Canucks would like to add Simmonds, but may not be able to make it work
Pierre LeBrun: The Vancouver Canucks had been trying to acquire Wayne Simmonds from the New Jersey Devils but they couldn’t get his salary cap number to work. Brock Boeser could be coming back during the regular season, so they’d need his cap space. So, Simmonds to the Canucks seems unlikely at this point.
James (@Account4hockey): Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 590 said that he can see why the Canucks would be interested in Simmonds.
Canucks GM Jim Benning said that he’s not trading any more draft picks. Friedman drops Olli Juolevi as a player the New Jersey Devils might be interested in.
Stecher hits the rumor mill
TSN: Bob McKenzie said that the Canucks are trying to add a little more grit to their roster.
Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher‘s name has come up in the rumor mill of late. They wouldn’t just move him to shed the salary, but as an asset in a trade.
Canucks trade deadline primer
Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet: The Vancouver Canucks landed forward Tyler Toffoli earlier this week. With Brock Boeser out, the Canucks could still use another winger, but their asset pool is a little lighter, so an impactful trade is unlikely.
The Canucks have also been looking for a bottom half defenseman.
“We’re going to continue to work the phones and look at the market,” Benning told reporters on Tuesday. “We could be done. We don’t have our first- and second-round pick right now for the draft, so I don’t foresee us trading any more picks. But if something makes sense maybe with one of the young players (in the system) where we feel we have enough depth at that position, we’d maybe look to do something like that.”
Assets the Canucks could move a winger or depth defenseman include Nikita Trymakin, Troy Stecher, and draft picks no first or second, only four total this year so it seems unlikely.
The Canucks aren’t looking to trade Stecher, but they may not qualify the pending RFA and could lose for nothing like what happened to Ben Hutton last year.
Don’t think the Canucks should have up an asset for Wayne Simmonds.