On the Vancouver Canucks …
Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province: The Canucks have to sell. They need to rebuild their base by trading veterans for future assets – preferably draft picks.
The Canucks are one of four teams that have five or fewer 2017 draft picks. They’ve done well in mid-round drafting, but have held onto players like Shawn Matthias and Dan Hamhuis in the past instead of getting draft picks for them as rentals.
They have three moveable assets in forwards Alexandre Burrows and Jannik Hansen, and goaltender Ryan Miller.
Rick Dhaliwal: Mike Luit, the agent for Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller, said that he will talk to Miller about all the scenarios leading up to the trade deadline.
Rick Dhaliwal: Liut appreciates the trade talk, but adds nothing has been decided by Miller.
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Darren Dreger on TSN 1290 talking about the Vancouver Canucks. Dreger notes as Pierre LeBrun has already said, Ryan Miller has submitted five teams he’d okay a trade too, but there are also internal talks that the Canucks might be interested in bringing him back next year.
“Jannik Hansen is another one that’s curious to me. Jannik Hansen has another left year on his contract at what – 2.5, I believe. So there’s cost certainty in Jannik Hansen. There hasn’t been a tremendous amount of interest in him just yet, but there is some interest in him. I think that interest will pick up when teams like Ottawa, who say that they’re in the market for a forward (but) don’t really have the stomach to pay the full asking price of some of the top forwards are available – so you look at the next tier. So Vancouver could be among the busier teams.”
Dreger adds that GMs may be expecting busier days before the expansion draft as teams may have a better idea where they sit. Teams are not wanting to give up a draft pick or prospect now as they are worried about losing a player in the expansion, and then having to fill that hole.