In the eye of the hurricane of speculation that encompasses the Canucks organization as it drifts closer to the NHL Trade Deadline on Monday is Dan Hamhuis, Vancouver’s uncontested crown jewel in terms of available assets. The 33-year old’s contract is up in just over four month’s time and with the Canucks’ season circling the drain, it is more important than ever that they get something out of his contract.

Long resistant to the idea of moving on, Hamhuis took a huge step forward today as he finally admitted that he would, at least, consider waiving his no-trade clause if the right move came along. This has to be met with a sigh of relief from Canucks fans whose greatest fear has become that he would kibosh a potential deal and walk in the summer.

Right now, it looks like the opposite could happen.

Dan joined TSN 1040’s Midday show this afternoon to discuss the NHL deadline, something he’s been quite resistant to thus far.

“I think everything is in the realm of possibility,” Hamhuis began. “There’s so many moving parts. This is fortunate that it’s only the first time I’ve ever been a part of something like this.”

The position that the Canucks are in is an unfamiliar one, given that they haven’t been so far back this early since the end of the last century. As such, a lot of the long term pieces on the roster haven’t had to deal with this kind of thing midseason before.

All the same, this is just part of the business of the game, and while Dan was steadfast the last couple of weeks in his insistence that he was more interested in trying to make the playoffs, it’s clear now that he has at least come to consider the idea of moving on.

I’m just trying to read between the lines, but Hamhuis no longer sounds like a man who would refuse to waive to me. With that being said, it’s clear that he is going to be very picky about potential destinations.

As luck would have it, contending teams are usually the ones who are trying to pick up veterans on expiring contracts at the trade deadline anyways, so look at that!

A few teams have been tossed around as potential recipients, including Washington (whose head coach, Barry Trotz, is familiar with Hamhuis from their days in Nashville) and Dallas (who has been scouting the Canucks frequently of late), but after a report this morning, it seems that Chicago might be the front runner in terms of interest level.

One speed bump here is that the Blackhawks just swung a big deal with the Winnipeg Jets to pick up Andrew Ladd, one of the most sought after deadline options, in exchange for a haul that included Marko Dano and their 2016 first round selection.

The release of those assets wouldn’t preclude them from also spending a decent amount to grab Hamhuis, it would just mean that there’s no chance a first rounder would be coming Vancouver’s way. Chicago’s earliest selection is now in the third round, meaning that it’s probably going to be somewhere in the late 80’s. On the other hand, the optimist in me hopes that the Canucks could use Chicago’s apparent interest to start a bidding war on Hamhuis and pique the interest of a team like Dallas, who does still have a first round pick available.

“I always have that desire to win, that’s why I’ve gone to seven world championships now.”

One thing that might ease Hammer’s mind about moving on is the possibility that he could come back in the future.

“That’s one of the options that could happen, and that’s an interesting one. Look at Antoine Vermette, he did it last year, and it was very successful for him to win, he picked the right team.”

The fact that Hamhuis brought up the Vermette situation on his own volition bodes well. The chance to win a Stanley Cup while taking what basically amounts to a three and a half month vacation might make the move a little more palatable.

When asked directly whether he would waive his no-trade given the right situation, Hamhuis laughed and fell back on his “you’re speculating” line, but added that it would be an “in the moment decision”. Even so, it seems that the needle has already moved a considerable amount in recent weeks, and we’ll have to wait and see how much further it moves in the coming days.

The phrase “he picked the right team” may prove to be very a telling one going forward as well as Hamhuis could find himself in the exact same situation next week and through to the summer. At least, we know now that he’s taking the possibility of it very seriously.