As the NHL Trade Deadline fast approaches, teams around the league are looking to clear roster space and salary in any way they can. That includes placing players on the NHL waiver wire and potentially losing them for nothing.

We saw the Seattle Kraken do just that on Thursday when they placed forward Tye Kartye on waivers. Which brings us to our question regarding the Vancouver Canucks:

Firstly, let’s talk about the player.

Kartye is a 24-year-old left winger who went undrafted and signed with the Kraken as an undrafted free agent in March of 2022. In his first professional season in 2022-23, Kartye lit up the American Hockey League, scoring 28 goals and 57 points in 72 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The big club recognized his efforts, as he earned a call-up and made his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring midway through Game 5 to give the Kraken the lead. He would finish that postseason run with three goals and five points in 10 playoff games.

The Kingston, Ontario native picked up where he left off in 2022-23, playing a significant role with the Kraken in 2023-24. Kartye suited up in 77 games, scoring 11 goals and 20 points with a minus-one rating while averaging 11:50 minutes per game as a rookie.

What was most impressive, however, was looking at which forwards he played most of his 5v5 ice time with: bottom-six with Brandon Tanev (222:49) and top-six with Matty Beniers (209:34). This shows Kartye’s ability to play up and down the lineup.

This season, it’s been a bit more of a struggle for Kartye offensively. He has just three goals and eight points through 40 games, while averaging 10:42 minutes per game. While the points may not be coming, Kartye has found another way to make himself useful.

Kartye has been one of the Kraken’s most heavy hitters this season – 98 total hits, third on the team – and has become an avid penalty killer, averaging the fourth most shorthanded minutes per game (1:08) among Kraken forwards. And while he doesn’t contribute much to the power play, he has sent his team to the power play by drawing seven penalties this season.

This playstyle shows he plays a bit of the pest role: laying the body, frustrating your opponent enough for them to take a penalty on you. That remains true of Kartye’s playstyle dating back even further than just this season.

Over the past three seasons, since Kartye became a full-time player with the Kraken, he is second on the Kraken in hits (500), third in penalties drawn (48) and fourth in penalty minutes (101) – first among forwards.

Looking into his NHL Edge data, Kartye’s top shot speed (86.9 MPH) ranks in the 66th percentile. However, his top skating speed (21.92 MPH) is somewhat lacking, ranking below the 50th percentile. Fans could expect more of a heavy shot from Kartye if the Canucks were to claim him.

Now that we’ve pinpointed the type of player Kartye is, where would he fit on the Canucks?

Examining the current roster, the Canucks already have a surplus of wingers: Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Evander Kane, Conor Garland, Nils Höglander, Drew O’Connor, Liam Öhgren and Linus Karlsson. Now, not all of these wingers will be with the team through next week’s trade deadline, so a spot on the wing will open up.

Salary-wise, the Canucks can fit Kartye on the books. His contract carries a $1.25 million AAV for the remainder of this year and next season. However, there’s another dilemma the Canucks face: the roster is full.

Vancouver has 14 forwards, seven defencemen, and two goaltenders with the big club. That’s 23 of an available 23 roster spots accounted for. So, if the Canucks want to claim Kartye, they will need to either send a player down or make a trade.

The only players who are waiver exempt are Liam Öhgren, Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson (D), and Nikita Tolopilo. Those are all young, developing players who are making positive contributions to the lineup. They won’t be sent down. In fact, Tolopilo can’t with only two goaltenders on the roster.

Another option would be to send the team’s two healthy scratches down to Abbotsford: Aatu Räty or Max Sasson. However, they are not waiver-exempt. So, the team would risk losing them for nothing. At that point, management would have to be certain that Kartye is better than the one they place on waivers to pull off such a move. And without analyzing him under their watch, that would be hard to be confident in.

And lastly, there is always the trade route. Evander Kane has been involved in trade rumours for weeks now, but he remains with the team. Tyler Myers is the new name that popped up recently. However, if he’s to be dealt in time for the Canucks to make the claim, then a defenceman from Abbotsford – likely Victor Mancini – would fill that spot.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely the Canucks end up claiming Kartye due to the lack of a roster spot. However, if they can open up that roster spot in time, that’s exactly the type of bet the team should be making at this point. Taking a gamble on a free asset who has another season at a cost-controlled $1.25 million, that you can comfortably play higher in the lineup to boost his trade value and turn into a mid-round pick at next year’s trade deadline.

We will find out the wait later this morning at 11 AM PST.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Would you like to see the Canucks put in a claim for Tye Kartye? Let us know in the comments below!