Jim Benning throws cold water on Chris Tanev trade speculation

With the expansion draft over and done with and the entry draft a little over a day away, Vancouver Canucks fans have looked to Chris Tanev as a subject of discussion. By that, we mean in terms of what he’d bring in a trade, more so than what he brings on the ice; the 27-year old has been the subject of countless trade rumours as the organization appears to finally dive head-first into their rebuild.

However, Canucks general manager Jim Benning shut down some of that gossip this afternoon.

It’s an interesting take; while many of us would disagree with the idea of 27 still being “young” in this era of the game, Tanev likely has enough hockey in him that he’d be a valuable contributor when the light comes out of the other side of his team’s tunnel. At the same time, his cap-friendly contract makes him as valuable as he’ll ever be right now, with three more years remaining at just $4.45 million.

The Canucks could, of course, sell at any point between now and those “seven or eight years”, but his Modified No-Trade Clause kicks in at the end of the month. It’s also possible that Benning is bluffing about not looking to move him, in hopes that a team steps up its offer in a fit of panic.

Really, it’s hard to say for sure. What is definite though is that the quote shows confidence in his player no matter what happens, and probably hints that we should stop mashing our F5 buttons for at least a few hours.