deadline no matter where you’re watching from.