Could the Vancouver Canucks move off players this offseason?
Irf Gaffar of Daily Faceoff and DFO Rundown Insider Show joined TFP Hotstove on Saturday on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio with Dennis Bernstein, Dave Pagnotta, and Ryan Paton. There, he was asked about the potential trades the Vancouver Canucks could make with players like Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and others.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Senators, and the Top 50 NHL Free Agents
Dave Pagnotta: “So, as they, they’re going to figure out what to do with Petey (Elias Pettersson). Clearly, the Sedins will spearhead that as you were suggesting. But Jake DeBrusk didn’t join the Vancouver Canucks, signing up for a rebuild. He wants to win. He’s got a decent contract. He voiced his displeasure with the direction of the team last season or this past season. Excuse me, is he the first guy to go? How do they handle this situation?”
Irf Gaffar: “Yeah, I think Ryan Johnson is going to have a meeting with all of his players, and I think he’s going to convince them of the direction that they want to take. Right, there’s one thing when you get a new coach and say, okay, well, we have a new coach here, this is what we’re planning on doing, but like you mentioned off the top, there’s that question, Dave, like it is a rebuild, and does Jake DeBrusk want that? Does Dick DeBus want to be a part of that?
NHL Rumors: Washington Capitals, and the Vancouver Canucks
I know living in Vancouver is great, and all those things are good, but there was talk about the Edmonton Oilers last season. Now, with the Oilers, there was no way they were going to make that money work. Obviously, the connection to Alberta and Jake DeBrusk is definitely there, but he’s a guy that would maybe benefit or appreciate a change of scenery.
Let me say from Vancouver, there are a lot of guys on this roster that we talked about last season that the Canucks were going to look at and say the player A) doesn’t want to be here, or B) the Canucks don’t want them here, and Jake DeBrusk is one of them. I definitely think that if you look at who the Canucks have no movement clauses currently on their rosters, with Jake DeBrusk probably makes the most sense as someone that’s willing to waive, and that they might be able to get something in return for.
If I’m a team that is an aspiring Stanley Cup contender or aspiring team that wants to do really, really, really well in the playoffs, and I look at that Canucks roster, and I’m like, who there do I really like, like that I’m going to give up real assets for because we think that this guy can really help us.
NHL Rumors: Would Elias Pettersson Waive his NMC? What Could the Return Be?
Yeah, I’m not entirely sure Brock Besser is there at $7 million for the next five-six years. Elias Pettersson, we know, isn’t really there for the next five or six years. And the only other player I can say is Filip Hronek. Filip Hronek will probably get the Canucks a haul back if that were ever the case. I just don’t think that is the case. I think that he wants to be here. There are rumours of him being named the captain here in Vancouver, but again, guys, beyond that, there ain’t much here.
The cupboard is pretty thin when it comes to the Vancouver Canucks and their immediate assets. So, if you’re Ryan Johnson, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, you have to do what you preach and say we’re going to take it slow, and it’s going to take time, but at some point, you’re going to have to take an L on a deal, absolutely, to try and improve the hockey team.”
NHLRumors.com Note: The Vancouver Canucks were always trying to improve the mix and get younger as Jim Rutherford counted down the days until he was stepping away from the team. There was no chemistry in the room. Regardless of what happened with Quinn Hughes, the Canucks signed some players to bad deals. Like Thatcher Demko‘s new three-year contract extension is worth $25.5 million, an $8.5 million AAV with a full no-movement clause for the entire term. That is a tough contract to move.
There are other contracts like that on the team as well. But the Canucks will have to start somewhere. Jake DeBrusk’s contract was a contract that made you go whoa at the time. He is so inconsistent as a player. But there would be a team that takes a run at him. Boeser probably should have signed elsewhere, but felt comfortable there. Is Marcus Pettersson in play? It will be hard for the Canucks to find trade partners.
We had to restart our X account. Please follow @MyNHLRumorsX
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league. We’re also posting some stuff on Instagram.
If you love our reporting, choose NHLrumors.com as a preferred source on Google.
