As per usual, Rick Dhaliwal and Don Taylor continue to bring us some of the best agent information straight from the source.
On Wednesday’s episode of Donnie & Dhali, they were joined by NHL agent Ben Hankinson to check in on the latest news surrounding his clients Brock Boeser and Luke Schenn. This, a day after Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma shared that Hankinson told him he’d spoken to the New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild about trading for his client.
Additionally, we’ve heard a lot of rumours throughout the season about other teams being interested in trading for Schenn. He comes in at a very low cap hit and is on an expiring contract — the perfect rental depth defenceman for a playoff team. Schenn has also won two Stanley Cups in recent years and is a great leader in a locker room. Thus, it makes plenty of sense that contending teams would be interested in adding him ahead of what they hope to be a deep playoff run for their team.
Hankinson spoke about how much Schenn likes Vancouver and the latest surrounding his client.
“Well, obviously, there’s a new coach and it’s no secret Rick Tocchet was a hard-nosed player and I think every coach likes hard-nosed players as well and I think that’s what Luke brings to the table,” Hankinson said. “He’s a hard-hitting right shot, physical shutdown defenceman and he leads the NHL in hits right now. It’s kind of crazy, talking about a trade because he’s the perfect fit with the Canucks. Everything he’s done and going forward with the stage they are in, kind of figuring out what’s next, like, he’s a guy you want to keep around.
“So that’s kind of what Patrik and Jim are figuring out. Exactly the reason they want him is why every other team wants him — wether it’s as a rental to make a run, he’s done that before, he’s won a couple of cups with Tampa and he’s a veteran leader — that’s what’s really attractive to other teams. But does he re-sign in Vancouver? Does he get traded and sign somewhere else? There’s a lot of factors in play but it’s ultimately a situation where I think the Canucks management has to figure out, ‘this is a good return we could get’ and they’re almost crazy not to take it because, you know, the Canucks aren’t in the playoffs. They can trade him and get some value to help build and move in the direction they want to go.
“The ultimate possibility is he could re-sign with the Canucks next summer. He’s from Kelowna, he’s got a family out there, he loves it out there, and I think if you ask the players in the room, they don’t want to trade Luke Schenn. He’s obviously focused on getting the job done with the Canucks and trying to get out of this and find a way to finish strong here, so who knows where that’ll be, but he’s a warrior and a guy definitely you want on your team.”
Hankinson didn’t want to publicly discuss his conversations with management about a potential extension, but said that they have talked about “a lot of possibilities” and that the two sides will cross that bridge in the next three weeks leading up to the March 3rd Trade Deadline.
On Boeser, Hankinson admitted that Brock probably rushed back a little bit too soon from his preseason hand injury because he was so eager to start the season on time. Regarding all the trade speculation, Hankinson reiterated that he and the Canucks are “completely on the same page.”
“We’re trying to figure out what’s best for the Canucks and Brock. I’m probably more concerned about Brock and he’s more concerned about the Canucks, but I think you want both working together and that’s what the fans want. And that’s ultimately the goal here, so they’re exploring all options. It’s a tough spot for me, because at the end of the day, there’s a lot more factors than just moving the player and getting something in return. There’s money and cap and there’s a lot of other players in somewhat similar situations that are potentially trade candidates going into the deadline here or in the summer. But I honestly would say that I really do communicate regularly with Patrik and Jimmy and have a good relationship with both of them.”
It’ll certainly be interesting to follow along and see how this all plays out — specifically with Schenn, who is a pending UFA — as the trade deadline is just over three weeks away.
