Canucks' sundry trade-offs a matter of dollars, sense
Cap-strapped club faces tough scenario in buildup to April 12 trade deadline
In snooker, it's not what you make, it's what you leave.
The same sporting principle applies to the Vancouver Canucks in what they may, or may not, accomplish in advance of the NHL trade deadline on April 12.
The simple summation for suitors interested in unrestricted free agents Tanner Pearson, Brandon Sutter, Alex Edler and Jordie Benn is that they must balance the salary-cap equation.
Money coming in, even as rentals, can be justified if similar money is going out — unless owner Francesco Aquilini retains cash on expiring contracts.
That's probably a moot point because the Canucks currently have no current or projected cap space. Add no-movement and modified no-movement clauses — plus current injury situations and family preferences — and trading UFAs for draft picks gets more complicated.
It's not surprising that Travis Hamonic, 30, won't waive his NMC, even though there's interest from the Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets. The right-shot defenceman has always preferred to play in Western Canada for professional and family purposes. It could be the same scenario with Edler and his NMC.
As for Pearson and Sutter, their value as experienced depth forwards is tempered by salaries and ailments.
Pearson, 28, has missed four games with an ankle injury and the left-winger hopes to start skating this week. Sutter, 32, has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury and may play Wednesday, but the centre has a history of core-related health issues.
Pearson's expiring cap hit is $3.75 million (all figures in U.S. dollars), and with no movement in a contract extension, any possible trade scenario may include only a provisional pick because of the ankle ailment. The more he plays, the higher the pick. That's plausible.
Sutter has been coveted for a month by Edmonton as a thirdline solution and penalty-kill specialist, but is a $4.375-million cap constraint. The Oilers have a fourth-round pick to dangle, but money changes everything.
The Oilers are also in cap hell and would have to move a body out — like struggling centre Kyle Turris — or have the Canucks eat part of the remaining Sutter deal. He wants to sign an extension here and his modified NTC has a list of 15 teams he can't be dealt to.
The Oilers' focus may shift to UFA centre Luke Glendening, 31, of Detroit because of a lower cap
hit ($1.8 million) and familiarity with former Wings general manager Ken Holland.
Benn, 33, would be a depth fit for many clubs and the Canadiens lauded his two full seasons in Montreal before joining the Canucks. However, his expiring $2-million cap hit is a challenge with the Canadiens trading for Eric Staal on Friday and signing prospect Cole Caufield on Saturday.
Then there's the other side of all this. As much as the Canucks have to get Olli Juolevi, Jalen Chatfield and eventually Jack Rathbone into their back-end mix — and also make a decision on Group 6 UFA Brogan Rafferty — they need a support system.
Does Hamonic, who signed a one-year, team-friendly $1.25-million deal Jan. 12 to get the NMC and has meshed well with blueline partner Quinn Hughes, get an extension that's palatable to both sides? And what about Edler from a culture perspective?
All that is above Travis Green's pay grade, but the Canucks coach has lauded Hamonic's progress after missing 18 games with an upper-body injury suffered Jan. 20.
“Hammer has been a good addition
to our group,” said Green. “He's got good size, closes hard and has a heavy stick. We like him as a player and individual. He's hard to play against and is everything we hoped he'd be and hopefully he can stay here.”
Extensions for restricted free agents Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko are obvious priorities and waiver-wire claims Jimmy Vesey and Travis Boyd, who are both 27 and UFAs on $900,000 and $700,000 deals respectfully, are intriguing. If the versatile forwards are part of the future here and Vasili Podkolzin makes the transition from the KHL, Jake Virtanen and Adam Gaudette could be expendable.
Virtanen has been linked to many deals, but moving him before the deadline means convincing a suitor to bite on the $2.55-million cap hit next season and $3.4 million in total salary. It's why a swap of struggling wingers — Danton Heinen, 25, of Anaheim and Virtanen, 24 — made some sense last month.
Heinen is an RFA with an expiring $2.88-million cap hit and unless the Canucks retained salary, it wouldn't be a one-for-one trade. The Ducks wanted an add-on and the deal died. It's why you wonder if another trade of underachieving wingers in first-round picks Jake DeBrusk and Virtanen could be broached.
DeBrusk, 24, is in COVID -19 protocol with Boston, has but three goals and is a frequent healthy scratch. He's far removed from 19 goals last season and 27 in 2018-19. And with a $3.675-million cap hit next season and $4.85 million in actual salary, the Canucks would ask the Bruins to retain money to equal Virtanen's deal. That could be a big ask and perhaps a big gamble on DeBrusk.