Will the Canucks swing a trade for a defenceman?

With the Canucks signing Alex Edler to a new two-year contract, everyone’s focus turned to how the organization can add another defenceman.

They can’t come back with the same group and hope that they will be able to get to the playoffs. It’s part of the reason why the Canucks seemed to be linked to every defenceman that is reportedly available. The biggest rumour right now is the Canucks interest in Colorado Avalanche defenceman Tyson Barrie.

As Randip mentions above, Nick Leddy could be another option but would provide a different skill-set. They have also been linked PK Subban and Nikita Zaitsev at various times leading up to the draft.

Purely from a ‘filling a need’ standpoint, Barrie makes sense as a right-handed defender who can move the puck and quarterback a powerplay. It would give the group a whole different dynamic that would make them fun to watch. But Barrie only has one year remaining in his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent and would likely cost a few assets to make a deal happen.

Subban would also fill some needs but comes with three years at an AAV of $9.0 per season. There have been suggestions that Nashville would be willing to retain some but it’s still a big contract to absorb.

Zaitsev is a player that the Canucks may loop back to in early July if they aren’t able to add other players. Those are the only names that we know of publicly.

GM Jim Benning has been clear over the last few weeks that they have a desire to remake the defensive group for next season. Re-signing doesn’t do that and thus it’s fair to assume another move or two is coming in the next week.

Does it begin tonight with the Canucks hosting the 2019 NHL Entry Draft?