The Stanley Cup Final is finally over so the off-season can well and truly begin.
Of course, for the Vancouver Canucks, the off-season has been going for weeks and word is the new management team continues to grind away at reshaping the NHL roster.
With the team fully committed to a rebuild, there are still several veterans it would seem that the Canucks would be willing to part with. What they want in return isn’t clear, but as one source said: “They are shopping virtually everyone.”
Here are the four main names Postmedia News has heard are being shopped around the league:
As the veteran winger himself quipped before the NHL trade deadline in March, it wouldn’t be the deadline if his name wasn’t out there as a talking point. He’s long said how it rattles him, even as he knows it’s part of the business.
With the Canucks in transition, looking to start a new era focused on players a decade or more younger than Boeser — he turns 30 next February — it was fair to wonder whether he really wanted to stick around. He’s been a strong playoff performer when the Canucks have made the playoffs — 11 goals and 12 assists in 29 career playoff games — and remains reliable for 25 goals in the regular season.
His foot speed has always been the main criticism about him and it probably keeps the trade talk surrounding him to less than it should be, but there’s little doubt based on what sources around the NHL are saying that his name is out there as “available.”
But that doesn’t mean the Canucks are going out of their way to deal him, of course.
The pesky winger is coming off an awful season. He suffered an injury in training camp and didn’t get back into action until December. He scored just two goals and struggled for ice time; he clearly was at odds with former head coach Adam Foote, who was critical of Hoglander’s decision-making at times while the winger himself expressed quiet frustration at the lack of trust he was being shown.
One source suggested the new management team feels it’s time for Hoglander to move on, to get a fresh start. If he does get dealt, it wouldn’t be for much, even if he’s got obvious scoring talent.
Jake DeBrusk
As has been said more than once in these pages, DeBrusk signed on for a different project than the one he finds himself in and has been rather open about having doubts whether he’s the right fit for a rebuilding team. Even if he’s been privately frustrated at the state of the team — though he’s told reporters more than once that he’s OK with the situation here — he’s not looked frustrated in his play, as he’s been a high-quality power play weapon over his two seasons in Vancouver.
The Ottawa Senators reportedly have an interest in him and you’ve got to think that teams will look at his relatively low salary cap hit and solid scoring record as something worth chasing.
Again, he’s a name that’s understood by rival teams to be a player the Canucks are ready and willing to trade.
And finally, there’s the Canucks’ No. 1 centre, who has insisted publicly he wants to stay, that he wants to be part of the rebuilding Canucks. And yet you can’t help but look at how frustrated he’s been over the past two seasons, in so many ways, and think he would be better off with a fresh start.
A source confirmed that the Los Angeles Kings considered a move for him before the trade deadline and now with Anze Kopitar heading into retirement, you would think they’ll revisit the question. His scoring struggles are well-documented but his defensive game remains high-quality.
Would getting a chance to play with a winger like Kevin Fiala change his trajectory?