The 2025-26 Vancouver Canucks are well past the point at which players returning from injury could truly make a difference in the outcome of the season.

So, for all his positive qualities as an NHL player, nobody is expecting Teddy Blueger to come back into the lineup and change their place in the standings much. But that doesn’t mean that Blueger’s return isn’t a good thing for the Canucks.

In getting Blueger back into the lineup and finally healthy, the Canucks have brought another pending 2026 UFA trade chip to the table. And this one might have underrated value heading into the 2026 Trade Deadline – sneaky value, even.

This has, thus far, been a season to forget for Blueger. This is a player who has stayed relatively healthy throughout his NHL career to date, and yet he has found it almost impossible to stay on the ice this year.

Blueger suffered an undisclosed injury in the preseason that was initially listed as ‘week-to-week.’ He missed the first four games of the regular season and then returned on October 17 against the Chicago Blackhawks. He played two nights after that against the Washington Capitals. He then promptly exited the lineup with another injury, this one to his lower body and also listed as ‘week-to-week.’

And this one lived up to that title more than the previous one. Seeming to suffer a setback or two along the way, Blueger remained out of the lineup from October 20 all the way through to this past Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

He played 18:24 in his return. Clearly, the Canucks have missed him. But with Blueger’s contract up at the end of this season, this is probably not going to be a lengthy return. Blueger is almost certainly going to be traded as a rental to a contending team at some point between now and the Trade Deadline. And when he does, the return could be higher than expected.

In fact, as we look out at the Canucks’ current crop of pending UFAs – now that Kiefer Sherwood has moved on to the San Jose Sharks – Blueger might just be the most valuable of the bunch, despite currently only being at three games played on the season.

Blueger has always been a role-player, and his value is all about the role he could play on a playoff – and has before.

The Latvian is a bona fide centre, and that gives him inherent value. It gives him especially inherent value in this current trade market, which is absolutely bereft of centres. By our count, there are only about nine or ten other pending UFA centres with anywhere near Blueger’s experience, and the majority of those names do not seem likely to be traded.

Sure, on any truly contending team, Blueger would top out at a 4C position. But then, he’s proven himself as one heck of a 4C before, and if he’s one of only a handful on the market, teams will be interested in making that upgrade.

Blueger’s positive traits are numerous. He’s of average size at 6’0” and 185 lbs, but tends to play bigger than that. He’s a perfect 50.0% on faceoffs over his career, but has trended a bit above that mark as a Canuck. He’s paced for between 25 and 30 points a season throughout his career, even when his minutes have been limited. Whether he’s lining up with a Conor Garland or a Daniel Sprong, Blueger keeps his production fairly consistent and always seems to have more to give.

Blueger was the Canucks’ second leading forward on the penalty kill after Pius Suter in 2024-25, and was a big part of the reason why that unit soared to the top of the NHL charts. And in the present day of 2025-26, it’s hard not to tie some of the Canucks’ PK struggles, especially in the early going, to Blueger’s absence from the lineup. This might be the singular ability that gives him the most Trade Deadline value, as few teams are ever truly satisfied with their penalty kill.

Of course, Blueger’s value as a Trade Deadline acquisition isn’t entirely theoretical, because it’s happened before.

Blueger was traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Vegas Golden Knights at the 2023 Trade Deadline. The return at that time was a third-round pick and long-shot prospect Jacob Diliberatore. It is true that, as the Golden Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup progressed that year, Blueger found himself a frequent playoff scratch. In the end, he only played six games on that run, scoring a goal and an assist.

But as Cup winners, the Golden Knights surely don’t regret paying a little extra for quality depth. The question is whether the Canucks could get someone to pay something similar for Blueger today.

He’s older now, but only 31, and still well within his playing prime – especially if we’re only talking about the rest of the season. Here, his injuries this season may actually be a benefit, as Blueger re-enters the regular season healthy, rested, and raring to go.

His salary won’t be much of a barrier, either. Blueger’s cap hit is $1.8 million, which most teams would be able to accommodate by the Trade Deadline. If some trimming is required, the Canucks still have two retention slots available to use, and not much need to use them on anything other than UFAs. One of those slots should probably be used to juice Evander Kane’s trade value, but if the other one can help the Canucks get more back for Blueger, then that makes plenty of sense.

If there’s one difference in approach between Blueger and the rest of the UFAs, it might come in the timing. Fans and media alike were getting antsy for a Sherwood trade before it happened. Now, that attention has turned to the likes of Kane and David Kämpf, with many hoping they’re on their way, too, before the Olympics.

But with Blueger, it may be best for GM Patrik Allvin and Co. to wait – perhaps until that two-week period between the Olympics and the 2026 Trade Deadline. After missing most of the season, Blueger is rebuilding his value with each passing game. And unlike most Canucks, he will not be idle in February, as Blueger will be representing Team Latvia in Italy. Wait for him to get a cumulative dozen or so games under his belt between the Canucks and the Olympics, and Blueger will look like a far more certain quantity.

We’ve previously speculated that, under the right circumstances, Kane could return a better pick than the Canucks paid for him – as in, a third instead of a fourth. That’s probably the same range we can expect for Blueger. For all the offensive power Kane has over him, Blueger plays a more versatile role, is cheaper, and comes with a very positive reputation as a dressing room presence.

As it stands, it’s a bit neck-and-neck between Kane and Blueger as to who will get the larger return. But if the Canucks can get just a little bit more back for Blueger than the Penguins did a few seasons ago, then it’ll probably be Blueger who comes out ahead.

And the Canucks, who will be at least one draft pick richer.